Vadim Rosenstein on why he is running for FIDE president, politics in chess, cheating, and esports

Vadim Rozenshtein — on why he is running for FIDE President, politics in chess, cheating, and esports

Against the backdrop of the 46th Chess Olympiad, the FIDE Congress is taking place in Samarkand, with one of its main events being the election of the International Chess Federation's leadership. The voting for the president and deputy president will take place on September 26 at the General Assembly.

The president and deputy president are elected on a single ticket, with each national federation represented at the General Assembly holding one vote.

Three pairs of candidates have been cleared for the election: Jan Henrik Buettner and Malcolm Pein, Vadim Rozenshtein and Gordon Tang, Timur Turlov and Viswanathan Anand.

Arkady Dvorkovich, who was re-elected as FIDE President in 2022, voluntarily suspended his duties on July 23 after being included in the European Union's sanctions list. The temporary duties of the president were transferred to Anand, who is running for the post of deputy president in tandem with Turlov in the current election. Dvorkovich did not enter the list of candidates.

"Gazeta" correspondent Georgy Shvanov spoke with one of the presidential candidates — German entrepreneur Vadim Rozenshtein, founder of WR Chess and chairman of WR Group Holding.

He was one of the initiators of the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship, organized the WR Chess Masters tournaments, and launched the WR Women’s Chess Tour series.

In the interview, Rozenshtein explained why he decided to run in the election, what he would like to change in FIDE, how he plans to attract a new audience and sponsors to chess, and also shared his thoughts on politics in sports, cheating, esports, and the future of chess.

Chess became my favorite hobby and remains so to this day. My grandfather taught me to play. Later, when I was in the fifth grade in Germany, we were offered to join a chess club. Since then, I fell deeply in love with chess, participated in school competitions, and then joined a club with which we won the German Championship.

I have been playing for about 30 years. Chess is my favorite sport. I believe it is beneficial for developing thinking: it teaches decision-making, tactical and strategic thinking, and develops discipline. And, of course, it brings a lot of pleasure to many people.

I love chess very much, and I enjoy participating in tournaments and competitions myself. I know many chess players and people who also love this game. Unfortunately, what I see in the chess world does not quite correspond to the level at which I would like to see chess.

I believe that raising this level is quite easy, and I feel that I can do it. Therefore, I want to engage in chess management and take it to a new level.

— Firstly, I would like to develop the digital infrastructure of chess, introduce modern IT solutions and performance indicators for FIDE employees. I would structure communication differently. I would like FIDE to become an independent, serious, and more professional organization capable of benefiting people.

Secondly, it is important to attract new people, sponsors, and companies from various fields to chess. I would like to create a department within FIDE that would focus on fundraising and offer marketing opportunities to companies. Chess is capable of attracting the attention of a wide audience: currently, 600 million people play it. For sponsors, this is an opportunity to make a name for themselves. Attracting more companies to the chess world is one of my main goals.

Thirdly, I would take chess marketing to another level. I want to show that chess is cool, so that more people aspire to play it. Currently, as I have already mentioned, 600 million people play chess, while the Earth's population is about eight billion. We have room to grow. I would like at least half of the planet's population to play chess.

— That is a very good question. Chess can attract different audiences. Ideally, a chess player looks elegant in a tuxedo: this emphasizes that chess is an intellectual sport and that we respect its traditions. I think it is important to maintain a certain level of elegance in chess.

At the same time, chess must be accessible to everyone. If a person cannot afford a tuxedo, it does not mean at all that they cannot play. It is important for young people to have a goal to strive for — elite sport. Chess, in my opinion, belongs to it. Popularizing chess is a separate task.

I believe that people of any age should play chess. Here, it is no longer about tuxedos, but about community, a family-like and warm atmosphere. Chess brings nations, families, and friends closer together, providing an opportunity to communicate and discuss various topics.

— This is extremely important. I am confident that we will succeed in making chess an Olympic sport. My team includes many professionals who are already members of the Olympic committees of various countries. We must move in this direction.

Participation in the Olympic Games will not only help popularize chess but will also allow chess in different countries to receive state financial support. I believe this will benefit it.

— Chess is a sport that should unite nations. I consider it a good tool for bringing states and people with different political and religious views closer together. Chess is a language that everyone can speak. It should unite, not divide.

At the same time, FIDE is part of the international sports community. There are courts, laws, and rules that we must follow. This is not a matter of my personal interpretation. If we stop complying with current norms, chaos will arise. Unfortunately, today we have to follow these decisions and rules, even if it is difficult.

Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has clearly stated that chess and any other sport should be out of politics. We must follow these recommendations. I am convinced that chess provides a wonderful opportunity to bring people closer together, rather than divide them.

— The calendar is one of the most important issues for chess because it allows for the proper planning of events and their organization. Some tournaments should be added — for example, women's competitions: unfortunately, there are few of them. On the other hand, certain tournaments can be combined.

This is a complex issue, and many topics need to be discussed in the chess council. But overall, I believe the calendar needs to be changed.

— Speaking of offline competitions, the FIDE Fair Play Commission needs to be provided with proper equipment to minimize cases of cheating. Our colleagues are doing an excellent job. Unfortunately, such control is not yet present everywhere, not on all continents. We need to make it a common practice in many countries, and we will actively work on this.

Online competitions are more difficult. Online chess platforms are developing mechanisms that use mathematical calculations to help detect cheating. But the problem is not yet solved, and we will work on it. One possible solution for official online competitions is to hold games in the presence of arbiters.

As for esports, I think it is a wonderful direction. Esports chess events are magnificent: the atmosphere resembles a football stadium, and people experience many positive emotions. It is spectacular, and I will be glad if chess continues to develop in this direction.

— I will work hard to ensure that more and more people play chess. I think the future of chess is connected with faster formats: they will change, and we will play faster.

I also hope that FIDE will be able to attract a very large number of people — we are talking about millions. I would like to see it as the organization with the largest number of members.

Chess can be played at any age, at any level, and anywhere — on a plane or on vacation. I believe this sport should unite as many people as possible.