Chess.com will host the first debate of the 2026 FIDE presidential election on September 9, bringing together all three candidates—Jan Henric Buettner, Timur Turlov, and Wadim Rosenstein—to discuss their visions for the future of international chess.
The live debate, moderated by GM Maurice Ashley, will give the chess community its first opportunity in this election campaign to hear all three presidential candidates. The debate will be streamed live on Chess.com, with all three candidates and Ashley joining remotely.
Questions will come from Ashley, who will also select some from the Chess.com community. You can submit your own questions in the comments below. The candidates will not receive the questions in advance, and the format has been designed to ensure equal speaking time and equal treatment throughout.
The candidates will begin with opening statements, before Ashley leads a moderated discussion across key topics.
The September 9 debate takes place just 17 days before FIDE’s member federations are scheduled to elect the organization’s next president at the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 26.
Three candidates are running in the election: Buettner with IM Malcolm Pein, Rosenstein with Gordon Tang, and Turlov with five-time World Champion GM Viswanathan Anand.
Buettner and Rosenstein became the first two declared challengers on June 26, the opening day of FIDE’s official electoral period. Two days later, Arkady Dvorkovich announced that he would seek a third term, with Turlov as his candidate for Deputy President. Dvorkovich had been FIDE President since defeating Georgios Makropoulos in 2018 and was overwhelmingly reelected in 2022, when he and Anand defeated the ticket of GMs Andrii Baryshpolets and Peter Heine Nielsen by 157 votes to 16.
A third term had only become possible after a controversial change to FIDE’s rules in 2023. Dvorkovich had introduced a two-term presidential limit after first being elected, but delegates voted 108-27 at the 2023 General Assembly to remove that restriction from the FIDE Charter.
However, the election changed in July when Dvorkovich announced that he was suspending the exercise of his powers and duties as FIDE President after being placed under sanctions by the European Union. Dvorkovich called the sanctions “unlawful and unfair” and said he would challenge them. Anand, who had served as Deputy President since 2022, assumed the responsibilities of Interim President.
Turlov, who had been set to run as Dvorkovich’s deputy, then launched his own presidential bid with Anand as his running mate.
Who Are The Three Candidates?
Timur Turlov is a Moscow-born Kazakh billionaire who is worth an estimated $6.9 billion, according to Forbes. The 38-year-old is the founder and CEO of Freedom Holding and President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. His company has become FIDE’s main sponsor in recent years, while Kazakhstan has hosted a growing number of major FIDE events.
Turlov entered the election in unusual circumstances. Initially chosen as Dvorkovich’s candidate for Deputy President, he switched to the presidential race following Dvorkovich’s suspension and announced Anand as his own candidate for deputy.
Why am I running for FIDE President?
Because I believe chess has a huge potential to grow, and FIDE can do a lot to support federations, players, organisers and the whole chess community.
Over the past years, I have seen what can be achieved when we combine professional… pic.twitter.com/51ui3xUr0S
— Timur Turlov (@TurlovforChess) August 18, 2026
Jan Henric Buettner is a German entrepreneur who has emerged as a major figure in the chess world ever since organizing the 2024 Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge at his luxury Weissenhaus resort on the Baltic coast.
The 61-year-old went on to become one of the driving forces behind Freestyle Chess, helping secure $12 million in investment for its Grand Slam Tour. His involvement also put him at the center of a high-profile dispute with FIDE over plans to award a Freestyle Chess world championship title, a conflict that was eventually resolved.
Buettner’s campaign has said it will focus on strengthening national federations, governance and transparency, commercial partnerships, chess in schools, opportunities for women and developing chess nations, and digital innovation. His running mate Pein has been a prominent tournament organizer and an outspoken critic of FIDE’s leadership.
The 203 national chess federations are not clients of FIDE.
They are its owners.
Owners should share in the success they help create.
That is why Malcolm Pein and I are making a clear written commitment:
20% of all FIDE revenue (excluding prize funds) will be distributed…
— Jan Henric Buettner (@JanHBuettner) July 27, 2026
Wadim Rosenstein, also from Germany, has become an increasingly prominent organizer and investor in chess through WR Chess. At 35 years old, he is the youngest of the three candidates.
Rosenstein has backed the WR Chess Masters and helped create what became FIDE’s World Rapid & Blitz Team Championship. He is currently the German Chess Federation’s FIDE Delegate. His presidential campaign has called for stronger leadership and governance at FIDE, improved digital infrastructure, more sponsorship and investment, and greater support for member federations.
He is running alongside businessman Gordon Tang.
Dear chess friends,
I am pleased to share my program with you.
You can read the full program and learn more about our vision at https://t.co/Miw9ZHET0N
This program represents the vision, principles, and roadmap that my team and I are committed to delivering for FIDE and for…
— Wadim Rosenstein (@WadimRosenstein) July 17, 2026
The September 9 debate will give all three candidates the opportunity to make their case for leading FIDE before the federation’s members vote 17 days later.
What questions do you have for Buettner, Rosenstein, and Turlov? Share them in the comments below.
