Timur Turlov elected FIDE president pledges €30 million chess development investment
Timur Turlov, founder and CEO of Freedom Holding, was elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on 26 September in Samarkand. At 38 years old, Turlov plans to invest around €30 million over four years to develop a global chess ecosystem supporting both grandmasters and enthusiasts. His agenda includes nearly quadrupling the FIDE Development Fund to €6.2 million annually and increasing funding for women’s chess fivefold.
Key initiatives under Turlov’s leadership involve a digital transformation using artificial intelligence to enhance training, tournament administration, and cheat detection. In April 2026, Freedom Holding acquired ChessBase, committing $5 million to unify chess software and services under a new ecosystem. This investment aims to modernize and expand access to chess worldwide.
Special focus will be given to small countries such as Cyprus, where chess is growing steadily with around 2,000 active players and a supportive partnership with Freedom since 2023. Kazakhstan’s successful chess development model, which has reached over 133,000 children in schools, will serve as an example for global expansion. Turlov emphasizes inclusivity and cooperation across FIDE’s 204 federations to promote the growth and prestige of the sport.
CYPRadar is a state-of-the-art, AI-powered Cyprus news aggregator that automatically crawls, filters, and translates local updates in real time. By continuously scanning a wide range of trusted Cypriot media outlets, blogs, and official RSS feeds, the platform identifies original stories and uses advanced language models to filter out duplicate coverage. The service then generates concise, objective summaries, ensuring that readers get a quick and clear understanding of every significant event without information overload.
The primary mission of CYPRadar is to provide comprehensive, multi-language coverage of Cyprus news to keep both residents and international visitors well-informed. The platform covers key events across all major cities and districts, including Nicosia, Limassol, Larnaca, Paphos, and Famagusta. By offering all updates simultaneously in five languages — English, Russian, Greek, Ukrainian, and Turkish — CYPRadar bridges communication gaps and ensures that everyone has equal access to critical local information, from policy changes to community events.
Celebrate Cyprus achievements, national awards, and international prizes. Learn about local business leaders, scientists, artists, and innovators who receive recognition for their excellence in Cyprus and abroad.