SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Sept. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ukraine's role in international chess has emerged as a focus of the 2026 FIDE presidential election after Timur Turlov proposed that Ukraine nominate its own candidate for FIDE Vice President if his ticket is elected.

Turlov, who is running for FIDE President alongside five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, addressed Ukraine in a recent post on X, highlighting its longstanding contribution to international chess and calling for a stronger Ukrainian voice in FIDE leadership.

"Ukraine is one of the world's great chess nations," Turlov wrote, noting the country's generations of players and coaches. He said FIDE "cannot operate in isolation from what is happening in the world" and that Ukraine "should have its own voice in the room when decisions are discussed and made."

Turlov subsequently invited Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, to consider representing Ukraine in FIDE leadership.

Podolyak responded that he supported Turlov's reform vision and was ready to "personally join the new FIDE team." He also said he wanted international federations to focus on their fundamental sporting objectives and fair competition.

Turlov has served as President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since 2023 and President of the International School Chess Federation since 2025. FIDE reports that Kazakhstan's national "Chess in Education" programme now reaches more than 1,500 schools and 60,000 students, with thousands of teachers trained.

During Turlov's tenure, Kazakhstan has also hosted major international competitions, including the World Rapid and Blitz Championships and the 2023 World Championship Match in Astana. FIDE has separately partnered with Freedom Holding Corp., Turlov's Nasdaq-listed finance and technology business on 2026 chess-development programmes supporting tournaments, players, coaches, training centres, education and talent development.

Turlov's campaign has identified digital development, chess education, financial sustainability and institutional development among its priorities for FIDE.

The FIDE presidential election will take place on September 26, 2026, during the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. FIDE has confirmed three presidential tickets: Timur Turlov–Viswanathan Anand, Wadim Rosenstein–Gordon Tang, and Jan Henric Buettner–Malcolm Pein.  

Each represented Member Federation has one vote.

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