On 21/22 September, FIDE conducted its General Assembly meeting in Budapest. The meeting, broadcast live and open to the public, saw votes on new members for the Constitutional Commission, Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, and Verification Commission, alongside decisions on proposals from member federations
The General Assembly began with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich presenting a report on the work of his team. Dvorkovich highlighted that, since the previous General Assembly in 2023, FIDE's focus had been on three main pillars: the organization and enhancement of top-level events; social activities, including the celebration of FIDE's centenary; and administrative support for federations and FIDE operations.
He emphasized the successful execution of all FIDE events during this period, adding that "95% of events for next year have already been determined," covering everything from the event programs to logistics, including organization and accommodation.
FIDE Treasurer Zhu Chen reported that in 2023, the organization achieved the largest revenue ever and had a stable financial situation. However, a decline in sponsorship revenue was flagged as a concern. This issue was echoed in the report by the head of the Verification Commission, Allen Priest, who called on FIDE to pursue alternative revenue streams to compensate for declined sponsorship.
Overall, in 2023, FIDE had a net income of 1,044,592 euros and, at the end of the year, had 6.9 million euros in bank accounts.
A detailed breakdown of FIDE's financial situation is available in the Audit Report by Ernst & Young and the Verification Commission's Report.
The elections for three FIDE Commissions
In accordance with the FIDE Charter and the FIDE Electoral Rules, the elections of the Chairpersons and members of the Verification Commission, Ethics and Disciplinary Commission and Constitutional Commission took place at the FIDE General Assembly on September 21/22, in Budapest, Hungary.
On the first day of the General Assembly, due to technical issues with the electronic voting system, which is managed by an independent Hungarian company, chosen and hired by the local organizers, FIDE switched to the traditional ballot box method. Although all pre-event tests, including one at the start of the General Assembly, had been successfully completed, an issue arose during the main vote, prompting FIDE to adjust the election process.
Constitutional Commission
Roberto Rivello (Italy) was re-elected as Chairman of the Constitutional Commission, running unopposed. In line with FIDE tradition, as there were no objections, Rivello's re-election was confirmed by applause.
For the position of the FIDE Constitutional Commission members (four places), the following were elected based on the votes of 161 delegates who took part in the voting. The results, in order of votes received, were:
Erald Dervishi (Albania) - 78 votes;
Ian Wilkinson (Jamaica) - 75 votes;
Marouane Tabti (Algeria) –74 votes
Jorge Arias Bouzada (Uruguay) –73 votes
Ivy Claire Amoko (Uganda) –70 votes
Yanori Morera Campos (Costa Rica) –60 votes
To assure gender balance inside FIDE elected Commissions, FIDE regulations force that both genders must be represented among elected members of these Commissions, meaning that "if all the most voted candidates are of the same gender, the less voted of them will not be elected, and the most voted candidate of the other gender will be elected" (art. 24.10. of the FIDE Electoral Rules).
Based on this provision, Ivy Claire Amoko from Uganda was elected as the fourth member instead of Jorge Arias Bouzada from Uruguay.
Verification Commission
In the elections for the Chairman of the Verification Commission Allen Priest (USA) was elected as the only candidate.
In the elections for the members of the Verification Commission (four places), 161 delegates voted and the results were:
Gulmira Dauletova (Kazakhstan) – 85 votes
Eric Bopala (Canada) –77 votes
Malcolm Powell (Cayman Islands) – 76 votes
Panu Laine (Finland) –68 votes
Alexander von Gleich (Germany) –60 votes
Rajai Al Susi (Palestine) – 58 votes
Ken Koort (Estonia) – 49 votes
Ethics and Disciplinary Commission
In the election for Chairman of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, Yolander Persaud of Guyana won after the second round.
In the first round of the election for FIDE EDC chairman, Yolander Persaud (Guyana) had 77 votes, while Daniel Florea (Romania) got 59 votes. Babur Tolbaev (Kyrgyzstan) was eliminated after coming in third (with 27 votes).
