Chess once again produces a novelistic story with abundant light and shadow. Arkady Dvorkovich, 54, highly respected in Russia for his professional worth, has resigned from the presidency of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which encompasses 201 countries, after being included in the list of sanctioned individuals by the European Union (EU) “for undermining the integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine.” But that official document from Brussels omits that Dvorkovich condemned the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and was immediately retaliated against by Vladimir Putin, who, however, supports him as FIDE president. He now ceases to be so, replaced until September by former champion Viswanathan Anand, an Indian.
Dvorkovich, son of the long-time personal secretary of multi-champion Garry Kasparov, trained as an economist at Duke (USA) and Moscow universities, served as Putin’s economic advisor (2008-2012), Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (2012-2018) under Dmitry Medvedev, and director of the organization of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, in addition to – among other high positions – chairing Russian Railways (2015-2018) and the Skolkovo Foundation (2018-2022), which is Russia’s closest innovation center to Silicon Valley.
His abrupt dismissal from that last position was the first consequence of his double condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. First, as FIDE president, which issued a clear statement against it, and then in an interview with Mother Jones magazine, whose most unequivocal phrase is: “Wars, including this one, are the worst thing one can face in life.” And he stressed that he equally regretted “the death of all those who fell in the eight years of conflict in Donbas between the Ukrainian Army and pro-Russian militias.” Immediately after being dismissed from Skolkovo, Dvorkovich published an article in which he highly praised the Russian army; he never wanted to confirm if he was forced to write it. Father of three children (the youngest is 11 years old), he has since lived between Riga (Latvia) and Moscow.
However, Putin has clearly supported – and congratulated – Dvorkovich as FIDE president because chess (and specifically, recovering the world title for Russia) is one of his sporting priorities, as he stated in Sochi during the closing of the Carlsen-Anand title match. Dvorkovich announced in 2018, when he was elected at the Batumi (Georgia) Congress, that he only wanted that position for a maximum of eight years, but his delicate personal situation has led him to run for a second re-election in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) at the end of next September. The logical deduction is that Putin only protects him if he is FIDE president.
This Thursday’s Official Journal of the European Union announces new sanctions against 48 individuals and 168 entities for “threatening the integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine.” On page 37, the positions held by Dvorkovich are cited, with special emphasis on his role as a member of the Board of Directors of the Russian Chess Federation, condemned for organizing tournaments in Crimea, a territory occupied by Russia and claimed by Ukraine. No mention is made of what was explained in the previous two paragraphs.
Dvorkovich reacted immediately this Friday with a statement in which he describes the sanction as “illegal and unjust” and announces that he will appeal against it “by all possible means,” in addition to delegating the presidential position to Anand, who was deputy president until now. Asked by EL PAÍS, he declined to make additional statements. Sources close to him, requesting anonymity, highlighted that this sanction was “promoted by Ukraine with the support of several European countries, especially the Baltic ones.” And they stated: “The main objective is to prevent Dvorkovich, re-elected with the support of many Western countries, from running again.”
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During Dvorkovich’s eight-year tenure, and especially after the invasion of Ukraine, the world of chess has lived in a paradox. A large majority of chess officials from many countries consulted by EL PAÍS since 2018 agree that he is probably the most capable president FIDE has had in its century-long history; but also that the mere fact of him being Russian, as well as the positions he has held, are an enormous negative burden when it comes to attracting solid international sponsorships.
If there are no developments in Dvorkovich’s appeal between now and September, who is the favorite for re-election due to his deep knowledge and experience, and the Kremlin’s financial support, the electoral landscape promises to be peculiar and very entertaining. Barring what may happen until Sunday (deadline for submitting candidacies), there are three announced aspirants and one potential one; and all four are millionaires.
German Wadim Rosenstein (35), son of a Ukrainian and a Russian, an export and mining entrepreneur, is organizing and financing elite tournaments worldwide this year. His compatriot Jan Büettner (61), a Vodafone pioneer in a long entrepreneurial career, has financed tournaments in luxury hotels for the new freestyle modality, supported by the elite but reviled by most fans. The flamboyant Russian Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (64) has been a disguised emissary for Putin for many years in countries like Iraq, Libya, Syria, or Afghanistan. And the unknown is Timur Turlov, a Kazakh of Russian origin, sanctioned by Ukraine. The Russian Federation has said it supports Ilyumzhinov, but Dvorkovich rejects him.
Leontxo García, author of this article, is a FIDE advisor for educational chess
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