View source for FIDE

{{Short description|International chess governing body}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = International Chess Federation
| abbreviation             = FIDE
| formerly                 = FIE <ref>{{cite web | title=Chess: The History of FIDE by Edward Winter | url=https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/fidehistory.html }}</ref>
| image                    = Fidelogo.svg
| size                     = 220px
| founder                  = Pierre Vincent <ref>{{cite web | title=From Paris and the world with chess: FIDE celebrates 100 years since its founding – International Chess Federation | url=https://www.fide.com/from-paris-and-the-world-with-chess-fide-celebrates-100-years-since-its-founding/ }}</ref>
| type                     = [[International organization]]
| formation                = {{start date and age|1924|7|20}} in [[Paris]], France
| native name              = ''Fédération Internationale des Échecs''
| native_name_lang         = fr
| headquarters             = [[Lausanne]], Switzerland<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.fide.com/news/148
|title=FIDE new office in Lausanne is now fully operational
|access-date=3 May 2018}}
</ref>
| budget                   = {{Euro|13.173 million|link=yes}} (2025)
| membership               = 203 national associations<ref name="ratings.fide.com">{{cite web|publisher=International Chess Federation|url=https://ratings.fide.com/fide_directory.phtml?zone=1| title=World Chess Federation FIDE Directory: Member Federations by Zone|accessdate=25 November 2024}}</ref>
| leader_title             = President
| leader_name              = [[Arkady Dvorkovich]]
| leader_title2            = Deputy President
| leader_name2             = [[Viswanathan Anand]]
| website                  = {{official URL}}
}}

The '''International Chess Federation''' or '''World Chess Federation''',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/FIDECharter2020.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427145151/https://handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/FIDECharter2020.pdf |archive-date=2020-04-27 |url-status=live|title=FIDE Charter, Art. 1 FIDE – Name, legal status and seat|work=FIDE|accessdate=10 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Official Laws of Chess|year=1989|last=FIDE|isbn=0-02-028540-X|page=7|publisher=Collier Books }}</ref> commonly referred to by its French acronym '''FIDE''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|f|iː|d|eɪ}} {{respell|FEE|day}}, {{lang|fr|Fédération Internationale des Échecs}}),<ref>{{Cite book | last1=Hooper | first1=David | author1-link=David Vincent Hooper | last2=Whyld | first2=Kenneth | author2-link=Kenneth Whyld | year=1992 | title=The Oxford Companion to Chess | title-link=The Oxford Companion to Chess | edition=second | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-280049-3 | page=133}}</ref> is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national [[chess]] federations and acts as the [[Sport governing body|governing body]] of international chess competition. FIDE was founded in Paris, France, in 1924.<ref name="fide.com">{{cite web |url=https://www.fide.com/fide/about-fide |title=About FIDE |website=FIDE |access-date=2025-01-03}}</ref> Its motto is {{lang|la|Gens una sumus}}, [[Latin]] for "We are one Family." In 1999, FIDE was recognized by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC). {{as of|2023|12|21|post=,|df=US}} there are 201 [[FIDE Federations|member federations of FIDE]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Member Federations | url=https://fide.com/directory/member-federations | access-date=January 2, 2024}}</ref>

==Role==
FIDE's most visible activity is organizing the [[World Chess Championship]] since 1948.  This championship confers the title of "World Chess Champion", which is currently held by [[Gukesh Dommaraju]].  FIDE also organizes world championships for [[Women's World Chess Championship|women]], [[World Junior Chess Championship|juniors]], [[World Senior Chess Championship|seniors]], and the disabled, as well as the world championships for the shorter time formats [[World Rapid Chess Championship|rapid]] and [[World Blitz Chess Championship|blitz]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/9126-world-chess-championship-for-disabled-2015-has-come-to-an-end.html|title=International Chess Federation – FIDE|website=fide.com|access-date=November 13, 2016|archive-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114084601/https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/9126-world-chess-championship-for-disabled-2015-has-come-to-an-end.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another flagship event is the [[Chess Olympiad]], a biennial chess tournament organized since 1924, in which national teams compete. In alternate years, FIDE also organizes the [[World Team Chess Championship|World Team Championship]], in which the best teams from the previous Olympiad compete.

