Timur Turlov, the newly elected FIDE president, met with Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev this week. The two discussed chess development in Kazakhstan and the country's expanding role in global chess politics.
Tokayev emphasized that chess matters in Kazakhstan beyond sport. He sees it as essential for building intellectual capacity in young people. The country has backed this philosophy with results. Kazakhstan's women's team earned silver at the 46th FIDE Chess Olympiad, part of a broader push that has elevated the national chess school's standing.
This meeting signals where chess power now sits. Turlov won the FIDE presidency largely through support from wealthy figures and federations in Central Asia and the Middle East. His visit to Tokayev reinforces those ties. Kazakhstan has invested heavily in chess infrastructure and youth development over the past decade, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
The meeting also signals Turlov's early priorities. Building relationships with federations in emerging chess nations matters for FIDE's legitimacy and growth. Kazakhstan's women's program has become genuinely competitive at the world level. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens when governments treat chess as a strategic investment.