FIDE presidency enters uncertain three-way contest in Samarkand
FIDE’s next president will be chosen in a politically charged election involving Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov and German candidates Jan Henric Buettner and Wadim Rosenstein. The contest follows Arkady Dvorkovich’s decision not to seek re-election and has focused attention on candidates’ links to Russia and the federation’s finances.
The World Chess Federation is heading for a contested presidential election in Samarkand, with three candidates competing to replace incumbent Arkady Dvorkovich, who will not seek another term. Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov is running against German investor Jan Henric Buettner and entrepreneur Wadim Rosenstein, the official candidate of the German Chess Federation. The vote is expected to be closely watched because it will end more than 30 years of Russian leadership at FIDE.
The campaign has been shaped by questions about the candidates’ relationships with Russia and the sources of FIDE’s financial support. Dvorkovich, a former Russian deputy prime minister, was placed on the European Union’s sanctions list over his support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Buettner’s team says it has no connection to Russia.
Malcolm Pein, his proposed vice-president, told DW that the campaign intended to reduce FIDE’s reliance on Russian financial backers and make chess more commercially successful. Buettner has proposed distributing 20 per cent of FIDE revenue to national federations. Turlov is regarded as the leading candidate and is described as an associate of Dvorkovich and the FIDE establishment.
His company, Freedom Holding Corp., has been a major FIDE sponsor. Ukrainian authorities have placed the company and its chief executive on their sanctions list, accusing the firm of helping finance Russia’s war. DW said Turlov had not responded to its request for comment.
Ukraine’s Chess Federation vice-president Volodymyr Kovalchuk said Ukraine would seek European Union sanctions against Turlov if his election created a security threat. He also said Ukraine would oppose Rosenstein, whose business ties to Russia have drawn scrutiny. Rosenstein told DW that he was no longer active in Russia and operated globally.
However, public records cited by DW showed that his Moscow-based WR RUS company remained owned by him and increased its reported profit between 2022 and 2025. The source material ends while detailing further business links.
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