Timur Turlov elected FIDE president, becomes first Kazakh to lead World Chess

Timur Turlov has been elected President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), winning a second-round runoff vote at the FIDE General Assembly, held in Samarkand alongside the Chess Olympiad. Turlov ran on a joint ticket with five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand as Deputy President.

Turlov becomes the first Kazakh national to lead FIDE in the organisation’s history, marking a milestone for Kazakhstan’s rapidly-growing chess community and for the wider Central Asian chess movement. He takes office for a four-year term running through 2030.

Turlov is founder and CEO of Nasdaq-listed Freedom Holding Corp., a diversified financial services and technology group with operations spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. Over nearly two decades, Freedom has built its business around digitalising brokerage, banking and fintech platforms. He has served as President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since 2023.

“The biggest dream we’re all working toward is getting closer to the Olympic programme. I want real unity within FIDE, with every federation seeing, over these next four years, the difference we can make together. My goal is for FIDE to become more professional and more modern, more digital, raising its standing and influence, and finding its place in today’s world. I want to bring my own experience in digitalization to that work, helping the organisation build a powerful platform and earn recognition as the leader and regulator of this historic and living game,” said Timur Turlov.

The result carries particular weight in Cyprus, where Freedom24, the European arm of Freedom Holding Corp., became the main partner of the Cyprus Chess Federation back in 2023. Since then, the island has hosted 26 tournaments, including two stages of the FIDE Women’s World Grand Prix in Nicosia and the Candidates Tournament with a €1-million prize fund, while the Freedom24 Chess Academy opened in Limassol in March 2025. Around 2,000 people on the island now actively play chess, the majority of them children.

Turlov’s campaign combined direct financial commitment with structural reform. He has pledged more than $8.5 million toward FIDE’s development, including a dedicated multi-year fund kept separate from FIDE’s operating budget, with the aim of doubling the resources available to national federations and simplifying access to grants. A central pillar of his programme is a unified platform for FIDE that would give every player a single profile spanning ratings, online play, and education tools, alongside modern infrastructure for federations worldwide — echoing the same playbook of connecting international markets through technology that has defined Freedom’s growth. As President of the International School Chess Federation, Turlov has also made chess in education a priority, seeking wider integration of the game into school curricula globally.

On governance, Turlov’s background leading a publicly listed international company shapes several of his commitments: publishing FIDE’s financial statements and major commercial agreements on a regular basis, introducing an independent external audit, appointing specialists on merit and bringing experts from every continent onto the organisation’s commissions.

He has also committed dedicated staff to help national federations secure sponsors, navigate government partnerships and gain international media exposure, along with strengthened anti-cheating measures.

Five-time World Champion Anand, who has served FIDE as Deputy President since 2022, brings continuity and deep institutional knowledge to the new administration.

The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) is the Switzerland-based global governing body for chess, with approximately 200 member federations worldwide.