The Sydney branch of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) called chess a racist sport, since by the rules white pieces always go first and take precedence over blacks, which is an allegory of racial violence.

A state-owned broadcaster, funded by local taxpayers, plans to discuss this scandalous opening on talk shows with the participation of well-known grandmasters. According to the current rules of one of the oldest board games in the world, finally approved at the end of the 19th century, a player with white pieces makes the first move, and a player with black makes the second, then the opponents move alternately. 

Australian chess player John Adams rejected ABC's offer to comment on the racist context of the game, choosing Twitter as a platform for discussion. “The producer of ABC Sydney just phoned me to comment on the rules of the game of chess. They consider the game to be racist, since whites always go first and wait for comments from chess players, ”

Adams wrote, indignant at what the taxpayers' money goes to. He was supported by 57-year-old former world champion Garry Kasparov, who advised those unhappy to choose another game. “If you are worried that the game of chess is racist - please take it - there Black goes first. 

It’s better to do this than to look stupid, spending money on such “investigations,” Kasparov said. Among the comments full of sarcasm, the proposal to rename the figures of the king and queen to “His Majesty N1” and “His Majesty N2”, also endowing them with equal opportunities on the chessboard, also stands out. 

It is curious that in March 2019, two well-known grandmasters - the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen and the Dutchman Anish Giri - already raised the issue of White’s first move as part of the International Day of the United Nations (UN) to eliminate racial discrimination. “The rule of the first move never concerned race or politics, but we can violate it in order to send a message to everyone who believes that color should give an advantage in chess or in life,” Carlsen emphasized then. 

The issue of infringement of the rights of the black population of the planet received a new impetus after the death in the USA of an African-American detained by the African George Floyd. The resonant incident on the video caused a wave of mass protests around the world.