Joël Lautier was one of the French chess’ biggest hopes until 2006. Then he dedicated himself to the world of finance in Russia, and now he lives in Barcelona. The United States recently added this great French chess player, to the list of people who have been subjected to sanctions by the occupation of Ukraine, according to the newspaper Les Echos. A decision that may seem surprising, as out of the more than 340 people sanctioned by the United States, in relation to the Ukraine war, only one is not Russian: Joël Lautier.

One of the world’s best chess players in the 90s (he beat Kasparov on one occasion), he’s currently Director of an important merger and acquisition consultancy.

This news appeared in the Les Echos newspaper on Wednesday 20th April.