FIDE Presidential Election

[LawrenceCooper]

https://x.com/TelegraphChess/status/2046293234079437248

[Christopher Kreuzer]

https://x.com/TelegraphChess/status/2046293234079437248

For the second time in a decade, a FIDE President is threatened with sanctions. In February, the European Union declared its intention to sanction Arkady Dvorkovich. We have been here before. In 2015, sanctions were imposed on Kirsan Ilyumzhinov by the US Treasury. As a result, FIDE lost access to bank accounts, lost its credibility and our standing with the IOC was damaged.

Fortunately, the proposed European Union sanctions, which would include an EU visa-ban and asset-freeze, have not yet been imposed on our President. If sanctions are imposed, the President should not stand for a third term at the General Assembly, to be held during the 47th Chess Olympiad in September.

In this circumstance, should the President stand for re-election, I will stand against him and a broad-based electoral coalition should be formed with the intention of taking FIDE in a different direction. This coalition can be established in the coming months, before the electoral deadline towards the end of July.

My team and I are assembling a ticket, including candidates for the FIDE Council. We are preparing a campaign program which will emphasise our objective of transforming FIDE into a modern, self-sufficient and independent non-governmental organisation.

A necessary condition for the success of our campaign is of course the support of the international chess community. Throughout my 50 years in chess, I have been involved in: competition as a professional player, tournament organisation at all levels, journalism, commercial sponsorship, chess in schools, social projects, as well as chess administration in the European Chess Union and English Chess Federation. I am uniquely qualified.

Ahead of the deadline to submit tickets, I would welcome expressions of interest in joining our campaign to transform the organisation that governs the game we all love.

Feel free to get in touch:
Email: PeinCampaign (at) gmail.com

Let's do it. Gens Una Sumus!
7:21 pm · 20 Apr 2026
·33.2K Views

[MJMcCready]

I don't fancy his chances.

[Roger de Coverly]

I don't fancy his chances.

Pein or Dvorkovich?

It's not the 200,000 or more players with active FIDE ratings who have much or any say in the FIDE leadership, rather the 200 or so delegates at the FIDE general meeting.

I doubt the individual members of the ECF will be consulted either directly or indirectly through the ECF Council.

[MJMcCready]

I don't fancy his chances.

Pein or Dvorkovich?

It's not the 200,000 or more players with active FIDE ratings who have much or any say in the FIDE leadership, rather the 200 or so delegates at the FIDE general meeting.

I doubt the individual members of the ECF will be consulted either directly or indirectly through the ECF Council.

Pein, he's been outspoken about FIDE in the past, which I am sure didn't go down too well.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Pein is getting on slightly (66 this year) which might not help his chances.

[Alex Holowczak]

Pein is getting on slightly (66 this year) which might not help his chances.

I'm not a delegate for any of the 200 or so member Federations of FIDE, but I would expect Malcolm's age would struggle to make it into the top 100 reasons why someone might choose to vote one way or the other.

[Alex McFarlane]

I think we need to know his date of birth.
Age 66.6 is just too symbolic!

[Matt Mackenzie]

DOB is 14th Aug 1960 according to Wikipedia and chessgames.com.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I have heard shocking and doubtless malicious, unsubstantiated rumours that in the past, the candidates attempted to bribe the delegates.

[NickFaulks]

I have heard shocking and doubtless malicious, unsubstantiated rumours that in the past, the candidates attempted to bribe the delegates.

Yes, it is traditional for bribes to be offered by both sides. I don't believe there has been an election since 1994 in which this altered the outcome.

[Paul Heaton]

I'm not a delegate for any of the 200 or so member Federations of FIDE, but I would expect Malcolm's age would struggle to make it into the top 100 reasons why someone might choose to vote one way or the other.

Presumably anyway Malcolm would not make age an issue of the campaign. Not wishing to exploit for political purposes his opponents youth and inexperience.

[NickFaulks]

Pein, he's been outspoken about FIDE in the past, which I am sure didn't go down too well.

He was certainly very rude about Makro, but I didn't get the impression from Athens that they were much bothered.

[Angus French]

Pein, he's been outspoken about FIDE in the past, which I am sure didn't go down too well.

He was certainly very rude about Makro, but I didn't get the impression from Athens that they were much bothered.

Because they - and others? - don't have much regard for him?

[Roger de Coverly]

Because they - and others? - don't have much regard for him?

Didn't Pein join Makro's slate when post Kirsan Makro was running against Dvorkovich (and Short)?