As part of the World Chess Championship cycle, FIDE also organizes the [[Candidates Tournament]], which determines who will challenge the reigning World Champion, and the qualifying tournaments for the Candidates, such as the [[Chess World Cup]], the [[FIDE Grand Prix]], and the [[FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament|Grand Swiss Tournament]].

FIDE is recognized by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) as the supreme body responsible for the organization of chess and its championships at global and continental levels.<ref>{{cite web | title=ARISF Association of IOC Recognized International Sports Federations | url=https://www.arisf.sport/members.aspx | access-date=28 October 2019 | archive-date=January 22, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122114531/https://www.arisf.sport/members.aspx | url-status=dead }}</ref> Other tournaments are not overseen directly by FIDE, but they generally observe FIDE rules and regulations. Some national chess organizations such as the [[US Chess Federation]] use minor differences to FIDE rules.

FIDE defines the [[rules of chess]], both for individual games (i.e. the board and moves) and for the conduct of international competitions. The international competition rules are the basis for local competitions, although local bodies are allowed to modify these rules to a certain extent. FIDE awards a number of organizational titles, including [[International Arbiter]], which signifies that the recipient is competent and trusted to oversee top-class competitions.<ref name="FIDEHandbookContents">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.fide.com/info/handbook
 | title=FIDE Handbook
 | publisher=FIDE
}} (contents page)</ref>

FIDE calculates the [[Elo rating]]s of players<ref name="FIDERatingsPortal">{{cite web
 | url=http://ratings.fide.com/
 | title=FIDE Ratings
 | publisher=FIDE
}} (portal to other FIDE ratings-related pages)</ref> and awards [[FIDE titles|titles]] for achievement in competitive play, such as the [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] title. It also awards titles to composers and solvers of [[chess problem]]s and [[chess study|studies]].

FIDE funds and manages outreach programs, such as the Chess for Freedom program<ref>{{cite web | title=About the Chess for Freedom program | url=https://chessforfreedom.fide.com/ }}</ref> and awards such as, since 2020, the Svetozar Gligoric Award for fair play.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fide.com/news/205 | title=Svetozar Gligoric Award for fair play }}</ref>

[[Correspondence chess]] (chess played by post, email or on online servers) is regulated by the [[International Correspondence Chess Federation]], an independent body that cooperates with FIDE where appropriate.

The FIDE budget for 2022 was {{Euro|12.84&nbsp;million|link=yes}}, an increase from the 2021 budget which was {{Euro|4&nbsp;million}}.<ref>{{cite web | title=92nd FIDE General Assembly: results and decisions | url=https://fide.com/news/1506 | date=29 December 2021 | access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=FIDE in good financial shape | url=https://mailchi.mp/fide/newsletter-020#TREASURER | date=8 December 2020 | access-date=14 February 2022}}</ref> Income is primarily from rights to tournaments such as the Olympiad and World Championship, from various fees and commissions, and from corporate sponsorship and donations.

==Regions==
Regions of FIDE are as follows:<ref name="ratings.fide.com"/>

===Continental===
# [[European Chess Union]] (ECU) – 1985
# [[Asian Chess Federation]] (ACF)
# [[African Chess Confederation]] (ACC)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ratings.fide.com/fide_directory.phtml?list=974 | title=African Chess Confederation (ACC) FIDE Directory }}</ref>
# [[Confederation of Chess for Americas]] (CCA)
# [[Oceania Chess Confederation]] (OCC)

