The 2026 FIDE Presidential election will be held on September 26, 2026, at the FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Each Member Federation represented in the General Assembly and in the assemblies of FIDE continents has one vote.
List of Member federations having voting powers (July 28, 2026).
According to the 2026 FIDE Elections timeline, by 6 pm CEST on July 26, Presidential candidacies had to reach the FIDE Office. Following the deadline, the FIDE Electoral Commission consisting of Roberto Rivello (chairman of the Constitutional Commission), Yolander Persaud (chairwoman of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission) and Allen Priest (chairman of the Verification Commission) held an online meeting.
In accordance with art. 21.8 of the Electoral rules, FIDE Offices announce that the Electoral Commission, after a preliminary exam, approved the following list of valid Presidential ticket candidacies:
- Jan Henric Buettner and Malcolm Pein
- Wadim Rosenstein and Gordon Tang
- Timur Turlov and Viswanathan Anand
The full version of the Electoral Commission report (July 27, 2027) is published [HERE]
About the candidates (texts from their application forms):
Jan Henric Buettner
Jan Henric Buettner (b. 1964) is an international entrepreneur, investor, sports innovator, and philanthropist with more than three decades of experience building global organizations, raising investment capital, creating strategic partnerships, and leading complex international businesses.
Throughout his career Buettner has founded and developed companies in the fields of telecommunications, internet technology, venture capital, luxury hospitality and sports, including helping to establish AOL Europe, founding BV Capital (now Headline Ventures), and creating the award-winning WEISSENHAUS Private Nature Luxury Resort.
In recent years he has focused increasingly on chess. As co-founder of Freestyle Chess alongside Magnus Carlsen, Buettner has demonstrated an ability to attract significant commercial investment, global media attention, and new audiences to the game while working closely with the world’s leading players, organizers, sponsors, and broadcasters.
His experience in building sustainable business models, securing sponsorship, organizing world-class events, and developing long-term strategic partnerships provides skills that are directly relevant to the future growth of FIDE.
Throughout his professional career, he has worked internationally across Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, building relationships with business leaders, governments, investors, and sporting organizations. His leadership style emphasizes listening, partnership, transparency, and long-term value creation.
As a candidate for FIDE President, Buettner seeks to apply this experience to strengthen FIDE’s member federations, expand participation in chess worldwide, professionalize the federation’s commercial activities, increase revenues through sponsorship and media, and ensure that the benefits of this growth are shared equitably among all member federations.
He believes that FIDE’s greatest responsibility is to serve its 203 member federations. His vision is of a stronger, more transparent, and financially sustainable federation that creates more opportunities for players, organizers, arbiters, coaches, and national federations alike, while growing the global chess ecosystem through innovation, education, technology, and responsible governance.
Wadim Rosenstein
Wadim Rosenstein (b. 1990) is an entrepreneur, the founder of WR Chess, and Chairman of WR Group Holding. According to his ticket, he declares his candidacy for FIDE President, with a clear vision of what this institution can become through modernization: an organisation that puts federations first, is professionally managed, commercially stronger, future-ready, and truly international – in both its identity and its conduct.
He holds an EMBA from the SGMI Management Institut St. Gallen, Switzerland. Rosenstein’s career began in 2009 at ThyssenKrupp in Germany, followed by an executive position at Siemag Tecberg Group. Since September 2014 Rosenstein has served as Chairman of WR Group, the company he founded, which has grown into a diversified global enterprise operating in 70 countries, specialising in logistics, heavy engineering, and IT, with additional interests in real estate development and international sports initiatives.
According to Rosenstein, ambition, structure, and teamwork define these businesses – and they define his approach to chess. Chess has been central to his life since childhood. It shaped how he thinks, how he prepares, and how he leads. He has been a competitive player since 2001. Over the years, and alongside his success in business, he has supported chess in various ways – primarily through sponsorship, but also by organising events and building structures for long-term growth: created the WR Chess Masters in Düsseldorf and London, established WR Chess Juniors, supported youth championships in Italy and Brazil.
Rosenstein has sponsored federations, clubs, and emerging talents across continents. He initiated and helped build the World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship, uniting elite grandmasters and club players. It is today the strongest team championship in global chess and a permanent fixture in the FIDE calendar. He has recently launched the WR Women’s Chess Tour, a series of four elite tournaments for women players. He also established several elite tournaments under WR Chess Masters.
Rosenstein is currently the Delegate of the German Chess Federation (Deutsche Schachbund – DSB).
Timur Turlov
Timur Turlov (b. 1987) is a Kazakh entrepreneur, financier, and international chess patron, best known as the founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. A specialist in international financial markets and brokerage services, Turlov has built one of the leading financial ecosystems in Central Asia, expanding Freedom’s operations across Kazakhstan, Europe, and the United States. Under his leadership, Freedom Holding Corp. became publicly traded on NASDAQ and significantly broadened its presence in banking, insurance, telecommunications, and digital services.
Alongside his business career, Turlov has become an influential figure in the development of chess and sports in Kazakhstan and internationally. Since 2025, he has served as President of the International School Chess Federation, promoting chess education and youth participation worldwide. He has also been the President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since 2023, supporting the rapid growth of chess infrastructure, scholastic programmes and international events in Kazakhstan.
Turlov focuses on integrating chess into education and public life, advocating for broader access to the game among children and young people. Under his leadership, Kazakhstan has strengthened its position as an emerging global chess hub, hosting major international tournaments and expanding support for elite, women’s, and youth chess. He also promotes partnerships between the business community and chess organisations to secure sustainable funding and long-term institutional development for the sport.
According to his ticket, as FIDE President, Turlov will bring executive and financial leadership from running a publicly listed international company; a technology-driven approach through Freedom’s digital platforms and Chessbase; and a proven track record of scaling chess development rapidly and measurably. Based in Central Asia with global reach, he believes he can help FIDE become more digital, financially resilient, and inclusive and ensure that regions beyond traditional chess powerhouses have a stronger voice in the federation’s future.
Please note that all the official documentation on the elections is being published on a dedicated FIDE Congress page: https://congress.fide.com.