Kazakh Billionaire Turlov Elected FIDE President
Timur Turlov, a Kazakh businessman and former Russian citizen, was elected president of FIDE on September 26, succeeding Arkady Dvorkovich. The election took place during the FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, amid international scrutiny over his ties to Russia and sanctions from Ukraine.
Consensus
- Timur Turlov was elected president of FIDE on September 25, 2024.
- The election took place during the FIDE General Assembly held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
- Turlov is a citizen of Kazakhstan and previously held Russian citizenship.
- Turlov is the founder and owner of Freedom Holding Corp, a major sponsor of FIDE.
- He succeeded Arkady Dvorkovich, who stepped down after being sanctioned by the EU.
- The election required two rounds, with Turlov winning 110 votes in the second round.
- Two German candidates, Vadim Rosenstein and Jan-Henrik Buttners, were also in the race.
- The Russian chess federation was suspended from FIDE, and its delegates were excluded from voting.
- Vishwanathan Anand, the 15th world chess champion, served as interim president during Dvorkovich's absence.
Points of divergence
- Turlov was elected with 110 out of 196 votes in the second round. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- In the first round, Turlov did not reach the required 50% plus one vote, needing a second round. — tg_radiosvoboda
- Turlov is under Ukrainian personal sanctions. — tg_bbcrussian
- Turlov offered a vice-presidency role to Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, which was criticized by the Ukrainian Chess Federation. — tg_echoonline_news
- The U.S. SEC issued a Wells notice to Freedom Holding in 2026 regarding potential enforcement actions. — tg_theinsider
- Turlov became president of the International Federation of School Chess in 2024. — vm
- The total number of votes in the first round was 192, not 196. — meduza
- Turlov is the youngest president in FIDE history. — tg_dwglavnoe
Coverage (13 sources)
- A Russian financier-milliarde who moved to Kazakhstan was chosen as the head of the FIDE chess federation — The Moscow Times
- Businessman from Kazakhstan Timur Turlov elected president of international chess federation FIDE on September 26. He will replace ro... — Радио Свобода
- President of FIDE is head of Kazakhstan chess federation Turlau. What is known about him and why Ukraine is dissatisfied — BBC News Русская служба
- Timur Turlov from Kazakhstan becomes the new head of the International Chess Federation — ЭХО / Новости
- Billionaire Timur Turlov became president of FIDE. He is under sanctions of Ukraine, and his Freedom Holding is under the attention... — The Insider
- Representative of Kazakhstan Turlov became president of the International Chess Federation — Вечерняя Москва
- Timur Turlov from Kazakhstan became the new president of the International Chess Federation. At this post he replaced Arkady Dvakovich — Meduza
- Timur Turlov from Kazakhstan became president of the International Chess Federation — DW Главное
- Turlov, head of Freedom Holding, elected president of FIDE — Ведомости
- President of FIDE elected Kazakhstan representative Timur Turlov — Коммерсантъ
- Timur Turlukov elected president of the International Chess Federation — Вести
- Timur Turlukov elected president of the International Chess Federation — Москва 24
- On September 26, the FIDE General Assembly will elect a new president of the chess federation — Коммерсантъ
Key entities
- Timur Turlov
- Kazakhstan
- FIDE
- Samarkand
- Ukraine
- FIDE
- Jan Henrik Buttner
- Freedom Holding
- Russia
- Germany
- Vadim Rosensteyn
- Moscow
- International Chess Federation
- International Chess Federation