Newly elected International Chess Federation (FIDE) president Timur Turlov has described India as a trusted partner of the world governing body and expressed confidence that the country will continue hosting major international championships over the next four years.
Turlov also advocated greater Indian representation and influence within the Asian Chess Federation, acknowledging the country's growing stature in international chess.
India has emerged as a major chess powerhouse, with reigning world champion D Gukesh leading a generation of young players that includes R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and R Vaishali.
Asked whether India could expect to host more international tournaments under his administration, Turlov responded positively.
"Absolutely," he said on the sidelines of the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot.
"That depends on our partnership with the Indian federation. But I really believe that we already have a good and trustworthy relationship and you have great leadership."
"India definitely deserves much better influence in the Asian Federation and definitely is a trusted partner of FIDE for multiple international events. I am sure that India will continue to host major international championships in the next four years."
๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ'๐ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
India has hosted several prominent international tournaments in recent years, including the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022, the World Junior Chess Championship in 2024 and the Chess World Cup in 2025.
The country also hosts the prestigious Tata Steel Chess tournament annually, further strengthening its position as a major destination for competitive chess.
Turlov, a Kazakhstan-based businessman who assumed office in September, said the relationship between FIDE and the Indian chess federation would remain important in determining future hosting opportunities.
India's five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will continue serving as FIDE deputy president under the new administration.
Turlov said Anand's decision to remain in the leadership reflected their shared commitment to building on the achievements of the previous administration while introducing greater business and administrative expertise.
"I think I inspired him to go together to protect the great job which we have done before and to help me further build on the existing achievements. With his help, I think we have built a great team with an administrative and business approach, while having a chess legend and professional to counterbalance our entrepreneurial initiatives," he said.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐
Outlining his priorities for the next four years, the 38-year-old FIDE president said he wanted to modernise the organisation's digital infrastructure, strengthen cooperation with national federations and expand the reach of online chess competitions.
"I definitely want to make FIDE more digital. My priority is to implement a best-in-class customer relationship management (CRM) system with Salesforce to empower FIDE and national federations, improve collaboration with major chess platforms and develop online chess championships where FIDE must become far more active," he said.
Turlov also identified improving chess broadcasts as a major priority, particularly to make the sport more accessible and engaging for audiences beyond professional players.
He believes artificial intelligence could play an important role in transforming the presentation of chess tournaments.
"I am sure that with the help of AI, we will be able to develop a new generation of chess broadcasts," he said.
๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ต
Turlov said attracting major international sponsors would be another important objective of his presidency as FIDE seeks to expand chess commercially.
He expressed hope that some of his existing business partners would become involved in supporting international chess events.
The FIDE chief also encouraged major Indian companies to look beyond domestic tournaments and invest in global chess competitions.
He said stronger corporate participation, improved broadcasting and expanded digital engagement could help chess reach new audiences worldwide.
With India producing leading players and successfully hosting international championships, Turlov indicated that the country would remain central to FIDE's plans for the sport's continued growth.