True Colors Revealed in FIDE: Presidential Election Maneuvering

Friends Are Revealed in FIDE: Intrigue Surrounds the International Chess Federation Presidential Election

There is a well-known rule in chess: the true strength of a position becomes clear not when everything is calm, but when the struggle begins. It seems that the same moment has arrived for the International Chess Federation itself.

On September 26, 2026, FIDE delegates in Samarkand will elect the federation’s new president. Three candidates are running for the position: Jan Henric Buettner, Vadim Rosenstein and Timur Turlov. Their respective candidates for deputy president are Malcolm Pein, Gordon Tang and Viswanathan Anand.

That is why the current campaign is already difficult to view as an ordinary change of leadership. On the chessboard, the Olympiad is taking place, while behind the scenes in the same Samarkand, a completely different game is unfolding — a contest for influence, the trust of national federations and the future of FIDE.

Why These Elections Are Different

Just a few months ago, the situation looked completely different.

Arkady Dvorkovich, who had led FIDE since 2018, had initially planned to run for another term. Timur Turlov was expected to become his candidate for deputy president.

However, after the European Union imposed sanctions on Dvorkovich, the situation changed. Dvorkovich withdrew from the presidential race, while Turlov launched his own presidential bid. Viswanathan Anand joined his team.

The familiar configuration of the election therefore changed within a matter of weeks.

And that immediately raised a key question: to what extent will the connections and political capital of the previous administration carry over to the new team?

The answer will only become clear after the vote.

Three Teams — Three Different Approaches

Three presidential tickets have officially been registered for the election:

* Jan Henric Buettner — Malcolm Pein

* Vadim Rosenstein — Gordon Tang

* Timur Turlov — Viswanathan Anand

FIDE officially confirmed the three tickets after the nomination period ended. Each national member of FIDE represented at the General Assembly has one vote.

And this is where things get particularly interesting.

The candidates’ public statements show that they have different ideas about how the federation should develop.

Turlov has emphasized commercial development, digitalization, expanding the audience for chess, supporting national federations and strengthening the game’s presence in the modern digital environment. In an interview with Reuters, he also spoke about the need to comply with decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and develop FIDE’s digital tools.

Rosenstein has highlighted governance reform, transparency, conflict-of-interest rules, FIDE’s commercial development and bringing Magnus Carlsen back into the classical world championship cycle among his priorities.

Buettner and his team have focused on restructuring the governance system and changing the relationship between FIDE and national federations.

So this is not simply a contest between three names. At stake are three different visions of what FIDE should become in the years ahead.

The Most Important Players Are Not Fans, but Federations

FIDE elections are different from conventional political elections.

Millions of fans do not vote. There is no direct popular ballot. The decision is made by representatives of national chess federations.

And each federation has one vote.

This creates a very particular political map.

Major chess powers and smaller federations formally stand on equal footing in the vote. That means not only the candidates’ profiles and popularity among players matter, but also their relationships with federations, negotiations, support and personal contacts.

This is where the title “Friends Are Revealed in FIDE” becomes particularly appropriate.

While the cameras are on, candidates talk about their programs.

When the cameras are off, the work with delegates begins.

Samarkand Becomes a Political Chessboard

The election is taking place alongside the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand.

It is almost the perfect setting for such an intrigue-filled contest.

Representatives of chess federations from around the world, elite players, national federation officials, administrators, organizers and potential partners have all gathered in the same place.

On the Olympic stage, teams are fighting for medals.

Inside the General Assembly halls, the question is being decided of who will lead world chess for the next four years.

FIDE has scheduled the presidential and deputy presidential elections for September 26 as part of the General Assembly.

The proximity of these two events makes Samarkand the center of the chess world on several different levels at once.

The Intrigue Is Not Only About the Candidates

Another defining feature of this campaign is the number of controversial issues involved.

The candidates and their teams have publicly disagreed over FIDE governance, electoral transparency, relations with national federations, sanctions policy and the future of Russian participation in international chess.

Some accusations and criticisms have been made directly as part of the election campaign, so they should be understood as the positions and statements of the respective sides rather than established facts.

But their very presence illustrates the level of tension surrounding the election.

Reuters, for example, reported on Turlov’s positions regarding Russia and the CAS decision, as well as his proposals concerning digitalization and support for federations. Rosenstein, meanwhile, has publicly discussed governance reform, conflicts of interest and FIDE’s commercial development.

The election is therefore not simply a contest between individuals.

It is a debate over what an international chess organization should look like in a new political, sporting and digital reality.

Why the Vote Count Cannot Be Predicted in Advance

At first glance, public statements or support from individual federations might appear to provide clues about the candidates’ positions.

But the FIDE voting system leaves too many variables unknown.

The vote is secret. Moreover, public support expressed by a federation does not necessarily reveal the final decision made by an individual delegate inside the voting booth.

That is why unofficial vote counts should be treated with caution.

Even independent trackers emphasize that their assessments of federation positions are approximate and do not constitute official forecasts of the election result.

In such a system, there remains room for negotiations and changes of position until the final moment.

And perhaps that is precisely what makes the election so distinctly chess-like.

Old Connections vs. a New Direction

The central intrigue of the campaign is not limited to the three candidates.

There is also the legacy of Dvorkovich.

During his eight years at the helm of FIDE, a broad network of international relationships was established. The question now is how useful that network will prove to Turlov after the election landscape changed.

Dvorkovich himself has publicly endorsed Turlov.

But an election is not an automatic relay race in which influence simply passes from one person to another.

Each federation makes its own decision.

That is why the influence of the previous administration cannot simply be translated into a specific number of votes.

And once again, the chess analogy fits: a position may appear favorable on the board, but one inaccurate move can completely change its character.

What Is Really at Stake on September 26?

At first glance, the question sounds simple: who will become the next president of FIDE?

In reality, there are many more questions.

How will the federation’s commercial model develop?

How actively will FIDE invest in digital chess?

What will its relationship with national federations look like?

How will the organization address governance and transparency?

How will its approach to professional players and major international projects change?

How will the classical world championship cycle develop?

And, finally, what role will FIDE play in the international sporting landscape?

The answers will depend not only on the identity of the future president, but also on the team that person brings with them.

The Final Game Has Not Been Played Yet

In chess, spectators can see the board and analyze the position. In a FIDE election, things are more complicated.

There are public statements, programs, endorsements, political alliances and personal relationships. But the decisive move remains hidden until the moment of the vote.

On September 26, Samarkand will become the setting for the conclusion of one of the most intriguing FIDE election campaigns in recent history.

Three teams will enter the voting process with different programs and different visions for the future of world chess.

But the most important details will only become clear after the votes are counted.

Because in FIDE, just as in chess, the most important moves are sometimes made when the spectators cannot yet see them.