Vishy Anand to remain FIDE Deputy President as Timur Turlov wins FIDE election - The Indian Express
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will remain in the second highest office of FIDE, the global governing body of chess, for four more years as the deputy president. Anand was the running mate for Timur Turlov, a 38-year-old Kazakhstan-based billionaire, who, on Saturday, edged out two German entrepreneurs Wadim Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner to win the FIDE elections in Samarkand on the sidelines of the Chess Olympiad. Turlov is the eighth President of FIDE, and at 38, the youngest ever elected to the post.
Anand, who has been FIDE Deputy President for the past four years, was planning to step away from his FIDE responsibilities after his term ends, but with Arkady Dvorkovich stepping down as president after being placed on European Union’s 21st sanctions list, Anand became the interim president and also joined Turlov’s campaign as his running mate. Turlov was initially supposed to run as Dvorkovich’s deputy.
“I am especially proud to be standing alongside Viswanathan Anand. Vishy changed the history of Indian chess and inspired generations of players. His experience and understanding of both India and the international chess world will be invaluable as we work to build the next chapter for FIDE,” Turlov told The Indian Express in a statement after the election results.
While praising All India Chess Federation chief Nitin Narang, Turlov spoke of India’s role in growing chess.
“For India, I see enormous potential particularly in chess education, digital tools for players and organisers, stronger pathways for young talent, and bringing more major international chess events to the country. India should not simply be seen as one of the world’s strongest chess nations; it should shape how chess develops globally,” Turlov added.
The election on Saturday went into two rounds after the Turlov-Anand campaign secured 96 votes, just one short of the 97 votes needed to win (For victory in the first round, a contender needed 50 per cent + 1 votes. Since 192 federations’ votes were deemed eligible, the magic figure was 97). In the first round, Rosenstein received 76 votes, while Buettner got 20 votes. Only the top 2 contenders were eligible for the second round.
In the second round, with a two-horse race between Turlov and Rosenstein, the Kazakhstan billionaire received 110 votes, while Rosenstein received 85.
The election comes after months of bickering and allegations about wrongdoing by all three candidates at each other.
Turlov is the Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Holding Corporation, an international financial services group with a capitalisation of nearly $11 billion, that has backed over 20 major international FIDE tournaments in the past. This includes the Candidates tournament earlier this year and the upcoming FIDE World Championship where Gukesh will defend his crown against Javokhir Sindarov.
Since January 2023, Turlov has been the president of Kazakhstan’s Chess Federation.
“Today is a victory for chess — for every player, every federation and everyone who believes in the potential of our game! We are all one family and we will continue working as one. This is a great responsibility and a vote for a better future of our sport,” Turlov said after the election results were announced.
Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. He primarily writes on chess and Olympic sports, and co-hosts the Game Time podcast, a weekly offering from Express Sports. He also writes a weekly chess column, On The Moves. ... Read More
