Popular chess photographer David Llada accuses FIDE of ‘shamelessly using’ his work

Noted sports photographer David Llada has accused the World Chess body, FIDE, of 'shamelessly using' his photo of Ju Wenjun to promote the Women's World Chess Championship match.

In a social media post on April 2, the Spaniard shared a post from FIDE featuring a billboard for the upcoming match between reigning champion Wenjun and challenger Tan Zhongyi in China.

"FIDE, which didn't approve my petition to take pictures at the last chess Olympiad, is shamelessly using my photo of Ju Wenjun (from the Baku Olympiad 2016) for the official billboard of the Women's match," Llada posted.

"Needless to say, they have no rights whatsoever over this picture, and I wasn't paid for or consulted about it. Now I'll send them an invoice, though," he added.

Though chess is a sedentary activity without much action, Llada's works are known for being meticulous and for capturing the varied emotions that chess players experience during a game. Onmanorama has sought a response from FIDE on the allegation and will update the story with a comment.

Wenjun has won the last four world championships, while Zhongyi is aiming to win her second title after triumphing in 2017.