===Affiliated organizations===
# African Chess Confederation (ACC)
# [[Arab Chess Federation]] (ACF)
# [[ASEAN Chess Confederation]]
# Asian Chess Federation
# [[Balkan Chess Federation]] (BCF)
# [[Chess Association of Black Sea Countries]]
# [[Commonwealth Chess Association]]
# Confederation of Chess for Americas (CCA)
# European Chess Union (ECU)
# [[Francophone Chess Association]] (AIDEF)
# [[Iberoamerican Chess Federation]] (FIBDA)
# [[International Braille Chess Association]] (IBCA)
# [[International Chess Committee of the Deaf]] (ICCD)
# [[International Computer Games Association Journal|International Computer Games Association]] (ICGA)
# [[International Correspondence Chess Federation]] (ICCF)
# [[International Physically Disabled Chess Association]] (IPCA)
# [[International School Chess Union]]
# [[Isle of Man Chess Association]] *Affiliated member
# [[Mediterranean Chess Association]] (MCA)
# [[MITROPA Chess Association]]
# [[New Caledonia Chess Federation]] (LENC) *Affiliated member
# Oceania Chess Confederation (OCC)
# Portuguese-speaking Federations Association
# [[Small Nations Chess Association]]
# [[South Asian Chess Council]] (SACC)
# [[World Federation for Chess Composition]] (WFCC)

==Tournaments==
* [[World Chess Championship]]
* [[Women's World Chess Championship]]
* [[Chess World Cup]]
* [[Women's Chess World Cup]]
* [[Chess Olympiad]]
* [[FIDE Grand Prix]]
* [[World Amateur Chess Championship]]

==History==
<!--Useful refs
* http://www.chess.co.uk/twic/event/turin06/elections2.html London Chess Centre
* [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/29/chess.features observer.guardian.co.uk] "The man who bought chess" Guardian on Ilyumzhinov
* http://oscar.fide.com/ – FIDE hosts chess Oscar
* http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/wcc-$pca.htm FIDE/PCA Chronology
* http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3948 New World Chess Championship cycle (2007)
* http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2007/03/fide_follies_forever.htm FIDE Follies Forever
* http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/2007/06/fide_follies_forever_ii.htm FIDE Follies Forever II
* http://www.iccf.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=83 ICCF not admitted to FIDE Chess Olympiad 2006
* http://www.icanj.net/chess_class_in_nj/chess_news/101/index.html Kasparov's frustration
* http://chess.about.com/library/weekly/aa04d17.htm Famous Chess Players : The Lost Generation
* http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/fide.htm FIDE History (Bill Wall)
* http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2326 Kasparov on 1993
https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E7DB1E39F935A3575BC0A965948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all NY Times on Kasparov–Korchnoi, 1983
* http://www.fide.com/news/download/campolegacy.doc
* http://www.olimpbase.org/other/london1984_info.html B/g to Kasparov–Korchnoi, 1984
* https://theweekinchess.com/html/twic317.html#14 Lev Khariton "Shame & Disgrace"

-->

===Foundation and early years (up to 1939)===
In 1904, L'union Amicale, a French chess association, attempted to establish an international chess federation.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/793617624/? Chess Notes]". ''Devon and Exeter Gazette'' (Exeter, Devon, England). 27 December 1904. p. 2.</ref> In April 1914, an initiative was taken in [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]], to form an international chess federation.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/480292056/? Chess: Notes and News]". ''The Calgary Daily Herald'' (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). 2 May 1914. p. 10.</ref><ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/786086936/ An International Chess Federation]". ''Cheltenham Chronicle and Gloucestershire Graphic'' (Cheltenham, England). 11 Jul 1914. p. 8.</ref> Another attempt was made in July 1914 during the [[Mannheim]] International Chess Tournament. Further efforts temporarily came to an end as a result of the outbreak of [[World War I]]. In 1920, another attempt to organize an international federation was made at the [[Gothenburg]] Tournament.<ref name="WallFIDEHistory" />

