The vote will be one of the main events of the FIDE Congress, taking place alongside the 46th Chess Olympiad, which is scheduled to be held in Samarkand from September 15–27.
The ancient city is expected to become the global center of the chess world for two weeks, welcoming thousands of players, officials and representatives of national federations.
The election follows the decision by current FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich to temporarily suspend the exercise of his duties after being placed under European Union sanctions in July. Dvorkovich, who has led FIDE since 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, was replaced on an interim basis by FIDE Deputy President and five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.
Three candidates have officially registered to contest the presidency.
They are Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, whose running mate for vice president is Viswanathan Anand; German entrepreneur Jan Henric Büttner, who is standing alongside British chess official Malcolm Pein; and Vadim Rosenstein, founder of Germany's WR Chess team, whose vice presidential candidate is Singaporean businessman Gordon Tang.
Under the FIDE Statutes, the organization's president is elected by the General Assembly, in which each national chess federation has one vote regardless of the country's population or chess strength. Voting is conducted by secret ballot, and the candidate receiving the majority of votes is declared the winner.
The presidential election, held alongside the 46th Chess Olympiad, is expected to be one of the most significant events on the international chess calendar in 2026, with delegates from nearly 200 national federations choosing the leadership that will guide the future development of the sport worldwide.
