Recording allegedly captures FIDE adviser disparaging Uzbekistan
Tashkent Times is an English language online-newspaper that brings all latest Uzbekistan news
An audio recording said to feature Mark Glukhovsky, an adviser to FIDE presidential candidate Timur Turlov, has spread widely on social media just before the International Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The recording contains comments described as insulting and discriminatory toward the leadership of Uzbekistan's National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the Uzbek people.
The Ukrainian Chess Federation published the recording, in which Glukhovsky — a former official of the Russian Chess Federation — is heard talking about plans to bribe delegates and influence the vote ahead of FIDE's 2018 presidential election. The audio also includes disparaging remarks about the NOC leadership and Uzbeks in general.
In the recording, the person identified as Glukhovsky tells his interlocutor about arranging efforts to bribe delegates and manipulate the voting process before the 2018 FIDE presidential race.
That year, Glukhovsky worked as campaign manager for Arkady Dvorkovich, Russia's former deputy prime minister, who later won the election. Dvorkovich kept the FIDE presidency four years later, although his 2022 re-election campaign was also surrounded by controversy. He was compelled to resign as FIDE president in July 2026 after the European Union imposed personal sanctions against him.
Turlov, a Russian-born businessman with Kazakh citizenship, is described as a close associate of Dvorkovich. He is a candidate in the 2026 FIDE presidential election, which is scheduled to be held during the FIDE General Assembly in Samarkand on September 26-27.
In the recording, Glukhovsky is also heard speaking in derogatory terms about Otabek Umarov, first deputy chairman of Uzbekistan's National Olympic Committee, and dismissing the host country's status. His tone reportedly changes noticeably once he learns his interlocutor knows Umarov holds a senior post.
At another point, Glukhovsky says Uzbeks' opinions mean nothing, portraying them as people guided only by self-interest who will swear loyalty to whoever is convenient at the moment.
Glukhovsky stepped down as executive director of the Russian Chess Federation in January 2026. Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, commenting at the time to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, said he did not view Glukhovsky as capable of developing the sport, added that he welcomed the departure, and questioned whether Glukhovsky was fit for the role given that "he doesn't live in Russia."