Moscow-born Kazakh billionaire Timur Turlov has announced his candidacy for FIDE president, with former world champion Viswanathan Anand as his deputy. The move follows European Union sanctions against current president Arkady Dvorkovich.
Turlov had planned to run as deputy under Dvorkovich but shifted his plans after the sanctions were imposed. Dvorkovich announced he would voluntarily suspend his duties with immediate effect and passed responsibilities to Anand as interim president.
Anand stated his focus would be on ensuring continuity and serving the global chess family. Turlov described FIDE as standing at a crossroads and said recent progress must be intensified with fresh energy.
The FIDE presidential election is scheduled to take place during the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September. Other candidates include Wadim Rosenstein, Jan Henric Buettner and former president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.