In the second round, of the 161 delegates who voted, the results were:
Yolander Persaud (Guyana) – 86 votes
Daniel Florea (Romania) – 75 votes
Next, the election for the six members of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission took place. Following the rule 24.4. which states that "a defeated candidate for a position of chairman may accept nominations for the position of member of the same commission, submitting his or her candidacy before the beginning of the procedures for these elections," Babur Tolbaev placed forward his candidacy as a member of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission.
Altogether, 150 delegates voted with one abstention, with eight candidates running. The results were as follows:
Khaled Arfa (Tunisia) – 103 votes
David Hater (USA) – 95 votes
Olga Baskakova (Kazakhstan) - 79 votes
Ravindra Dongre (India) –79 votes
Alan Borda (Bolivia) –78 votes
Ali Nihat Yazici (Turkey) - 73 votes
Yanori Morera Campos (Costa Rica) –56 votes
Babur Tolbaev (Kyrgyzstan) – 48 votes
Other notable decisions
FIDE also voted to support the proposal from Kazakhstan's chess federation president, Timur Turlov, to make The International School Chess Federation (ISCF) FIDE's Affiliated organization. In his speech to the General Assembly, Timur Turlov explained that the mission of the ISCF would be to unite national school chess associations and support the global integration of chess into school curricula.
Additionally, FIDE approved the formation of the Turkic-speaking Countries' Chess Association as an affiliated organization. The application, presented by Azerbaijan and supported by several Turkophone states, seeks to develop chess in nations with shared linguistic and cultural ties.
Gunnar Bjornsson, president of the Icelandic Chess Federation, presented the application from the Greenlandic Chess Federation, which applied to become an Affiliated Member of FIDE. "Chess, while very new in its organized form, has a surprisingly long connection to Greenland. The famous Lewis chessmen, a collection of medieval chess pieces, have been definitively proven to be crafted from walrus tusks of Greenlandic origin," read in the application. The Greenlandic Chess Federation said it wants to establish a widespread chess culture and introduce chess to both old and young people in Greenland, while also participating in international events and organizations. The application was approved unanimously, by acclamation.
Federation proposals regarding Russia and Belarus restrictions: At the start of the debate, FIDE President Arkady Dvovkovich recused himself from chairing the General Assembly (GA) and participating in the discussion to preserve neutrality according to the FIDE Charter. FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand (India) assumed the chair.
Delegates from Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine presented their positions to the General Assembly, followed by a statement from the FIDE Council, read by Viswanathan Anand:
"After careful consideration, the majority of the FIDE Council members have concluded that the current circumstances do not provide sufficient grounds to support the motions from the Kyrgyz Chess Union. We also remain mindful of the broader international context and each federation's relationship with their National Olympic Committees.
At the same time, the Council recognizes the need for a balanced and humanitarian approach. Therefore, we recommend that the General Assembly consider supporting a partial reconsidering of the restrictions, allowing vulnerable groups—such as players with disabilities, and children under 12,—to participate in all FIDE events. This would be done in close consultation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), to ensure alignment with their principles.
We believe this approach upholds FIDE's commitment to inclusivity while respecting the international framework.
Thank you for your attention to this matter."
After another round of debate, where delegates from different federations presented their perspectives, the FIDE General Assembly put forward three options for the vote:
1. After careful consideration, the majority of the FIDE Council members have concluded that the current circumstances do not provide sufficient grounds to support the motions from the Kyrgyz Chess Union. General Assembly requests the FIDE Council to conduct consultations with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (POC), regarding the possibility of a partial reconsideration of the restrictions, allowing vulnerable groups – such as players with disabilities and children under 12 in all FIDE events.
2. To recommend to the FIDE Council to keep in force all the current restrictions related to the chess federations of Russia and Belarus.
3. To recommend to the FIDE Council to lift all the current restrictions related to the chess federations of Russia and Belarus.
The General Assembly voted to adopt option one with 66 votes. Option two was supported by 41 federations, while option three got 21 votes. Eleven countries abstained.
