What FIDE does
Under FIDE's charter, these are among its tasks.
| The rules | FIDE writes the rules of chess and the rules for competitions. How the pieces move is in the chess rules. |
|---|---|
| Titles | FIDE awards the international titles, such as grandmaster. |
| Ratings | FIDE publishes the official rating list, a new one every month. How to get on it is under How do you get a chess rating? |
| Championships | Only FIDE may organize the Chess Olympiads and the world championships. |
How it began
In the summer of 1924, Paris hosted the Olympic Games, and a big chess event was held alongside them. On July 20, the event's last day, the federation was founded, and fifteen people signed. The first president was Alexander Rueb of the Netherlands, and he led the federation until 1949.
After him came the Swede Folke Rogard, president from 1949 to 1970. That was during the Cold War, and FIDE wanted a president from a neutral country. The federation's motto is Latin: Gens una sumus, we are one family.
FIDE today
Timur Turlov of Kazakhstan has been president since September 26, 2026. He was elected at FIDE's General Assembly in Samarkand, during the Chess Olympiad, by 110 votes to 85 in the second round. Viswanathan Anand is deputy president.
Sources
- FIDE Charter, 2020 (articles 1.2, 1.3, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, 3.3, 5.1)
- FIDE: About FIDE (read November 14, 2026)
- FIDE, July 24, 2020: FIDE birthplace and parents; ChessBase: Chess history, creating FIDE
- FIDE, January 2, 2024: FIDE100 celebrations start with lecture on Folke Rogard; Wikipedia: Folke Rogard
- FIDE, September 26, 2026: Timur Turlov elected President of FIDE; Reuters via The Star, September 26, 2026; FIDE, October 1, 2026: decisions of the General Assembly
The facts on this page come from the sources above and, where possible, were checked across several sources. Where the sources disagree, we say less or say what each one says. A number that is an estimate says whose it is, and a counted number comes with its date.
Updated November 14, 2026