Players made the first attempt to produce rules for world championship matches—in 1922, world champion [[José Raúl Capablanca]] proposed the "London rules": the first player to win six games outright would win the match; playing sessions would be limited to five hours; the time limit would be 40 moves in 2.5 hours each; the champion would be obliged to defend his title within one year of receiving a challenge from a recognized master; the champion would decide the date of the match; the champion was not obliged to accept a challenge for a [[Prize money|purse]] of less than $10,000 ({{Inflation|USD|10000|1922|r=-3|fmt=eq}}); 20% of the purse was to be paid to the title holder, with the remainder being divided, 60 percent to the winner of the match, and 40% to the loser; the highest purse bid must be accepted. [[Alexander Alekhine|Alekhine]], [[Efim Bogoljubow|Bogoljubov]], [[Géza Maróczy|Maróczy]], [[Richard Réti|Réti]], [[Akiba Rubinstein|Rubinstein]], [[Savielly Tartakower|Tartakower]] and [[Milan Vidmar|Vidmar]] promptly signed them.<ref name="chessvilleLondonRules">{{cite web
 |url=http://www.chessville.com/misc/History/Mad_Aussie_Trivia_Archive_Three.htm
 |title=The Mad Aussie's Chess Trivia – Archive No. 3 
 |author=Clayton, G. 
 |url-status=usurped
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516220224/http://www.chessville.com/misc/History/Mad_Aussie_Trivia_Archive_Three.htm 
 |archive-date=May 16, 2008 
 |df=mdy 
}}</ref> The only match played under those rules was Capablanca vs Alekhine in 1927.<ref name="WinterCapablancaVsAlekhine1927">{{cite web
 | title=Capablanca v Alekhine, 1927
 | url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/capablancaalekhine1927.html
 | author=Winter, E.
}}</ref>

In 1922, the Russian master [[Eugene Znosko-Borovsky]], while participating in an international tournament in London, announced that a tournament would be held during the 8th Sports [[Olympic Games]] in Paris in 1924 and would be hosted by the [[French Chess Federation]]. On July 20, 1924, the participants at the Paris tournament founded FIDE as a kind of players' union.<ref name="WallFIDEHistory">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/fide.htm
 | title=FIDE History
 | author=Wall, W.
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028083110/http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/fide.htm|archive-date=October 28, 2009}}</ref><ref name="FIDEHistory">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.fide.com/home/history.asp
 |title        = FIDE History
 |publisher    = FIDE
 |access-date  = January 6, 2023
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080111062831/http://fide.com/home/history.asp
 |archive-date = January 11, 2008
 |url-status     = dead
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref><ref name="Seirawan1998WhoseTitle">{{cite journal
 | title=Whose Title Is it, Anyway?
 | author=[[Yasser Seirawan|Seirawan]], Y.
 | journal=GAMES Magazine
 |date=August 1998
 | url=http://www.edcollins.com/chess/whose-title.htm
}}</ref> In its early years, FIDE had little power, and it was poorly financed.

FIDE's congresses in 1925 and 1926 expressed a desire to become involved in managing the world championship. FIDE was largely happy with the "London Rules", but claimed that the requirement for a purse of $10,000 was impracticable and called upon Capablanca to come to an agreement with the leading masters to revise the Rules.<ref name="WinterChessNotesArchive17">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter17.html
 | title=Chess Notes Archive [17]
 | author=Winter, E.
}}</ref>

FIDE's third congress, in [[Budapest]] in 1926, also decided to organize a [[Chess Olympiad]]. The invitations were, however, late in being sent, with the result that only four countries participated, and the competition was called the Little Olympiad. The winner was [[Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)|Hungary]], followed by [[Yugoslavia]], [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]], and [[Weimar Republic|Germany]]. In 1927, FIDE began organizing the First Chess Olympiad during its 4th Congress in London. The official title of the tournament was the "Tournament of Nations", or "World Team Championship", but "Chess Olympiad" became a more popular title. The event was won by Hungary, with 16 teams competing.<ref name="WallFIDEHistory" />

In 1928, FIDE recognized Bogoljubow as "Champion of FIDE" after he won a match against [[Max Euwe]].<ref name="WinterChessNotesArchive17" /> Alekhine, the reigning world champion, attended part of the 1928 Congress and agreed to place future matches for the world title under the auspices of FIDE, although any match with Capablanca should be under the same conditions as in Buenos Aires, 1927, i.e., including the requirement for a purse of at least $10,000. FIDE accepted this and decided to form a commission to modify the London Rules for future matches, though this commission never met; by the time of the 1929 Congress, a world championship match between Alekhine and Bogoljubow was under way, held neither under the auspices of FIDE nor in accordance with the London Rules.<ref name= "WinterChessNotesArchive17" />

