The World Chess Federation will elect a new president in Samarkand on September 26, and for the first time in over 30 years, a Russian will not hold the post. Incumbent Arkady Dvorkovich — a former Russian deputy prime minister — was forced out after the EU placed him on its sanctions list over Russia's war in Ukraine. The field of three candidates suggests the institution is trying to turn a page. Whether it actually can is a different question. The frontrunner is Timur Turlov, a Moscow-born Kazakh billionaire whose financial firm Freedom Holding Corp. has been FIDE's main sponsor for years. Turlov is considered a close associate of Dvorkovich and effectively represents continuity. His company sits on Ukraine's sanctions list, accused of helping finance Russia's war. Press reports indicate the US SEC has also taken interest. The prospect of the same person serving as both FIDE president and primary financial backer has drawn open criticism. When Turlov acquired Hamburg-based chess software company Chessbase in spring 2026, its bank — Hamburger Sparkasse — reportedly closed the company's account, citing sanctions compliance. Jan Henric Buettner, a 62-year-old Hamburg investor and former AOL executive, offers the cleanest break. He campaigns alongside former world champion Magnus Carlsen and running mate Malcolm Pein, who told DW bluntly: "We are the only team with no connection to Russia." Buettner's platform borrows from Formula 1's commercial model — distributing 20% of FIDE revenue to national federations. It is widely considered too radical for a chess establishment accustomed to patron-driven financing, giving him only an outside chance. The third candidate, Düsseldorf-based entrepreneur Wadim Rosenstein, runs as the official German Chess Federation candidate. Born in what is now Ukraine, Rosenstein moved to Germany at nine. Since 2022, he has poured millions into elaborate chess events — including a top tournament featuring Magnus Carlsen and the WR Women's Chess Tour. But his financial transparency is threadbare. His Moscow-registered company "WR RUS" saw profits grow from roughly €300,000 to €1.7 million between 2022 and 2025 — hardly "active only on paper" as he previously claimed. Records show his German firms collaborated with WR RUS through late 2023, and dividend payments flowed back to him. A purported €250,000 sponsorship from Düsseldorf company Glotech was flatly denied by Glotech's managing director: "There was no agreement, and we did not make such funds available." Ukraine's chess establishment has drawn hard lines. Volodymyr Kovalchuk, vice president of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, told DW that if Turlov wins and poses a security threat, Ukraine will push for EU sanctions. Rosenstein faces equally blunt rejection. There are signs of tactical maneuvering — Turlov is reportedly advocating for a Ukrainian official as FIDE vice president — but the structural problem remains: FIDE's financial plumbing runs through Russian-linked capital, and none of the realistic winners have demonstrated a credible plan to change that. Rosenstein's campaign trail raises its own questions. He presents himself aboard private jets on social media; a portion of campaign costs reportedly comes from a wealthy Singaporean real estate entrepreneur running as his vice-presidential candidate. He has secured support from Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann and the German Chess Federation, establishing himself as a serious challenger. Yet the fabricated Glotech sponsorship and the growing WR RUS profits undercut his "professionalism" platform. The core tension in Samarkand is not which candidate wins — it is whether FIDE can function without Russian-adjacent money. Buettner offers a genuine alternative model but lacks establishment support. Turlov offers financial stability at the cost of sanctions exposure and governance conflicts. Rosenstein offers opacity wrapped in ambition. The motto "Gens una sumus" has never felt more strained.
