FIDE’s presidential election has not officially begun, yet it already risks becoming one of the most controversial in the organization’s modern history. Within the space of just a few days, the International Chess Federation produced a sequence of events that would be difficult to imagine in any well-governed international sports body.
Its president was sanctioned by the European Union. He announced that he was suspending himself from office. He withdrew from the election. His chosen successor immediately inherited his campaign. And then, astonishingly, the supposedly suspended president simply resumed acting as FIDE President, while the federation itself began using official resources to promote the candidacy of that successor.
Taken individually, each episode would raise uncomfortable questions. Together, they create the impression of an organization that is increasingly unwilling to separate its institutional responsibilities from its internal politics.
The President Who Was Supposed to Step Aside
Only days before the sanctions were announced, Arkady Dvorkovich confirmed that he would seek another four-year term as FIDE President. His chosen running mate for Deputy President was Timur Turlov, the Kazakh-Russian businessman who has become one of the most influential financial figures in international chess.
Everything changed on July 23, when the European Union placed Dvorkovich under sanctions. Acknowledging that the sanctions could interfere with FIDE’s operations, Dvorkovich announced that he would “voluntarily suspend the exercise of my powers and duties as FIDE President.” The FIDE Council formally ratified that decision, stating that he would no longer exercise the rights, duties and prerogatives of the office while the sanctions remained in force. Under the FIDE Charter, Deputy President Viswanathan Anand became Interim President.
The following day, Dvorkovich also withdrew from the presidential race. Timur Turlov immediately replaced him as candidate for President, while Anand, the newly appointed Interim President, was announced as Turlov’s running mate for Deputy President.
On paper, it appeared to be a clean and orderly transition.
Reality proved rather different.
A Suspension That Changed Nothing
Only days after announcing that he had stepped aside, Dvorkovich appeared at the African Chess Confederation General Assembly in Addis Ababa.
He was not introduced as a former candidate.
He was not presented as a private individual.
He addressed delegates as FIDE President.
During his official speech, Dvorkovich discussed FIDE’s priorities, spoke on behalf of the federation and even announced additional qualification opportunities for African players at the next Chess World Cup.
This was not a ceremonial appearance. It was an exercise of precisely the kind of public authority that FIDE had officially announced he would no longer exercise.
The contradiction was immediately noticed by the chess community.
Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen described the footage as “extraordinary,” pointing out that Dvorkovich had effectively stepped down only three days earlier because of EU sanctions, yet was obviously continuing to perform the role of President.
Another observer asked the obvious question:
“Why is Dvorkovich still operating as FIDE President and speaking on behalf of the FIDE Council? Surely his suspension means he doesn’t carry on as he was before.”
It is a question FIDE has yet to answer.
Because if a president can suspend himself on Thursday and resume acting as president on Sunday, then the suspension begins to look less like a governance measure than a public relations exercise.
Campaigning Under the FIDE Banner
The concerns did not end there.
Shortly afterwards, FIDE published an official article titled “FIDE Capacity Building Seminar Supports African Federations.” On its face, it appeared to be a routine development initiative organized by FIDE for African chess federations.
A closer look tells a different story.
The seminar prominently featured Timur Turlov, the newly announced FIDE presidential candidate, who presented Kazakhstan as a model for global chess development. The official FIDE article devoted considerable attention to his leadership, his vision and what it described as a “proven, measurable and replicable approach” for federations around the world.
The audience consisted of presidents and officials from African national federations, the very delegates who will soon vote in FIDE’s presidential election.
No other presidential candidate received comparable institutional exposure.
Can FIDE Campaign for Its Own Candidate?
The issue is not that Timur Turlov met with federation representatives. Every candidate has the right to present ideas and seek support.
The issue is that the event was organized by FIDE, promoted through FIDE’s official website, conducted alongside senior FIDE officials, and financed with FIDE resources.
Among those sharing the stage with Turlov was Dana Reizniece, Acting Chair of the FIDE Management Board, speaking in her official capacity as one of the federation’s highest-ranking executives.
The distinction between official federation business and electoral campaigning suddenly became extremely difficult to identify.
Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen summarized the concern bluntly:
International federations are expected not merely to conduct fair elections but to be seen conducting fair elections. When official institutional resources appear to benefit one candidate over all others, confidence in the neutrality of the electoral process inevitably begins to erode.
From One Sanctions Problem to Another
Ironically, the effort to distance FIDE from the consequences of sanctions imposed on Dvorkovich has not removed the issue of sanctions from the election.
It has merely shifted the focus.
Timur Turlov is himself a controversial figure. He is subject to sanctions imposed by Ukraine, and his recent acquisition of the German chess publisher ChessBase has generated additional scrutiny. Shortly after the transaction was completed, ChessBase reportedly lost access to its long-standing banking relationship in Germany, raising further questions about the commercial and regulatory implications surrounding the acquisition.
A Managed Succession?
The events of the past week create a striking impression.
The outgoing president formally steps aside, but continues acting as president.
His preferred successor immediately inherits the campaign.
That successor then receives prominent exposure through official FIDE events, official FIDE officials and official FIDE communication channels.
Meanwhile, every other candidate is left to campaign without comparable institutional support.
Taken together, these events look less like a genuinely open presidential election than a carefully managed succession.
More Than an Election
FIDE frequently speaks about transparency, integrity and good governance. Those principles are easy to proclaim when they cost nothing. Their true value is measured when they become inconvenient.
The current situation presents exactly such a test.
If a president who has officially suspended himself continues to act publicly as president, the suspension risks becoming little more than a legal fiction.
If the federation’s own structures appear to promote one presidential candidate while the campaign is already underway, neutrality becomes difficult to defend.
And if those entrusted with protecting the integrity of the election are themselves candidates on one side of that election, confidence in the process inevitably suffers.
The question facing FIDE is therefore larger than who wins in September.
It is whether the federation can still persuade the chess world that its institutions serve the interests of all member federations equally, or whether they have become instruments for preserving the power of those who already hold them.
