Chess corruption: how infamous oligarch Timur Turlov secures African votes to win the FIDE presidency

18:36, 06.09.2026

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Chess corruption: how infamous oligarch Timur Turlov secures African votes to win the FIDE presidency

Kazakh banker Timur Turlov, who is seeking the FIDE presidency, has found himself at the center of another scandal, this time in Africa. Members of his team are accused of vote-buying in the African Chess Confederation (ACC) presidential election.

Kenya’s Bernard Wanjala won by a narrow margin of one vote—25:24. Turlov was one of the first to publicly congratulate his partner, with whom he shares ambitious plans to increase influence in Africa.

However, immediately after the election, delegate Nicholas Carbonela claimed that Wanjala had offered him $1,500 for his vote the day before the vote. Carbonela claimed he refused the money. Former ACC President Tsepiso Lopang filed a complaint based on this allegation, demanding an investigation into the circumstances of the election.

Accusations of possible influence on delegates have also been leveled against two members of Vanjala’s team, closely associated with Turlov. Dennis Vandina, for example, has long worked with Vanjala in Kenyan chess and remains his close associate. Another key figure is Andre Levakis. He ran for the ACC Vice President of Technical Affairs on Vanjala’s team and was awarded the position after his victory.

The special commission must establish who contacted delegates before the vote, who distributed materials, who attended the meetings, and what happened in the hotel on the night before the election when election materials were distributed.

If the investigation confirms violations, it will become more than just an African scandal. It will directly raise questions about the methods and connections Timur Turlov is using in his struggle for control of world chess.

Earlier, FIDE President candidate Jan Henrik Büttner, in a letter to FIDE Council members, stated that his team had received "numerous credible evidence" that Mr. Turlov had actively used FIDE funds and assistance from federation employees during his election campaign. Specifically, they arranged meetings for him with General Assembly delegates, whose votes will determine the new FIDE President on September 26.

Muscovite Timur Turlov, after joining the SVO, received Kazakh citizenship, supported Ukraine, and renounced his Russian passport. The billionaire positions himself as an "international banker," although experts believe the source of his wealth is exclusively Russian money.