# The FIDE Presidential Race Is Now a Legal Brawl
Arkady Dvorkovich's disqualification has turned the election for FIDE's next leader into a procedural nightmare. Twenty-four days before delegates vote in Samarkand, the federation is fighting itself as much as it is holding a contest.
The chaos started in July when the European Union sanctioned Dvorkovich over his Russian ties. He stepped back from FIDE's top job to protect the federation's finances. That should have been straightforward. Instead, it opened a legal minefield.
Dvorkovich had been running for re-election with Vishy Anand as his intended deputy. When he withdrew, the rules of succession became contested ground. Different camps interpreted FIDE's bylaws differently. Some argued Anand should take the role automatically. Others said the candidacy structure needed to reset. The result is a three-way race that nobody quite expected, with each candidate now using lawyers as much as campaigning.
This matters because FIDE elections determine how chess operates globally for the next four years. Who controls the federation sets tournament standards, eligibility rules, prize fund decisions, and how the game relates to national federations worldwide. The president also shapes FIDE's image in an era when chess has exploded in popularity and sponsorship value. A messy election fought in court rather than on merit damages that credibility before a single vote is cast.
The legal fights are real. Candidates have challenged each other's eligibility. Interpretations of nomination procedures have become battlegrounds. FIDE's governance structure, which was already creaky, now looks fragile. Delegates arriving in Samarkand will vote not just on who they want to lead but under a cloud of procedural disputes that nobody fully settled beforehand.
What happens next depends on how aggressively the remaining candidates press their advantages. Some will push for strict interpretation of rules that favor them. Others will argue for leniency in the name of unity. FIDE's legal team will have to navigate it all without looking like they favor any candidate. One month is not much time to resolve this much acrimony.
The real losers are chess itself. Elections should be about vision and competence. This one is about lawyers and technicalities. By the time Samarkand's votes are counted, FIDE's next president will inherit not just an office but a federation that just spent weeks fighting itself over procedures instead of building consensus around strategy. That's a rough way to start a term.