Politics: Chess News Network

• Business or Pleasure in the Maldives?
  Politics
  It is a long way from a FIDE election count to a small island federation's meeting room. Yet this autumn the two men who contested the world federation's presidency, Timur Turlov and Wadim Rosenstein, both made time for the Maldives' chess community
• FIDE Divided Over Podolyak and Kolobkov
  Politics
  A Month After Timur Turlov's Election, Meduza Describes a FIDE Leadership Divided Over Podolyak and Kolobkov and a Russian Case Dropped Without Explanation
• Rosenstein Keeps His CAS Appeal Over Turlov's FIDE Eligibility Alive
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein lost the FIDE presidential election to Timur Turlov in the second round on September 26, 110 votes to 85, but his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over Turlov's eligibility has not gone away.
• Asset-Seizure Against Turlov Withdrawn
  Politics
  Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has dropped a lawsuit seeking to seize the Russian assets of new FIDE President Timur Turlov and companies linked to his Freedom Holding group.
• FIDE Announces Upcoming Chess in Education Courses
  Politics
  The FIDE Chess in Education Commission has announced a series of online and in-person courses for autumn and winter 2026
• Turlov Facing More Criticism
  Politics
  Danish grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen has once again publicly challenged new FIDE President Timur Turlov to explain why the Russian Rapid Championship is proceeding as a FIDE-rated event with participants from Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian regions.
• FIDE's General Assembly Backs Shorter Classical Time Controls
  Politics
  FIDE's General Assembly has formally supported a resolution on shorter classical time controls.
• Turlov's €30 Million Plan for FIDE: What It Funds and What It Leaves Unsaid
  Politics
  FIDE president Timur Turlov is promising to put about €30 million into chess over four years, according to a report in the Cyprus Mail, with a spending plan covering development grants, federation media support, a digital platform for players and a push into artificial intelligence.
• Ilyumzhinov To Testify in CAS Case
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein announced on X on October 9 that former FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has agreed to testify in support of his case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
• Rosenstein Puts €1 Million Behind European Chess
  Politics
  European chess has received a significant vote of confidence. Wadim Rosenstein has pledged €1,000,000 to the European Chess Union
• Did Malcolm Pein's Endorsement Help Turlov Win FIDE?
  Politics
  The suspicion that has trailed Timur Turlov's election as FIDE president since the Samarkand General Assembly has now reached the business press. Business Matters, a UK outlet, published a piece on October 9 asking whether the endorsement of English chess figure Malcolm Pein helped put a candidate under Ukrainian sanctions at the head of the world federation.
• Ilyumzhinov Says CAS Could Erase Turlov
  Politics
  Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who ran FIDE for 23 years until 2018, says the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) could still throw out Timur Turlov's election as FIDE president.
• The Assassination Plot Against Kasparov Is Now a Federal Case
  Politics
  Garry Kasparov has spent over a decade as Russia's most prominent chess export turned Kremlin critic, and the US Justice Department now says Russian intelligence was actively plotting to have him killed.
• Dvorkovich Says Goodbye
  Politics
  Arkady Dvorkovich posted his farewell as outgoing FIDE president on Saturday, the kind of message departing officials usually get to send without much pushback.
• Full Summary of FIDE General Assembly
  Politics
  FIDE's official rundown of the General Assembly's decisions reads, on its face, like routine housekeeping: a president and deputy seated, four vice presidents elected, five more nominated, a treasurer confirmed, a new Chess960 rating system approved, a bilingual English-French name adopted for the federation itself.
• Kirsan Speaks Out Against Turlov
  Politics
  Kirsan Ilyumzhinov has an opinion on whether Timur Turlov should be FIDE president, and it isn't a kind one. "Turlov, like Dvorkovich, had no right to be elected," the former FIDE president said.
• Rosenstein Asks Federations to Rally
  Politics
  Two days after losing the runoff, Wadim Rosenstein has confirmed he's taken his challenge to Timur Turlov's eligibility to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
• Turlov Congratulated
  Politics
  Dmitry Peskov congratulated Timur Turlov on winning the FIDE presidency this weekend.
