Anand Becomes Interim FIDE President After Dvorkovich's Sanctions-Induced Exit

In a strange turn of events for Viswanathan Anand, the five-time world champion finds himself as the man running FIDE, the global governing body of chess. Strange, because just five days ago, Anand was explaining why he was voluntarily stepping back from active administration. Anand said he had opted not to run as the Deputy President in Arkady Dvorkovich’s re-election campaign. Anand’s current term as the second-in-command of Dvorkovich would end when the elections are held during the Olympiad in Samarkand in two months’ time. Anand’s reasoning for not wanting to continue in a role he has held since 2022 was simple: “I simply wanted to have more time at home. My son will probably go to university in three years, I thought these are the years I should be here. That was a big motivation to get a different role. But I am still very much part of the team.” But now, in a quirk of fate, for the next two months at least, Anand finds himself more front and centre of the global governing body than ever. On Thursday, sanctions from the European Union became public which made Dvorkovich’s position as FIDE president untenable. The Russian has consequently stepped aside as president, meaning Anand is now the interim president of the global governing body of chess. The sanctions against Dvorkovich mean he is out of running for a third term as FIDE president. Following the decision by President Arkady Dvorkovich to suspend the exercise of his duties, and in accordance with the FIDE Charter, I have assumed the responsibilities of Interim President. I want to thank Arkady for his leadership and for putting the interests and stability… https://t.co/KexdV5WLal — Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) July 24, 2026 In a statement to The Indian Express , Dvorkovich said: “The sanctions are completely unjustified, unfair and based on political characterisations rather than a proper assessment of my personal and professional conduct. The only reason for sanctions is to prevent me from running and serving for FIDE. I reject political allegations being presented as an established fact and will challenge them through every available legal process.” Timur Turlov, the CEO of Freedom Holding, had been named on Dvorkovich’s ticket as a Deputy President contender. Anand, meanwhile, had said that he would be part of Team Dvorkovich, but without running for Deputy President role. Now, with Dvorkovich out of the running, it remains to be seen if Anand will get convinced to run for another term. The deadline to name the president and deputy contenders is on Sunday, July 26. Ukraine-born German Wadim Rosenstein (with Gordon Tang as his running mate) and Jan Henric Buettner (Malcolm Pein as Deputy) have announced their intention to run for FIDE President. In his role as the Interim President, Anand is likely to preside over the decision to award hosting rights for the FIDE World Championship at the end of this year where Gukesh will defend his title against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov. “Following the decision by President Arkady Dvorkovich to suspend the exercise of his duties, and in accordance with the FIDE Charter, I have assumed the responsibilities of Interim President,” Anand posted on X. “I want to thank Arkady for his leadership and for putting the interests and stability of FIDE first. Together with the FIDE Council, the administration and our member federations, my focus will be on ensuring continuity and serving the global chess family. FIDE’s work continues. Arkady has built a strong team and vision and I today take it as our collective responsibility to carry the work forward.”