4 min readMumbaiUpdated: Jun 29, 2026 08:04 PM IST
FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich will run for a third term as head of the global governing body of chess when the election takes place in September, but five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will not be contesting for the Deputy President’s post that he holds currently.
“Vishy will not be running again as Deputy President. However, he remains a valued part of our main team and will continue working closely with me on strengthening relations with federations, understanding their needs, and supporting their priorities,” Dvorkovich told The Indian Express.
Timur Turlov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, President of the International School Chess Federation and founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corporation, will run alongside Dvorkovich as the candidate for FIDE Deputy President’s post.
“We are grateful to have the backing, experience and friendship of the great Vishy Anand. He has given so much to chess – both as a player and as an official, and continues to do so. His knowledge and experience, including the remarkable growth of chess in India, will help us better understand the challenges federations face in building infrastructure, developing talent, and popularising chess,” the FIDE chief added.
On his part, Anand confirmed that if Dvorkovich is re-elected, he intends to remain at the heart of the FIDE leadership team, working closely with the Russian on the organisation’s strategic priorities, including global chess development and support for national federations.
I have worked closely with Arkady over the past four years and have seen his commitment to chess and to federations around the world. I’m proud to be part of his team, and I’m confident we will continue to strive for the global chess community! https://t.co/rahYCr0jRE
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) June 29, 2026
So far, two contenders have thrown their hat in the ring to challenge Dvorkovich: German entrepreneurs Wadim Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner. Rosenstein is the founder of WR Chess and collaborates with FIDE to organise the World Rapid and Blitz Teams Championship while Buettner is the man behind Freestyle Chess.
The FIDE presidential election will take place at the FIDE General Assembly, during the 46th Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan in September. Dvorkovich won elections held in Batumi (Georgia) in 2018 and Chennai in 2022.
Dvorkovich said that if re-elected, his priorities over the next four years will be to provide every federation with ‘better practical support and digital services, expand opportunities for young people, women and seniors, strengthen the connection between online and over-the-board chess, and continue working towards bringing chess into more schools around the world’.
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Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, President of the International School Chess Federation and founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., will run alongside Dvorkovich as the candidate for FIDE Deputy President. (Special Arrangement)
“The goal is not simply bigger events, but to make chess stronger everywhere,” he said. “During the past eight years, we have strengthened FIDE financially, expanded global events and invested more in children’s chess, women’s competitions, senior chess, as well as social and educational programmes. But this is not the end point. It is a solid foundation for the future.”
Dvorkovich has constantly been criticised for his links to the Russian government. He was the country’s deputy prime minister till May 2018.
“I understand why people ask the question (about his links to Russian politics) Since becoming president, I have represented every federation equally, travelled widely across the world, made an effort to work with everyone. Our partners are global, our events are held all over the world, our team is international. For the past eight years, we have served more than 200 national federations, helping them grow and promote chess in their own regions. My responsibility has always been to chess, and this will continue,” Dvorkovich said.
“My focus is not politics. My focus is chess, players, federations and the future of our sport.”