• The Handshake Rosenstein Wants Disqualified
  Politics
  A day after losing the FIDE presidential runoff 110 to 85, Wadim Rosenstein published a statement that read far more like the opening of a legal challenge than a gracious exit.
• No First-Round Knockout: Turlov and Rosenstein Head to a Runoff
  Politics
  FIDE's presidential election didn't end on the first ballot. With 192 votes cast in Samarkand on Saturday, Timur Turlov topped the field with 96, Wadim Rosenstein took 76, and Jan Henric Buettner trailed with 20. None of the three tickets cleared the majority needed to win outright, so the congress moves to a second round between the top two finishers: Turlov and Rosenstein.
• Call for Emergency ECU General Assembly
  Politics
  Malcolm Pein has published an open letter to European Chess Union delegates and federation presidents calling ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili's endorsement of Wadim Rosenstein "unacceptable," and has moved to trigger a formal accountability process against him, one day before FIDE's own presidential vote.
• Rosenstein's El País Interview
  Politics
  El País published an interview with Wadim Rosenstein on September 24, conducted in Samarkand by Leontxo García, two days ahead of the FIDE presidential vote.
• EXCLUSIVE: Buettner Denies Withdrawal and Reveals Offer to Turlov-Anand Camp.
  Politics
  Chess News Network obtained a message to FIDE delegates in which Jan Buettner firmly rejects withdrawal rumours and says his ticket remains fully committed to contesting the election.
• FIDE Panel Clears Both Sides of Misconduct, Then Sanctions Lopang for a Separate Failure
  Politics
  FIDE's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission has issued its ruling on the ACC election dispute that's run since late July, and the actual decision is more layered than a simple winner and loser.
• FIDE Sets Presidential Candidates Q&A for September 24
  Politics
  FIDE will host a Presidential Candidates Q&A session on September 24 in Samarkand, giving accredited media a chance to question all three men running for the federation's presidency two days before delegates actually vote. But will all three show up?
• A Letter From January Complicates FIDE's Account of Israel's Olympiad Forfeits
  Politics
  Israel's two Olympiad teams had their round six games forfeited this week after a Yom Kippur scheduling request couldn't be resolved with that round's opponents. A letter that's now surfaced, dated eight months before the tournament even began, suggests it never should have come down to that negotiation in the first place.
• Turlov Files Defamation Lawsuit Against David Llada
  Politics
  Timur Turlov has announced that he filed a civil lawsuit against chess journalist David Llada.
• Buettner and Pein Deny Any Second-Round Deal With Turlov
  Politics
  Jan Henric Buettner and Malcolm Pein issued a joint statement pushing back directly on speculation reportedly circulating among delegates in Samarkand: that their real goal is simply to deny Wadim Rosenstein the presidency.
• Putin Endorses Turlov for FIDE President
  Politics
  Russian independent outlet Agentstvo has reported that Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev discussed the FIDE presidency directly during a bilateral meeting in Omsk in late July, and that Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's withdrawal from the race just two days later followed from that conversation.
• Rosenstein Promises Magnus Carlsen Return
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein told Reuters this week that, if elected FIDE president, he would push to bring Magnus Carlsen back into the classical World Championship cycle, alongside a platform built around governance reform, greater transparency, and tougher conflict-of-interest rules.
• Lazavik Defends Gender-Split Training Camps, Says Women "Don't Understand" What Men Are Taught
  Politics
  Denis Lazavik, Belarus's top-ranked player, used a recent interview with streamer Chess Yaroslav to defend the decision to split Mikhail Shereshevsky's chess training camps into separate men's and women's groups, arguing there's a fundamental gap in understanding between the two that makes joint training unworkable.
• Rosenstein Sends Open Letter to Malcolm Pein
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein has taken a new approach to the increasingly bitter FIDE campaign: instead of another formal complaint, he published an open letter on social media addressed directly to Malcolm Pein.
