FIDE Election 2026: Who Could Vote—And Why Russia Couldn't
The 2026 FIDE presidential election was decided by national chess federations from around the world—but not every FIDE member had a vote. Here's who was eligible, why Russia was excluded and how many federations ultimately took part.
Update: 196 Federations Took Part In FIDE Election
The electoral arithmetic is no longer hypothetical.
A total of 196 national chess federations participated in the FIDE presidential election in Samarkand on September 26, with Timur Turlov ultimately defeating Wadim Rosenstein 110-85 in the second round.
FIDE had published its final list of member federations entitled to vote on September 14, replacing the earlier electoral roll covered in this article.
In the first ballot, 192 votes were cast: Turlov received 96, Rosenstein 76 and Jan Henric Buettner 20. No candidate secured the required majority.
After Buettner was eliminated, Turlov won the runoff with 110 votes to Rosenstein's 85, with one abstention.
Russia did not take part. The Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) remained suspended by FIDE and therefore had no vote in Samarkand.
READ MORE: Timur Turlov Wins FIDE Election As Billionaire Takes Control Of World Chess
Who Could Vote In The FIDE Election?
Under FIDE's electoral system, each eligible member federation has one vote regardless of its size, chess strength or number of registered players.
That means a small chess nation can have exactly the same voting power in a presidential election as India, China or the United States.
FIDE published its final list of member federations entitled to vote on September 14 ahead of the General Assembly in Samarkand.
In the end, 196 national federations participated in the presidential election.
Could Russia Vote In The 2026 FIDE Election?
No.
The Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) was suspended by FIDE and therefore did not have a vote in the 2026 presidential election.
The issue was particularly significant because Russia has historically been one of the most influential countries in international chess and the outgoing FIDE president, Arkady Dvorkovich, is Russian.
The CFR's suspension followed a long-running dispute over its incorporation of chess organisations in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport had previously upheld sanctions against the Russian federation, and FIDE subsequently suspended the CFR.
That meant Russia was absent from the electorate when FIDE chose Dvorkovich's successor in Samarkand.
Why Were 13 Federations Initially Facing Questions?
An earlier version of FIDE's electoral roll, published before the election, marked 13 federations with an asterisk indicating that "a complaint or a request for additional information is pending".
Those federations were Aruba, Belize, Bermuda, Central African Republic, Curaçao, Ecuador, Gambia, Pakistan, Peru, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Vanuatu.
At the time, all 13 remained on the list of federations entitled to vote. The notation did not itself remove their voting rights.
The outstanding cases added another layer of uncertainty to an election in which every federation potentially mattered.
FIDE subsequently published its final list of member federations entitled to vote on September 14, ahead of the September 26 election.
Who Else Couldn't Vote?
Russia was not the only FIDE member without voting rights during the election process.
Federations can lose or have their voting rights suspended for a variety of reasons under FIDE's statutes and electoral regulations, including suspension from membership.
The final electorate was determined by FIDE ahead of the General Assembly, with the Electoral Commission responsible for dealing with complaints and questions surrounding eligibility.
How Was The FIDE Election Decided?
Three candidates contested the presidency: Timur Turlov, Wadim Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner.
The first ballot did not produce a winner.
Turlov received 96 votes, Rosenstein 76 and Buettner 20.
With Buettner eliminated, Turlov and Rosenstein advanced to a second ballot.
Turlov then won decisively, receiving 110 votes to Rosenstein's 85, with one abstention.
The result brought to an end a closely fought campaign to succeed Arkady Dvorkovich and handed control of FIDE to Turlov for the next presidential term.
In the end, 196 national federations participated in the election.
After weeks of arguments over eligibility, suspensions and the electoral roll, it was those federations—and one vote apiece—that decided who would run world chess.
