Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Timur Turlov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, has been elected President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The election was held on 26 September at the FIDE General Assembly, which took place alongside the 46th World Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.
Delegates representing 196 national chess federations took part in the election. Three candidates competed for the presidency.
In the first round, Timur Turlov received 96 votes, while Vadim Rosenstein of Germany received 76 and Jan-Henrik Büttner of Germany received 20. A total of 192 votes were cast.
In the second round, held two hours later, Turlov received 110 votes against 85 for his opponent. A total of 196 votes were cast in the second round. Turlov thus became the eighth president of FIDE.
Turlov, 38, succeeds Arkady Dvorkovich, who headed the International Chess Federation from 2018 to 2026 for two terms. Turlov became the second-youngest elected FIDE president in history.
After the results were announced, Turlov said the chess community represents one family and stressed the responsibility of the new leadership for the further development of the sport.
“We are all one family and will continue to work as one. This is a great responsibility and a vote for a better future for our sport,” he said.
Turlov also thanked those who took part in the election and those who supported his campaign, stressing the need to further 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 had already done a great deal for chess, while the election results demonstrated significant support for his candidacy.
Uzbekistan’s Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, the host of the 46th World Chess Olympiad and FIDE Congress, welcomed participants at the events and highlighted Uzbekistan’s commitment to promoting chess and friendship worldwide.
Timur Turlov was born on 13 November 1987. He is an economist and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Holding Corp., an international financial group whose shares are listed on NASDAQ. The company has a market capitalization of almost US$11 billion.
Since January 2023, Turlov has headed the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. He is also the founder and first president of the International School Chess Federation (ISCF), established in September 2024.
Turlov has played chess since childhood and has supported the organisation of chess tournaments in Kazakhstan and abroad. Over three years, Freedom Holding Corp. allocated about US$30 million to chess development in Kazakhstan and supported the organisation of more than 20 major international FIDE tournaments.
In September 2024, Turlov and FIDE jointly initiated the establishment of the ISCF. The organisation works with schools, educational institutions, non-governmental organisations and national federations to expand the use of chess in education and promote the game among young people.
Turlov also heads the Turkic Chess Association, which brings together the national federations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan. In 2026, the association hosted the first Turkic States Team Chess Championship in Astana.
As one of the areas for FIDE’s further development, Turlov advocates the use of digital solutions to improve the transparency and efficiency of governance, enhance services, and support players and chess communities.
