During the FIDE General Assembly held alongside the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, a decisive leadership vote took place. According to official announcements, 38-year-old candidate Timur Turlov secured 110 votes in the second round, surpassing his opponent Vadim Rosenstein. Turlov succeeds Arkady Dvorkovich as the eighth president of the international organization, with former World Champion Viswanathan Anand elected as the deputy president.

Prior to his election, Turlov headed the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and founded the International School Chess Federation. Outside the chess world, he purportedly serves as the chief executive of Freedom Holding Corp., a financial services group listed on the Nasdaq. Proponents claim this corporate background provides him with the expertise necessary to manage substantial financial allocations, long-term institutional planning, and measurable structural projects within global sports administration.

The newly unveiled presidential agenda outlines a dramatic expansion of FIDE's financial capabilities. Reports suggest that the FIDE Development Fund could receive roughly 24.8 million euros over a four-year period from 2027 to 2030, marking a nearly fourfold increase from its previous budget. Planned allocations target competitive events, youth development, coaching standards, women's chess, and a dedicated media fund aimed at assisting smaller national federations regardless of their resource constraints.

School chess integration remains a core pillar of Turlov's strategic vision, supported by continental championship cycles spanning Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Teams from Uzbekistan, Uganda, Peru, and and Belarus have claimed regional titles, advancing toward a scheduled Grand Final. Despite these ambitious developmental frameworks, observers remain watchful regarding how transparently these multi-million-dollar funds will be distributed across diverse international jurisdictions.

Source: www.uznews.uz