My recent post about ChessEver was shared on Reddit with a title focused on my use of the word “communist” for Lichess. I posted a clarification there and want to share it here too. I’ve written critical posts about Lichess before, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect what they’ve built. I’ve also said many times that my company, ChessEver, has been able to make progress thanks to their work. We’re grateful for that. I don’t see these things in black and white: I can appreciate Lichess and still disagree with some of its decisions. My recent post, where I called Lichess “communist” in the opening, was shared here without the full context or a link to the original. I’ve already apologized to Lichess’s founder, Thibault, for misinterpreting his GitHub bio. I took the wording seriously and thought it reflected his philosophy. He explained that it was satire about labels other people had applied to Lichess. I got that wrong. I didn’t intend the word as an insult or criticism. When I used the word, I was thinking about free access, equal treatment for users, and voluntary contributions to something built for the community. I still see similarities that explain the comparison, but that’s my interpretation, not how Lichess describes itself. I misunderstood the context of the founder’s bio, and I won’t keep using the label. My broader point was about the kind of company I want ChessEver to become: a sustainable business that also contributes to the chess community. That’s the discussion I wanted to have.

#chess It is NOT a good start for the new FIDE administration to ignore and bypass the Ukrainian Chess Federation @UAchessfed in appointing a Ukrainian vice-president without their official approval. In addition to the fact that Mr Podolyak has absolutely no relation to chess, exactly as Mr Kolobkov (RUS) doesn't. At this point, both choices seem to serve only non-chess interests and constitute a co-ordinated attack on the Ukrainian Chess Federation.