• Why the European Chess Union Just Had to Deny Endorsing Anyone
  Politics
  The European Chess Union issued an unusual public clarification on September 17: "there is no any decision to endorse any candidate for the upcoming FIDE elections," the statement read, adding that the ECU "remains institutionally neutral, committed to serving all 54 member federations." I
• Turlov's Own Company Becomes World Championship Sponsor, Nine Days Before the Election
  Politics
  FIDE and Freedom Holding Corp announced Wednesday that Freedom has become General Partner of the Salesforce FIDE World Championship Match 2026.
• FIDE Responds to Visa Issues, but Questions Grow Over Its Handling of the 2026 Olympiad
  Politics
  FIDE’s response to the Samarkand visa controversy has done little to silence questions over whether the federation was adequately prepared to manage the logistical demands of its own flagship event.
• The Drama Continues: Team Montenegro Denied Rooms
  Politics
  India's hotel troubles in Samarkand weren't an isolated incident. A leaked email and a pointed public post from a longtime chess administrator suggest the Olympiad's accommodation problems reached considerably further than one delegation, and raise real questions about who was actually responsible for fixing it.
• BREAKING: Zurab Joins Team Rosenstein
  Politics
  Zurab Azmaiparashvili, President of the European Chess Union, has joined Wadim Rosenstein's FIDE presidential campaign, Rosenstein announced on X, calling it "a powerful message" that experienced chess leaders believe in his vision for FIDE.
• Wadim Rosenstein Promises Funding For All Federations
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein and running mate Gordon Tang have announced a €10 million investment programme for FIDE's national federations, pledged jointly in an open letter posted the same day the Olympiad opened in Samarkand.
• Romania's Chess Federation Formally Endorses Rosenstein for FIDE President
  Politics
  The Romanian Chess Federation has thrown its official backing behind Wadim Rosenstein's FIDE presidential ticket, in a signed statement of support dated September 15 from Bucharest, published by Rosenstein on X with a simple "Thank you, Romania."
• Solomon Islands Chess Federation Demands Retraction From Buettner Over Debate Comments
  Politics
  The Solomon Islands Chess Federation has issued a public statement demanding a correction, retraction, and apology from FIDE presidential candidate Jan Henric Buettner, over comments he made about the federation during last week's Chess.com-hosted presidential debate.
• After a Flat Debate, the Questions About Buettner's Readiness Get Louder
  Politics
  Wednesday's FIDE presidential debate is mostly being remembered for Wadim Rosenstein's abrupt exit, but the two candidates who actually stayed for the full 90 minutes didn't exactly make the case that his departure was the only problem.
• A Recap of the FIDE Presidential Debate
  Politics
  A recap on the 2026 FIDE Presidential Debate where Jan Henric Buettner and Timur Turlov showcased their contrasting visions on how to make FIDE more professional, financially sustainable and better equipped to support its member federations.
• BREAKING: Rosenstein left Presidential Debate
  Politics
  Wadim Rosenstein left Chess.com's live FIDE presidential debate shortly after delivering his opening statement
• FIDE Releases List of Voting Member Federations for 2026 General Assembly
  Politics
  FIDE publishes lists of member federations with voting rights and suspended federations ahead of the 2026 General Assembly
• Turlov Asks FIDE to Remove Rosenstein From the Ballot Over Sponsorship Deal
  Politics
  Just 24 hours after we recapped the FIDE presidential race, it has escalated sharply again. Timur Turlov has formally asked FIDE's Electoral Commission to remove rival candidate Wadim Rosenstein from the ballot entirely, and to suspend the German Chess Federation's voting rights, over a sponsorship agreement signed in the middle of the campaign.
• Journalist's Unofficial Count Has Turlov Leading But Fading, Rosenstein Rising
  Politics
  Chess journalist Vlad Ghita, who covers FIDE politics as an accredited Olympiad media member and now also serves as Press & Communications Secretary for the Romanian Chess Federation, has published his read on where the presidential race actually stands a month out from the vote in Samarkand.
• Dvorkovich Publicly Backs Turlov for FIDE President
  Politics
  Arkady Dvorkovich has weighed in on his own succession. In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA Novosti published August 25, the former FIDE president named Timur Turlov as his favorite to win September's election, saying plainly that he hopes Turlov wins and that his victory "will benefit FIDE and the entire chess world."
