38-year-old entrepreneur Timur Turlov has been elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) following elections held on September 26 in Samarkand. In the second round, he secured 110 votes from national federation delegates against 85 for his opponent, becoming the eighth president in FIDE's history. The election of the businessman, of Russian origin but a citizen of Kazakhstan, coincided with a high-profile decision by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office to withdraw its lawsuit seeking to confiscate the assets of Turlov and his affiliated companies.
Voting Results and Leadership
In addition to Turlov, former Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov was elected as a FIDE vice-president, ensuring continued Russian representation in the federation's leadership. Turlov’s predecessor, Arkady Dvorkovich, who had led FIDE since 2018, spoke positively of the election results. Simultaneously, delegates at the General Assembly in Samarkand rejected by a majority vote a proposal from Armenia, Belarus, Cuba, and Nicaragua to fully reinstate Russia's membership. The FIDE Council had previously temporarily suspended the Chess Federation of Russia for failing to comply with a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) verdict.
Reaction of the Russian Chess Community
Turlov's victory was greeted with enthusiasm in Russia. President of the Chess Federation of Russia Andrei Filatov congratulated the newly elected leader and expressed hope for "restoring an atmosphere of unity" and ensuring equal opportunities for athletes. Newly elected vice-president Pavel Kolobkov stated that Turlov is "ready to resolve complex issues within FIDE" and expressed hope for continued constructive dialogue with the Chess Federation of Russia. Russia anticipates that the new federation leadership will help restore the standing of Russian chess players in international sport.
Prosecutor General's Office Withdraws Lawsuit
On October 15, Moscow's Tverskoy District Court terminated the case regarding the confiscation of assets belonging to Turlov and his related companies. The lawsuit had been filed in late September, and in early October, it became known that the prosecutor's office was seeking to transfer to the state the assets and property of Turlov himself, as well as Freedom Holding Corp., Freedom Finance Europe Ltd., W-Empirical Holding Corp., and his business partner Arkady Shchukin. According to Interfax, the assets in question amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. On October 14, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation Igor Tkachev filed a motion to withdraw the claims; no public explanation was given, and the prosecutor's representative in court was unable to clarify the reasons.
Who is Timur Turlov and his Connection to Russia
Turlov is the founder of the financial group Freedom Holding Corp., registered in the USA and traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The company began developing its brokerage business in Russia but announced its exit from the Russian market in 2022, completing the sale of its Russian subsidiaries in February 2023. In 2022, Turlov renounced his Russian citizenship and obtained Kazakh citizenship. It was previously reported that Russia wanted to label the FIDE chief an extremist due to his aid to Ukraine. According to Kazakh media citing a document sent to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Turlov donated $2.5 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, with an additional $3 million provided by Freedom Holding Corp.
Coincidence in Timing
The coincidence in timing between Turlov's election as FIDE president and the Russian Prosecutor General’s withdrawal of the lawsuit raises questions about a potential connection between these events. However, there is currently no basis to claim that Turlov has already demonstrated loyalty to Moscow or that the withdrawal of the lawsuit was part of any agreement. The parties have not publicly commented on a possible causal link, and both events are currently being documented as independent occurrences.
