Timur Turlov becomes FIDE President: he is the youngest leader in history

A historic event for world chess took place in Samarkand. Within the framework of the FIDE Congress, elections for the organization's president were held, and Kazakh entrepreneur and chess activist Timur Turlov was elected as the new FIDE President.

38-year-old Turlov scored 110 votes in the second round, surpassing Germany's representative Vadim Rosenstein. Thus, he took over the leadership of the organization as the youngest president in FIDE history.

Representatives of 196 national federations affiliated with FIDE participated in the election. In the first round, Turlov received 96 votes, while Rosenstein garnered 76 and Jan Henric Buettner collected 20 votes. In the second round, Turlov won with a score of 110:85.

FIDE leadership changes in Samarkand

Timur Turlov succeeded Arkady Dvorkovich, who had been heading the organization since 2018, in the post of FIDE President.

Dvorkovich served as FIDE president for two terms. Expressing his gratitude to him after the election, Turlov noted the necessity of further developing chess and strengthening organizations.

The election in Samarkand was held within the framework of the FIDE General Assembly meeting on September 26, concurrently with the 46th Chess Olympiad.

Who is Timur Turlov?

Timur Turlov was born on November 13, 1987. He is the founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. The company operates as an international financial services group registered on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

Turlov has been involved in chess since childhood and later became one of the major sponsors supporting this sport.

Since January 2023, he had been serving as the President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. According to FIDE, during his leadership, Freedom Holding Corp. allocated approximately 30 million dollars to the development of chess in Kazakhstan and supported over 20 major international FIDE tournaments.

Great tasks lie ahead of the new FIDE President

As FIDE President, Turlov will lead a wide range of issues related to the international development of chess.

In his pre-election program, he focused on areas such as developing the digital infrastructure of chess, supporting small federations, using chess in education, and strengthening anti-cheating technologies.

Another important figure in Turlov's FIDE activities will be five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. Anand had been nominated for the position of vice-president as his running mate in the election.

A new era for world chess from Samarkand

The election of Timur Turlov became an important event not only for Kazakhstan, but also for the chess of Central Asia.

After gaining experience as the head of the chess federation in Kazakhstan, he will now work as the head of FIDE, the governing body of world chess.

The most remarkable aspect is his age. 38-year-old Timur Turlov became the youngest leader ever elected to the presidency in FIDE history.

Thus, the election held in Samarkand on September 26, 2026, opened a new page in the history of world chess.