As published at cyprus-mail.com on 28 September 2026. Summary by TFOS; the full text belongs to the publisher.
Timur Turlov has been elected President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). He won a second-round runoff at the FIDE General Assembly, held in Samarkand alongside the Chess Olympiad, on a joint ticket with five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand as Deputy President. He is the first Kazakh national to lead the federation and takes office for a four-year term running through 2030.
The programme
Turlov has pledged more than $8.5 million towards FIDE's development, including a multi-year fund kept separate from the operating budget, with the aim of doubling the resources available to national federations and making grants easier to obtain. The centrepiece is a single digital platform that gives every player one profile across ratings, online play and education tools. In his words: "My goal is for FIDE to become more professional and more modern, more digital."
Governance
The commitments follow the habits of a listed company: regular publication of FIDE's financial statements and major commercial agreements, an independent external audit, appointments on merit, and experts from every continent on the federation's commissions. Dedicated staff are to help national federations find sponsors and work with governments, and anti-cheating measures are to be strengthened. Anand, Deputy President since 2022, provides continuity.
Why it matters for TFOS readers
Timur Turlov is the founder of TFOS, the founder and CEO of Nasdaq-listed Freedom Holding Corp., President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since 2023 and President of the International School Chess Federation. Earlier in September the Africa Schools Team Chess Championship was played in Stellenbosch, where TFOS has its office; we covered his plan for chess in African schools here.
FIDE, based in Switzerland, is the global governing body for chess, with about 200 member federations.