While negotiating his 1937 World Championship re-match with Alekhine, Euwe proposed that if he retained the title, FIDE should manage the nomination of future challengers and the conduct of championship matches. FIDE had been trying since 1935 to introduce rules on how to select challengers, and its various proposals favored selection by some sort of committee. While they were debating procedures in 1937 and Alekhine and Euwe were preparing for their re-match later that year, the [[Dutch Chess Federation]] proposed that a super-tournament (AVRO) of ex-champions and rising stars should be held to select the next challenger. FIDE rejected this proposal and at their second attempt nominated [[Salo Flohr]] as the official challenger. Euwe then declared that: if he retained his title against Alekhine he was prepared to meet Flohr in 1940 but he reserved the right to arrange a title match either in 1938 or 1939 with José Raúl Capablanca, who had lost the title to Alekhine in 1927; if Euwe lost his title to Capablanca then FIDE's decision should be followed and Capablanca would have to play Flohr in 1940. Most chess writers and players strongly supported the Dutch super-tournament proposal and opposed the committee processes favored by FIDE. While this confusion went unresolved: Euwe lost his title to Alekhine; the [[AVRO tournament]] in 1938 was won by [[Paul Keres]] under a tie-breaking rule, with [[Reuben Fine]] placed second and Capablanca and Flohr in the bottom places; and the outbreak of World War II in 1939 cut short the controversy.<ref name="WinterWorldChampionshipDisorder">{{cite web
 | title=World Championship Disorder
 | url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/disorder.html
 | author=Winter, E.
}}</ref><ref name="EndgameAVRO1938">{{cite web
 |title       = AVRO 1938
 |url         = http://www.endgame.nl/AVRO1938.htm
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081020142455/http://www.endgame.nl/AVRO1938.htm
 |archive-date = October 20, 2008
 |df          = mdy-all
}}</ref> Although competitive chess continued in many countries, including some that were under [[Nazi]] occupation, there was no international competition and FIDE was inactive during the war.

===1946 to 1993===

====Birth of the World Championship challenge cycle====
From the time of [[Emanuel Lasker]]'s defeat of [[Wilhelm Steinitz]] in 1894, until 1946, a new World Champion had won the title by defeating the former champion in a match. [[Alexander Alekhine]]'s death created an ''[[Interregnum of World Chess Champions|interregnum]]'' that made the normal procedure impossible. The situation was confused, with many respected players and commentators offering different solutions. FIDE found it difficult to organize the early discussions on how to resolve the ''[[interregnum]]'', because problems with money and travel in the aftermath of World War II prevented many countries from sending representatives, most notably the Soviet Union. The shortage of clear information resulted in otherwise responsible magazines publishing rumors and speculation, which only made the situation more confused.<ref name="Winter2003Interregnum" /> See [[Interregnum of World Chess Champions]] for more details.

This situation was exacerbated by the Soviet Union having long refused to join FIDE, and by this time it was clear that about half the credible contenders were Soviet citizens. The Soviet Union realized, however, it could not afford to be left out of the discussions regarding the vacant world championship, and in 1947 sent a telegram apologizing for the absence of Soviet representatives and requesting that the USSR be represented in future FIDE Committees.<ref name="Winter2003Interregnum" />

The eventual solution was similar to FIDE's initial proposal and to a proposal put forward by the Soviet Union (authored by [[Mikhail Botvinnik]]). The 1938 [[AVRO tournament]] was used as the basis for the [[World Chess Championship 1948|1948 Championship Tournament]]. The AVRO tournament had brought together the eight players who were, by general acclamation, the best players in the world at the time. Two of the participants at AVRO—Alekhine and former world champion Capablanca—had since died; but FIDE decided that the other six participants at AVRO would play a quadruple [[round-robin tournament]]. These players were: [[Max Euwe]] (from The Netherlands); Botvinnik, [[Paul Keres]] and [[Salo Flohr]] (from the Soviet Union); and [[Reuben Fine]] and [[Samuel Reshevsky]] (from the United States). FIDE soon accepted a Soviet request to substitute [[Vasily Smyslov]] for Flohr, and Fine withdrew in order to continue his degree studies in [[psychiatry]], so five players competed, in a quintuple round robin. Botvinnik won, thus becoming world champion, ending the ''interregnum''.<ref name="Winter2003Interregnum">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/interregnum.html
 | title=Interregnum
 | author=Winter, E.
 | date=2003–2004
 | publisher=Chess History Center
}}</ref>

