Just days before the FIDE presidential election, the ticket of Timur Turlov, founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., and Viswanathan Anand, the five-time world chess champion and FIDE Interim President, had an implied 82% chance of victory on Manifold Markets. As the vote approaches, Turlov has provided more detail on one of the more concrete elements of his platform: strengthening FIDE’s media capabilities and creating a $1.5 million annual fund to support national federations’ media operations. He says his broader financial commitments to chess development would total at least $8.5 million and could eventually exceed $10 million.
As of 3:10 p.m. on September 22, the Turlov-Anand ticket was priced at 82% on Manifold Markets. Jan Henric Buettner and Malcolm Pein stood at 7%, while Vadim Rosenstein and Gordon Tang were at 4%. The remaining 7% was assigned to other possible outcomes. It is not a poll of national federations and should not be treated as a direct forecast of how they will vote.
A Bigger Media Role for FIDE
One area receiving particular attention is media.
Timur Turlov said he sees two separate tasks: strengthening FIDE’s own communications and helping national federations, particularly those with limited resources, develop their media operations.
“FIDE itself should improve and increase its resources to deal with media, to provide statistics, to share information about what’s happening,” Turlov said.
He also wants FIDE to communicate more actively across text, video and other formats.
To do that, Turlov proposes creating a stronger centralized media team within the federation.
“We will definitely have a centralized team in FIDE, and we will fund it more than before,” he said.
According to Timur Turlov, the team would gather information and produce coverage of international events while also supporting national federations. He also described the idea of creating a training program within FIDE to help federations improve their own media capabilities.
For smaller and emerging chess federations, he argued, the problem is often simple: they do not have the resources to employ a full-time communications specialist. His proposal is for FIDE to provide both funding and practical support, including training and advice on how federations can work more effectively with governments, corporations, sponsors and media organizations.
$1.5 Million a Year for National Federations
Timur Turlov said a separate annual fund would be dedicated specifically to this work. “We established this $1.5 million yearly development fund, especially for media, for member federations,” he said.
He said the fund would give federations access to training as well as financial support for media representatives. The $1.5 million figure refers to the annual fund for member federations as a group, rather than funding for FIDE’s own central media operation. Turlov said the commitment would run for at least the next four years.
FIDE itself, he added, would have a separate media budget, which he also intends to increase.
Timur Turlov pointed to Kazakhstan as an example of the approach he would like to bring to the international federation, combining stronger communications with digital tools and more active promotion of chess. The funding, he said, would be backed partly by his own money and partly through sponsorship from Freedom Holding Corp.
“That’s my personal guarantee at the end of the day,” Turlov said.
He added that he expects Freedom Holding to help fund the initiatives.
At Least $8.5 Million in Commitments
The media fund is only one part of Turlov’s broader financial plan.
He has previously announced plans for a larger international chess development fund. In his latest comments, he put the main development programs at approximately €6.2 million, or around $7 million.
Timur Turlov said that, together with the $1.5 million media initiative, this amounted to a minimum of $8.5 million in commitments. He added that he ultimately expects the total amount to exceed $10 million.
The media fund, however, is described separately as an annual commitment of at least $1.5 million for four years, so the final overall amount will depend on how the different programs and funding periods are structured.
The precise mechanisms for distributing the money, as well as the final budgets of individual programs, would still have to be determined if he is elected.
Beyond Funding
The financial commitments form part of a broader platform built around four main areas: digital transformation, chess in education, financial sustainability and institutional development.
One of Turlov’s central ideas is that national federations should become less dependent on one-off grants and become better able to secure sustainable funding on their own.
The media initiative fits into that approach. Federations that can show the size and reach of their audiences, tell the stories of their players and produce stronger content may be better positioned to attract commercial partners and public support.
Technology is another major part of the platform. Turlov proposes creating a unified FIDE digital platform and giving national federations access to modern digital tools regardless of their financial resources. His team points to the Kazakhstan Chess Federation’s digital transformation as relevant experience.
Education is another priority. Turlov, who heads the International School Chess Federation, wants to expand chess in schools and integrate it more deeply into education systems. His campaign says a program in Kazakhstan has already reached more than 1,500 schools and around 60,000 children.
He also proposes additional support for federations with fewer resources, including financial, educational, digital and organizational assistance.
In April 2026, FIDE and Freedom Holding Corp. signed a partnership agreement covering chess development programs, including tournaments, players, coaches, training centers, education initiatives and talent development.
Timur Turlov and Anand Running Together
Timur Turlov, the founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., also serves as president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and heads the International School Chess Federation.
Timur Turlov is running alongside Viswanathan Anand, a five-time world champion who was elected FIDE Deputy President in 2022 and has served as FIDE Interim President since July 2026.
The ticket presents Anand’s chess and administrative experience as a complement to Turlov’s business and investment background.
FIDE has registered three presidential tickets: Jan Henric Buettner-Malcolm Pein, Vadim Rosenstein-Gordon Tang, and Timur Turlov-Viswanathan Anand.
The election will take place on September 26 in Samarkand during the FIDE General Assembly. The president and deputy president are elected together as a joint ticket, with each national federation represented at the assembly holding one vote.
Timur Turlov and Anand will put their platform – centered on funding, digital development, education and stronger support for national federations – before FIDE members on September 26.
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