Jan Henric Buettner shared his opinion on politics in FIDE and chess. Buettner believes that FIDE should not play a political role, and notes that he wants FIDE to obey all the international rules. Buettner spoke about it in an interview with Chess with Mustreader.

Jan Henric Buettner

Jan Henric Buettner

Freestyle Chess Founder

“FIDE should not be a political party. It should not play a political role. It should not be a judge of anything. It should not say what is right or wrong.

But FIDE should definitely adhere to all international laws, rules, and court rulings. We will make sure that FIDE obeys all the rules.

We will not come out with any different statements that say: ‘Now this is a change, another direction.’ We will not be instrumentalized. I have never been instrumentalized in my life for anything.

And I don’t think chess is a method that should fight political wars in the world. Ideally, I think that FIDE should play no role in this at all. But it should also not be against anything that international law, international rules, or court decisions have established.”

The FIDE President election 2026 will take place at the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 26 to 27. Jan Henric Buettner, WR Chess CEO Wadim Rosenstein, and Kazakh entrepreneur Timur Turlov were accepted by FIDE for participation in the election.

Credit: Freestyle Chess