The FIDE elections will see three Indians, including chess legend Viswanathan Anand, vying for crucial leadership positions amidst a complex electoral landscape and a high-stakes three-way presidential battle.
Key Points
- Three prominent Indians, including former world champion Viswanathan Anand, are contesting for significant roles in the FIDE elections later this month.
- Anand is seeking re-election as Deputy President, Bharat Singh Chauhan for Vice President, and Sanjay K Chadha for Zonal President.
- Complex FIDE election rules state that only one representative from a Member Federation can serve on the Council, potentially impacting Chauhan's candidacy if Anand wins.
- The FIDE presidential election is a tough three-way contest between businessmen from Germany and Kazakhstan, with geopolitical factors expected to influence voting.
The September 2026 elections for the International Chess Federation, popularly known as FIDE, will decide the electoral fate of three Indians.
The three Indians eyeing key roles are:
Viswanathan Anand: FIDE's Interim President and former World chess champion is seeking re-election as deputy president.
Bharat Singh Chauhan: Former secretary, All India Chess Federation (AICF) is contesting for the post of FIDE vice-president.
Sanjay K Chadha: Former AICF legal advisor and president of the Dev Bhoomi Chess Association, Uttarakhand, is standing for the zonal president post.
The month is also important for India as the Indian teams -- Open and Women -- are the defending champions at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Indian Candidates And Their Campaigns
Anand, who had earlier announced that he would not be in the electoral race, took a U-turn and decided to contest as part of the team led by Timur Turlov, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, who is contesting for the FIDE president's post.
The FIDE presidential election will be a three-way contest involving businessmen from Germany and Kazakhstan who have invested heavily in chess.
The three presidential contestants are: Jan Henric Buettner for president and Malcolm Pein for deputy president; Wadim Rosenstein for president and Gordon Tang for deputy president; Timur Turlov for president and Anand for deputy president.
Two of the three presidential candidates -- Buettner and Rosenstein -- are German businessmen, and all three candidates have invested in chess and organised major tournaments.
Buettner organised the Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge in 2024.
WR Chess, promoted by Rosenstein, has been organising tournaments in several parts of the world. WR Chess also supports children around the world and promotes emerging talent.
"My candidature was endorsed by the national chess federations of Eswatini, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand. I didn't ask AICF's endorsement," Chauhan told this correspondent.
Chauhan pointed out that his campaign pitch will be based on his track record of achievements while being an office bearer in AICF and Commonwealth Chess, successfully organising the Olympiad in Chennai at very short notice and contributing his experience at the global level.
Chauhan is confident of getting a sizeable number of votes, though there are 18 candidates, including some well-known names in the chess field, in the fray for four posts.
FIDE Election Rules And Their Impact
Even if Chauhan has a good voter base, his becoming FIDE vice-president depends on Anand's electoral result.
As per FIDE's election rules, no more than one representative from the same member federation may serve on the FIDE council simultaneously, except for the presidents of FIDE Continents.
So, if Turlov's ticket wins the polls, Anand will become the deputy president.
Then one of FIDE's election rules that reads: 'Given that no more than one representative from the same Member Federation may serve on the Council simultaneously, except for the Presidents of FIDE Continents, if in the list of candidacies for the position of elected Vice Presidents there are persons who represent the same Member Federation of the newly elected President or Deputy President, these candidates shall be considered as no longer eligible' will kick in and Chauhan cannot contest.
"I had filed my nomination well before Anand filed his papers," Chauhan clarified.
Anand had announced that he would not seek re-election.
Interestingly, the vice-president candidature of former women's World champion China's Yuhua Xu is also like that of Chauhan. If Rosenstein's ticket wins the presidential election, then Tang will be the deputy president and Xu will be out of the contest.
The Presidential Race And Geopolitical Factors
According to people in the know, the FIDE presidential election will be a tough one for all three contesting parties.
"The real fight is between Turlov-Anand and Rosenstein-Tang. Chinese billionaire Tang is also an office bearer in the Olympic Council of Asia. It is learnt that he is leveraging that position in his campaign," a chess administrator told this correspondent, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The field is open now. Had FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich been in the fray, his team would have the incumbent advantage," Grandmaster and former FIDE Deputy President Bachar Kouatly told this correspondent.
After the European Union included Dvorkovich in its recent sanctions list, he decided to step aside and suspend the exercise of his powers as FIDE president without resigning from the post.
As a result, Anand, who was elected deputy president as part of Dvorkovich's team in 2022, became FIDE's Interim President.
The EU sanctions against Dvorkovich forced a change in the election plans. Turlov decided to contest for the FIDE President's post, leaving the Deputy President's slot in his team vacant.
With Dvorkovich out of the contest and Turlov now running for the top post, the duo may have persuaded Anand to return to the electoral fray.
Anand's Strategic Move And Election Dynamics
There are two views about Anand's decision to contest.
One is that it is like a Knight move -- an unexpected one -- and Turlov hopes that it would alter the entire electoral position.
The other view is that Anand, a former World champion and apolitical, is sort of a brand ambassador for Turlov, lending his name, stature and credibility to the ticket.
But the FIDE elections are not won based on popular names or faces.
Another former World champion, Garry Kasparov, who had contested for the FIDE president's post in the 2014 elections, was not successful.
According to Kouatly, the geopolitical situation could influence voters.
"The European votes may get divided between Rosenstein and Buettneer. Similarly, the votes in Asia, Africa and American continents are also divided in favour of Turlov and Buettner," the chess administrator remarked.
"A margin of 15-20 votes may decide the winner and loser," the official predicted.
The 2026 FIDE presidential Election will take place on September 26, 2026, during the FIDE general assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Each member federation represented at the general assembly will be entitled to one vote.
Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com
