Timur Turlov, who is the president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, has been elected as the new president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The elections took place on September 26 during the FIDE General Assembly, which was held concurrently with the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
Delegates from 196 national chess federations participated in the voting. There were three candidates for the presidency.
In the first round, Timur Turlov received 96 votes, while Vadim Rosenthal from Germany garnered 76 votes, and Jan-Henrik Buttner from Germany received 20. A total of 192 votes were cast.
In the second round, which took place two hours later, Turlov received 110 votes against 85 votes from his opponent. Thus, the total number of votes in the second round was 196, and Turlov became the eighth president of FIDE.
Turlov, who is 38 years old, replaces Arkady Dvorkovich, who led the International Chess Federation from 2018 to 2026 over two terms. Turlov is the second youngest elected president of FIDE in history.
After the results were announced, Turlov stated that the chess community is one family and emphasized the responsibility of the new leadership for the further development of the sport. He noted: 'We are all one family and will continue to work as a single entity. This is a great responsibility and a vote for the better future of our sport.'
He also thanked everyone who participated in the elections and supported his campaign, stressing the need to strengthen national chess federations and develop chess worldwide.
Arkady Dvorkovich congratulated the new FIDE president and wished him success in his work. According to Dvorkovich, Turlov has done a lot for chess, and the election results demonstrated significant support for his candidacy.
The Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, Abdullah Aripov, who hosted the 46th World Chess Olympiad and the FIDE Congress, welcomed the participants of the events and emphasized Uzbekistan's commitment to promoting chess and friendship worldwide.
Timur Turlov was born on November 13, 1987. He is an economist and CEO of the international financial group Freedom Holding Corp., whose shares are listed on NASDAQ. The market capitalization of this company is almost 11 billion US dollars.
Since January 2023, Turlov has headed the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. He is also the founder and first president of the International School of Chess Federation (ISCF), established in September 2024.
Turlov has been involved in chess since childhood and has supported the organization of chess tournaments in Kazakhstan and abroad. Over three years, Freedom Holding Corp. has allocated about 30 million US dollars for the development of chess in Kazakhstan and supported the hosting of more than 20 major international FIDE tournaments.
In September 2024, Turlov and FIDE jointly initiated the creation of ISCF. This organization collaborates with schools, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, and national federations to expand the use of chess in education and popularize the game among youth.
Turlov also heads the Turkic Chess Association, which unites the national federations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. In 2026, the association will hold the first Championship of Turkic World Countries Teams in Astana.
As one area for FIDE's further development, Turlov advocates for the use of digital solutions to increase transparency and efficiency of management, improve services, and support players and chess communities.
