--- title: "Timur Turlov Heads FIDE: Russia Hopes for a Return to Global Chess, Prosecutor General’s Office Drops Asset Claim" description: "38-year-old entrepreneur Timur Turlov elected FIDE President in Samarkand. Russia hopes for a comeback for its chess players, while the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has dropped a lawsuit to confiscate his assets." date: 2026-10-16T13:00:03.440Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/timur-turlov-heads-fide tags: [fide, chess, timur-turlov, freedom-holding, russia] author: "Dmitriy Shatolov" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Timur Turlov Heads FIDE: Russia Hopes for a Return to Global Chess, Prosecutor General’s Office Drops Asset Claim ![Timur Turlov speaking at a conference, gesturing during a discussion about the future of chess.](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/timur-turlov-vozzavil-fide/timur-turlov-vozzavil-fide-1.webp) ## Key Points - Timur Turlov elected FIDE President on September 26 in Samarkand with 110 votes to 85. - The Russian chess community and the CFR welcomed the result; former Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov elected FIDE Vice-President. - The Russian Prosecutor General's Office dropped the lawsuit to confiscate Turlov's assets; the court terminated the case on October 15. - Turlov founded Freedom Holding (Nasdaq), exited Russia in 2022–2023, and holds Kazakh citizenship. - The timing of the election and the dropped lawsuit raises questions about a potential link, but no confirmed agreements exist. 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. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Турлов возглавил ФИДЕ: в России празднуют, Генпрокуратура отказалась от иска](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/turlov-ocholiv-fide-rosiyani-rozrahovuyut-1792086467.html) - Primary source: election results (110 to 85), CFR and Dvorkovich reactions, Kolobkov's election, Prosecutor General's withdrawal, case termination on Oct 15, Turlov's biography, and Ukraine donations. - [Активы казахстанского бизнесмена Тимура Турлова могут быть конфискованы в России за ...](https://www.bfm.ru/news/619632) - Confirms the filing of the lawsuit by the Prosecutor General's Office against Turlov and Freedom Holding for financing Ukraine; Turlov's representative notes the exit from Russian business. - [Павел Колобков: «Турлов готов решать сложные вопросы внутри ФИДЕ. Надеюсь, что линия на ...](https://www.sports.ru/chess/1117382706-pavel-kolobkov-turlov-gotov-reshat-slozhnye-voprosy-vnutri-fide-nadeyu.html) - Confirms Kolobkov's election as Vice-President, the rejection of Russia's membership reinstatement, and Turlov's position on adhering to CAS decisions. - ["Коммерсант": Генпрокуратура РФ хочет отобрать активы у главы ФИДЕ](https://www.svoboda.org/a/kommersant-genprokuratura-rf-hochet-otobratj-aktivy-u-glavy-fide/33868596.html) - Confirms the Prosecutor General's Office intention to seek confiscation of assets from the newly elected FIDE head. ## FAQ ### Who is the new FIDE President? 38-year-old entrepreneur Timur Turlov was elected FIDE President after winning the September 26 election in Samarkand with 110 votes against 85. ### Why did the Russian Prosecutor General's Office drop the lawsuit? The reasons for the withdrawal have not been publicly explained. On October 14, Deputy Prosecutor General Igor Tkachev filed a motion to drop the claims, and the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow terminated the case on October 15. ### What is Turlov's connection to Russia? Turlov founded Freedom Holding Corp., which developed a brokerage business in Russia before exiting the market in 2022–2023. In 2022, he renounced his Russian citizenship and obtained Kazakh citizenship.