TASHKENT, August 5. /Dunyo IA/. On September 26–27^th, elections for the president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) will be held in Samarkand, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

Voting will take place within the framework of the organization's General Assembly, which will gather representatives from nearly 200 national chess federations from around the world.

Elections will be one of the key events of the regular FIDE Congress and will be held concurrently with the 46^th Chess Olympiad, which will take place in Samarkand from September 15 to 27. The ancient city is expected to become the world capital of chess for two weeks, uniting thousands of athletes, officials, and representatives of national federations.

As a reminder, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who has headed the federation since 2018 and was re-elected in 2022, temporarily suspended his duties in July of this year following the imposition of European Union sanctions against him. The execution of the president's duties was entrusted to the Deputy President of FIDE, five-time world champion and renowned Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand.

To date, three contenders have been registered to participate in the elections. Competing for the post of president are Timur Turlov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (with Viswanathan Anand as candidate for the post of Deputy President); Jan Henrik Buettner, a German entrepreneur (with Malcolm Pein, a British chess figure); and Vadim Rosenstein, founder of the WR Chess team from Germany (with Gordon Tan, a Singaporean entrepreneur).

According to the FIDE Charter, the President is elected by the General Assembly, which comprises national chess federations. Each federation holds one vote, regardless of the country's population or the level of chess development. Voting is conducted by secret ballot, and the candidate who secures the majority of votes is declared the winner.

Hosting the FIDE presidential elections in Samarkand alongside the 46^th Chess Olympiad will be one of the most significant events in the 2026 global chess calendar. Over the course of two days, representatives from nearly 200 national federations will determine the organization's leadership, on whom the further development of the international chess movement will depend.