European Chess Union Declares Neutrality in FIDE Presidential Election
The European Chess Union officially announced it will maintain institutional neutrality in the upcoming FIDE leadership election and refuted claims made by candidate Vadim Rosenstein.
Abdulrahman Sadikhli2 min read
The European Chess Union (ECU) issued an official statement declaring its institutional neutrality in the upcoming presidential election of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The governing body's statement came in response to claims by candidate Vadim Rosenstein that incumbent ECU head Zurab Azmaiparashvili had joined his campaign staff.
The ECU emphasized that the organization has not made a consolidated decision to support any of the contenders for the leadership position. "The European Chess Union maintains institutional neutrality and strives to serve the interests of all 54 member federations," the union's official communique stated.
Earlier, WR Chess founder and FIDE presidential candidate Vadim Rosenstein posted a video message on social media welcoming Georgian grandmaster Zurab Azmaiparashvili to his team. Rosenstein called the decision by the official, who has led the ECU since 2014, confirmation that experienced leaders share his vision for the development of world chess.
Public statements regarding a political alliance followed a period of intense confrontation between Azmaiparashvili and Rosenstein. Ahead of the ECU leadership election held on July 18, 2026, Rosenstein supported Bachar Kouatly's alternative team, which advocated for limiting presidential terms to two and changing the financial distribution system. On July 13, 2026, Rosenstein also criticized the organization standard of the European Individual Championship. Nevertheless, in the July vote, Azmaiparashvili was convincingly re-elected, receiving 35 out of 53 delegate votes, while Kouatly received seven votes and Łukasz Turlej received 11.
The FIDE presidential election will take place on September 26, 2026, in Samarkand during the organization's General Assembly and the 46th Chess Olympiad. In addition to Rosenstein, the candidates running for the position are European entrepreneur Jan-Henrik Buettner and Kazakhstan Chess Federation Chairman Timur Turlov.
During the campaign debates held in early September 2026, the Kazakh representative announced the creation of a development fund for small federations with a capital of over $6 million. Rosenstein himself disconnected early from the broadcast after brief introductory remarks, avoiding answering questions. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Chess Federation stated its intention to seek international sanctions against Rosenstein.
Source: kz.kursiv.media
