Sixty-six countries supported the motion, while 41 chose a third option that would keep all restrictions in place.
Only 21 countries voted to lift sanctions, including Russia and Belarus, as well as several former Soviet republics and other Russian allies in Africa and Asia.
The much-anticipated vote was seen as a test of the West’s resolve to keep pressure on Russia in culture, sports and diplomacy.
Before voting began, Ukraine urged delegates to reject the proposal to lift sanctions.
“This is a victory for Ukraine,” Viktor Kapustin of the Ukrainian Chess Federation told the BBC.
“This vote shows that Russia did not get as much support as it had hoped,” he added.
“Russia is an aggressor and an aggressor, and aggressors must be punished in all areas of life, including sports. It is important to maintain or strengthen sanctions so that they admit their crimes.”
Russia said politics should be taken out of chess and urged other delegates to vote to lift all sanctions.
Kyiv has received support from England, Scotland, Wales, the United States, France and many other Western countries. The IOC, which Fide is affiliated with, has also recommended that the organization adhere to the Olympic body’s previous decision to maintain sanctions against Russia in sports.
After the full-scale invasion of Moscow in 2022, FIDE voted to ban the Russian national team and officials from attending matches.
In a separate measure, the Fide committee imposed sanctions on the Russian Chess Federation (CFR) in June last year, excluding it for two years for “damaging the reputation of chess” and violating the principles of the international body.
The Russian Federation found that the tournament was organized in areas of Ukraine illegally occupied by Russian troops, and reprimanded the Russian president of Fide, a member of the CFR board of directors.
Earlier this month, the ban was reduced to a €45,000 (£37,700) fine and the censure was revoked, a move that has drawn criticism from Ukraine and its allies.
Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, both of whom are under international sanctions, are also members of the CFR board.
