President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Timur Turlov announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential election. Turlov says FIDE stands at a crossroads, and believes the organization needs new energy.

Timur Turlov

Timur Turlov

President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation

“Today, the federation with a century-long history stands at a certain crossroads. The path traveled cannot be stopped or crossed out.

I believe it needs to be intensified, to give development new energy and move forward.

That is exactly why I decided to put forward my candidacy for the position of President of the International Chess Federation.”

Timur Turlov is a Russian-born Kazakh entrepreneur and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. Turlov has served as the president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since January 2023.

The FIDE President election 2026 will take place at the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 26 to 27. WR Chess CEO Wadim Rosenstein, Freestyle Chess CEO Jan Henric Buettner, and former FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, have submitted their applications.

Credit: Mark Livshitz / FIDE