Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov has become the new president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). He took this position following elections held in Samarkand, succeeding Arkady Dvorkovich. At 38 years old, Turlov entered FIDE history as one of the organization's youngest leaders.
The election for the new head of FIDE took place on September 26 in Samarkand during the General Assembly, which coincided with the 46th Chess Olympiad. Three candidates ran for the post. Among them were Turlov, as well as German representative Vadim Rosenstein and German entrepreneur Jan Henrik Buttner.
The first round of voting did not allow any of the candidates to reach the required majority. Turlov received 96 votes, Rosenstein received 76, and Buttner received 20. As a result, Turlov and Rosenstein advanced to the second round.
The runoff election concluded with Turlov's victory, receiving 110 delegate votes, while his opponent garnered 85 votes. A total of 196 votes were cast in the second round. Turlov assumed leadership of FIDE, replacing Arkady Dvorkovich, who had headed the federation since 2018 for two terms.
Tasks of the New FIDE Leader
The new FIDE president emphasized that despite possible differences in views among participants in the chess community, they are united by a desire for progress in the game. He stated that the main goal is to make member federations stronger and more independent, as chess holds great significance for the entire world.
Arkady Dvorkovich, the former head of FIDE, congratulated Turlov on his election. He expressed confidence in the ability of the new leader and his team to implement the planned initiatives, adding that he looks forward to advancing chess and attracting more attention to it.
Among Turlov's plans as head of FIDE are the implementation of digitalization in management, increasing the transparency of federation activities, and developing modern services for chess players and national organizations.
Turlov's Activities in the Field of Chess
Timur Turlov was born in 1987 and has an economics background. Since 2012, he has been managing the international financial group Freedom Holding Corp., whose shares are traded on the American stock exchange NASDAQ. In January 2023, he began leading the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Under his leadership, major chess events and projects aimed at sports development have been supported in Kazakhstan.
According to FIDE, over three years, Freedom Holding Corp. has invested about 30 million dollars in the development of chess in Kazakhstan and has partnered with more than 20 major international tournaments. Furthermore, Turlov is actively working on developing chess in the educational sphere. In 2024, the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) was established with his participation, which he led as founding president. This organization interacts with schools, educational institutions, NGOs, and national chess federations.
Turlov also oversees the Turkic Chess Association, which includes the federations of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. The first team championship of Turkic countries in chess will take place in Astana in 2026. It is worth noting that the Uzbekistan national team won its second championship in history by winning the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.