When I meet a Russian player I prefer not to play. Since it's a fact that most Russians support their criminal leader who invaded a free democratic country, I assume that most of my Russian opponents would be part of that lame crowd, and don't want to cross swords with such people.
Now, Lichess is unfortunately packed with Russians, and when I abort games with them I often get paused.
I just want to say clear that this is not fair. I want the right to choose the players to play with.
You're right--aborting games isn't fair!
This is a sensitive topic. While I do understand where you are coming from, I am not sure what would be a good solution here.
Just like FIDE banned the Russian flag, but permitted the players, perhaps the same rationale can be applied here too. This might at least indicate that the players publicly don't condone the war initiated by Russia.
Aborting games like that does not seem right. If you get to choose the players to play with on random pairing, many users would abort for arbitrary reasons thereby causing frustration. And you can choose the players to play with now, you can challenge them directly.
Would a country-based lobby help here? Where you will be paired up with someone from that country? Perhaps that'd help users find more members from the same country and help them socialize and connect more. Of course, there are downsides to this too. It might lead to clique communities, instead of a global one.
no need for "lobby by countries" when all you need to do is watch the lobby and pick games with flags you don't wanna avoid
I'm sorry, I usually try to avoid topics related to politics but I just MUST jump in here ...
Before I begin I would like to make a disclaimer: I do not in any way support Putin and everything he is doing in Ukraine. I believe it is wrong to kill innocent people (Ukrainians).
However, I would like to say that Russians have nothing to do with this war. Not every Russian supports this war, but there is little to nothing they can do about it. No matter what they think, the laws in Russia are harsh and very strict. If someone even dares to speak up, they will be sent to prison and they might even be killed.
In conclusion, I would like to say that while it is wrong to invade other countries (specifically Ukraine) it is also wrong to hate on every person in the country just because they have a stupid person who has complete power. Putin's people who are working for him watch their every google search, listen to their ever phone call and listen to their every word.
Thank you. I hope I opened your eyes a bit. I am not proud to say that I myself am Russian. I hate my own country. I want to sometimes rip my passport and destroy it. I suffer every time I need to go to Russia. Luckily, I live in Latvia right now, but it still hurts to see that your home country does these things. But we (Russians) can't do anything even if we really wanted. I understand how you might feel, I feel the same way about the county I was born in.
Once again: I am Russian. Even if I live in a different country, I cannot change the fact that I was born there. It doesn't make me a supporter of Russia in any way. I stand with Ukraine with all my heart. I even help Ukrainian immigrants here in Latvia with my parents and it truly hurts to see Ukrainians damaged.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk and have a great day.
btw edit: I am 13 and I am scared every single time I have to go to Russia with my parents. But I can't do anything. For now, until I'm 18 I will have a Russian passport until I can change it legally. And what do I do about the fact that I was born in that country. Kill myself, excuse me?
Also, please consider this (another edit): aborting games will not change the situation or stop the war.
People can criticize Kremlin and their war in Ukraine in a civilized way in "Off topic" or in "General Chess" (if it is somehow chess-related).
But it is not allowed to bother other users due to their nationality or flag by deliberately aborting games.
I agree. It is not fair to abort games because of they are Russian. I take that as being racist.
Use zen mode.
The eternal issue of humans: they tend to mix different things like politics and sports.
I have wrote something alike a few months ago. We should not break the bonds that are left, if a country decides to go to war that must not mean one can't display his or her countries flag in their profile; chess is what unites us and what keeps us together. If we stop speaking to each other this only leads to more horror in the world, if we can manage to keep our connections alive, may it be jsut through playing chess, we might be able to find a way back to peace.