• FIDE Board Confirms Russian Teams Will Not Play Olympiad
  Politics
  The question we covered as unresolved earlier this month has an answer. According to Russian state news agency TASS, citing Russian Chess Federation executive director Alexander Tkachev, FIDE's Presidential Board has decided not to allow Russian national teams to compete at this year's Olympiad
• Buettner Alleges FIDE Votes Sell for Up to $40,000
  Politics
  Jan Henric Buettner gave one of the most pointed interviews of this FIDE election cycle to German outlet Perlen vom Bodensee, alleging a decades-old system of vote-buying within the federation and confirming he has formally asked FIDE's Electoral Commission to rule on whether rival candidate Timur Turlov can remain in the race at all.
• Gambia Chess Federation Hits Back at Malcolm Pein Over Olympic Funding Claims
  Politics
  The Gambia Chess Federation has pushed back against claims by Malcolm Pein over Olympic funding.
• Chess.com to Host First FIDE Presidential Debate on September 9
  Politics
  Chess.com announced it will host the first debate of the 2026 FIDE presidential election on September 9, bringing all three candidates, Jan Henric Buettner, Wadim Rosenstein, and Timur Turlov, together to discuss their visions for the future of international chess
• Buettner–Pein Ticket Names Vukani Dlamini as FIDE Treasurer Candidate
  Politics
  Dlamini has worked as a Tax Auditor with the Eswatini Revenue Service for around eleven years, with a background in financial statement analysis, compliance and auditing. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and a Diploma in Commerce.
• Questions Worth Asking About the Buettner-Pein Ticket
  Politics
  Timur Turlov's citizenship and business ties have drawn most of the scrutiny in this year's FIDE presidential race, and Wadim Rosenstein has faced his own questions over nomination timing. The third ticket, Jan Henric Buettner and running mate Malcolm Pein, has attracted comparatively little of that treatment. On at least three fronts, that gap is worth closing.
• FIDE Considering Letting Russia Play Olympiad
  Politics
  Russia's participation in the 46th Chess Olympiad is not settled. According to Sport-Express, FIDE's Council will make a final decision on August 23.
• Sharply Critical Column Lands on Turlov's Campaign
  Politics
  A lengthy opinion piece by journalist Vlad Ghita is circulating in chess media, laying out what its author calls a pattern of concern around Timur Turlov's FIDE presidential campaign.
• Turlov File Counter-Complaint Against Rosenstein-Tang Ticket
  Politics
  The FIDE presidential race now has complaints running in both directions. Days after Wadim Rosenstein formally asked FIDE's Electoral Commission and the Court of Arbitration for Sport to examine Timur Turlov's eligibility, Turlov has answered in kind
• Turlov Agrees to Face Off With a Vocal Critic on the Chicken Chess Club
  Politics
  Timur Turlov has agreed to appear on the Chicken Chess Club, the podcast hosted by grandmasters Jan Gustafsson, Laurent Fressinet, and Peter Heine Nielsen, best known collectively for their work inside Magnus Carlsen's own team and for a recurring segment essentially built around picking apart FIDE's problems.
• Rosenstein Formally Calls for Review of Turlov's FIDE Candidacy
  Politics
  The FIDE presidential race has taken its sharpest turn yet. Wadim Rosenstein, one of Timur Turlov's rivals for the presidency, has published a formal call for FIDE's Electoral Commission, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport where applicable, to examine Turlov's eligibility and disclosures, and to disqualify his candidacy if the applicable rules turn out not to have been met. Rosenstein raises four separate issues.
• David Llada Announces Bid for FIDE Council Vice President
  Politics
  David Llada, the chess journalist and former FIDE Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, announced on August 7 that he's running for Vice President of the FIDE Council, one of four such seats elected directly by the General Assembly.
• Freedom Holding Threatens Defamation Action Over Turlov Citizenship Claim
  Politics
  The dispute over Timur Turlov's citizenship status has escalated. Days after chess journalist David Llada first reported that Turlov still holds a Russian passport, contradicting Turlov's own claim to have renounced his Russian citizenship, Freedom Holding Corp's communications leadership has issued a public denial and a defamation threat, and Llada has responded by asking the company to produce documentation.