Vishy Anand is stepping back.
Not from chess. Never from chess.
But from one of the biggest boardrooms in the sport.
The 5-time World Champion will not contest the FIDE Deputy President seat again.
And that one line just reshuffled global chess politics.
Incumbent FIDE chief Arkady Dvorkovich is going for a third term.
Elections drop in September 2026, at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.
He won in Batumi 2018.
He won in Chennai 2022.
Now he wants the hat-trick.
But his running mate this time isn't Vishy.
The new Deputy President candidate is a billionaire most chess fans already know — even if they didn't realise it.
💼 Founder & CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ-listed)
♟️ President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since 2023
🏫 President of the International School Chess Federation
🏆 Backer of the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Teams Championship
In short: money, infrastructure, and a school-chess agenda walking into FIDE's top table.
Not away. Just sideways.
Dvorkovich was crystal clear:
👉 Vishy stays on the main team.
👉 He'll work on federation relations.
👉 He'll lean on the India chess boom story to help smaller federations grow.
Anand himself confirmed it — "proud to be part of his team" — saying he's seen Dvorkovich's commitment up close over 4 years.
Translation: he's trading the title for the influence.
Dvorkovich isn't walking in unopposed.
Two German entrepreneurs are gunning for the top job:
🎯 Wadim Rosenstein — founder of WR Chess, FIDE event partner
🔥 Jan Henric Buettner — the brain behind Freestyle Chess, Magnus Carlsen's favourite new playground
Two disruptors vs. one incumbent with deep pockets and a Kazakh billionaire by his side.
Dvorkovich still carries baggage.
Until May 2018, he was Russia's Deputy Prime Minister.
The questions never really stopped.
His answer this week was unchanged: "My focus is not politics. My focus is chess."
8 years. 200+ federations. One very persistent question mark.
The Anand era as FIDE's No. 2 is quietly ending.
But the Anand era of influence — soft power, federation diplomacy, the India playbook — is just getting started.
Vishy isn't leaving the room.
He's just letting someone else hold the chair while he plays the longer game.
Which is, honestly, the most Vishy Anand move imaginable.
That's all for now!
