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Wadim Rosenstein’s support for African chess is not a product of an election season. It is a commitment that has been demonstrated long before any campaign began.

Through WR, he has supported and sponsored African chess players to compete on some of the world’s biggest stages. In 2023, in Düsseldorf, Germany, a team fully sponsored by WR competed at the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship, giving African players the opportunity to compete alongside some of the world’s strongest teams.

That commitment continued with Team Mother Continent, fully sponsored by WR, competing at the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship in London, United Kingdom. It was more than sponsorship it was an investment in African talent, visibility and the belief that African players deserve opportunities to compete at the highest level.

The latest expression of that commitment is the WR Women’s Chess Tour African Leg, which recently concluded in Maputo, Mozambique. By bringing a global women’s chess platform to Africa, WR is creating opportunities for African players to compete, gain international exposure and bring greater visibility to chess on the continent. It has also provided professional exposure and opportunities for African arbiters and officials to work within an international-level chess environment, while allowing African players to share the stage with some of the world’s leading women chess players.

What makes this support particularly meaningful is its consistency. WR’s engagement with African chess did not begin because of an election and is not dependent on an election outcome. It is part of a sustained belief in the immense potential of African chess.

Africa has extraordinary players, but potential alone is not enough. Players need access to elite competition, international exposure, resources and platforms that allow them to develop and prove themselves.

That is what WR has been doing opening doors, creating opportunities and investing in African chess.

For Wadim Rosenstein, Africa is not simply a constituency to be approached during an election. It is a continent with enormous untapped potential, and his support has demonstrated a belief in that potential long before the campaign began.

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♟ Three Presidential Tickets Submitted to FIDE Office Ahead of 2026 Elections

Today at 18:00 CEST, the nomination period for the 2026 FIDE Presidential Election officially closed.

Before the deadline, the FIDE Office received three presidential tickets (listed in alphabetical order by the presidential candidate):
▪️ Mr. Jan Henric Buettner for President and Mr. Malcolm Pein for Deputy President;
▪️ Mr. Wadim Rosenstein for President and Mr. Gordon Tang for Deputy President;
▪️ Mr. Timur Turlov for President and Mr. Viswanathan Anand for Deputy President.

In accordance with Article 21 of the FIDE Electoral Rules (Election of the President and Deputy President), the Electoral Commission (ELC) will now conduct a preliminary examination of the submitted candidacies and approve the list of valid presidential tickets. The approved list will be published on the FIDE website and made available to all Member Federations.

As part of this process, the ELC will verify that each application contains all information and declarations required under Article 5.2 of the Electoral Rules and that all eligibility requirements set out in Article 4.1 have been satisfied.

The 2026 FIDE Presidential Election will take place on 26 September 2026 during the FIDE General Assembly in 🇺🇿 Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Each Member Federation represented at the General Assembly is entitled to one vote.

Wadim Rosenstein / Turlov for Chess