The previous Russian head of the International Chess Federation, Arkady Dvorkovich, was forced to step down over EU sanctions
A Russian-born businessman, Timur Turlov, has been elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The vote by representatives of 196 nations took place on Saturday after the previous FIDE chief, Russian national Arkady Dvorkovich, had to resign under EU pressure.
Turlov led in the first round with 96 votes as he competed against two Germans, Wadim Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner, who trailed behind with 76 and 20 votes respectively. He then won the second round with 110 votes.
Dvorkovich congratulated his successor, saying that the new chief “has already done a great deal for chess, and… will do even more now as FIDE President.” He also stated that Turlov’s victory showed he had “significant backing” within the international chess community.
Turlov called it “a great responsibility and a vote for a better future of our sport.”
Today is a victory for chess – for every player, every federation and everyone who believes in the potential of our game!
We are all one family and we will continue working as one. This is a great responsibility and a vote for a better future of our sport.
Now is the time to… pic.twitter.com/ieF9HmGQf5
— Timur Turlov (@TurlovforChess) September 26, 2026
Born in Moscow in 1987, Turlov lived in Russia until the early 2010s, when he moved to Kazakhstan. He is the founder of the Freedom Finance investment company, which was established in 2008 to provide retail investors with access to US stock exchanges and has since expanded to 22 countries worldwide.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
