FIDE presidential candidate fails to return after connection drops

Wadim Rosenstein, a German entrepreneur and one of the key rivals of Kazakhstan Chess Federation President Timur Turlov in the race for president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), left a presidential debate early. After delivering his opening remarks in the organization’s first candidate debate, Rosenstein lost his connection to the broadcast and did not return.

The debate took place Sept. 9 on the Chess.com platform and was broadcast on YouTube. All three candidates for FIDE president — Turlov, Rosenstein and Jan Henric Buettner, another German entrepreneur and co-founder of Freestyle Chess — were scheduled to participate. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley moderated the debate. According to Chess.com, it was the first presidential debate of the current FIDE election campaign.

The format called for the candidates to begin with opening statements, followed by questions from the moderator and the chess community. The candidates were not given the questions in advance, and organizers said all participants would receive equal time and the same conditions.

Rosenstein only managed to deliver his opening statement. In it, he raised, among other issues, a rhetorical question about who should own FIDE. Immediately afterward, his connection to the broadcast was lost.

The organizers attempted to reconnect with Rosenstein, but he did not return to the broadcast. No explanation for his absence was provided during the event. As a result, Rosenstein did not take part in the debate itself, which proceeded with Turlov and Buettner.

The FIDE presidential election is taking place amid intense competition. Turlov has positioned himself as a candidate with extensive management and business experience.

During the debate, Turlov said he intends to draw on his professional background to develop chess internationally. Outlining his plans, he said he would focus on strengthening the independence of FIDE’s leadership, accelerating the federation’s digital transformation, using technology to combat cheating and developing faster formats while preserving classical chess.

Turlov also said that, if elected, he would make personnel changes within the federation’s leadership, although he did not name specific individuals.

Buettner, meanwhile, emphasized FIDE’s commercial development and financial transparency. If elected, he said he intends to diversify the federation’s revenue sources and further promote women’s chess. Discussing his prospective team, he named Vukani Dlamini.

The FIDE presidential election is scheduled for Sept. 26 during the organization’s General Assembly in Samarkand. Three candidate tickets have been officially registered: Buettner and Malcolm Pein, Rosenstein and Gordon Tang, and Turlov and five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand. Each national federation eligible to participate in the election will have one vote.