The proposals which led to the 1948 Championship Tournament also specified the procedure by which challengers for the World Championship would be selected in a three-year cycle: countries affiliated with FIDE would send players to Zonal tournaments (the number varied depending on the number of strong players each country had); the players who gained the top places in these would compete in an Interzonal tournament (later split into two, then three tournaments as the number of countries and eligible players increased<ref name="WeeksWorldChampionshipEvents1948to1990">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/wcc-indy.htm
 | title=World Chess Championship FIDE Events 1948–1990
 | author=Weeks, M.
}}</ref>); the highest-placed players from the Interzonal would compete in the [[Candidates Tournament]], along with the loser of the previous title match and the runner-up in the previous Candidates Tournament; and the winner of the Candidates played a title match against the champion.<ref name="Winter2003Interregnum" /> From 1950 until 1962 inclusive, the Candidates Tournament was a multi-round round-robin—how and why it was changed are described below.

====Bobby Fischer controversies====
FIDE found itself embroiled in some controversies relating to the American player [[Bobby Fischer]]. The first controversy took place when Fischer alleged that, at the 1962 [[Candidates Tournament]] in [[Curaçao]], the Soviet players [[Tigran Petrosian]], [[Paul Keres]] and [[Efim Geller]] had pre-arranged draws in their games played amongst themselves, and that [[Viktor Korchnoi]], another Soviet player, had been instructed to lose to them (Fischer had [[World Chess Championship 1963|placed 4th]], well behind Petrosian, Keres and Geller). Grandmaster [[Yuri Averbakh]], a member of the Soviet delegation at the tournament, confirmed in 2002 that Petrosian, Keres and Geller privately agreed to draw their games.<ref name="Kingston2002AverbakhInterview2">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles183.pdf
 | title=Yuri Averbakh, An Interview with History, Part 2
 | author=Kingston, T.
 | publisher=chesscafe.com
 | year=2002
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040330072504/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles183.pdf
 | archive-date=March 30, 2004
 | url-status=live}}</ref> FIDE responded by changing the format of Candidates Tournaments from a multi-round round-robin to a series of elimination matches, initially 10–12 games in duration; however, by the 1970s, the Candidates final would be as long as 24 games.

Then, in 1969, Fischer refused to play in the [[U.S. Chess Championship|U.S. Championship]] because of disagreements about the tournament's format and prize fund. Since that event was being treated as a [[Interzonal|Zonal tournament]], Fischer forfeited his right to compete for the right to challenge World Champion [[Boris Spassky]] in 1972. Grandmaster [[Pal Benko]] agreed to relinquish his qualifying place at the Interzonal in Fischer's favor, and the other participants waived their right to claim the spot. FIDE president Max Euwe interpreted the rules very flexibly to allow Fischer to play in the 1970 Interzonal at [[Palma de Mallorca]], which he won convincingly. Fischer then crushed [[Mark Taimanov]], [[Bent Larsen]] (both 6–0) and Tigran Petrosian in the 1971 Candidates
Tournament and won the title match with Spassky to become world champion.<ref name="Sosonko2001RememberingEuwePart1">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles167.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040727125358/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles167.pdf |archive-date=2004-07-27 |url-status=live
 | title=Remembering Max Euwe Part 1
 | author=[[Gennadi Sosonko]]
 | year=2001
 | publisher=The Chess Cafe
}}</ref>

After winning the world championship, Fischer criticized the existing championship match format (24 games; the champion retained the title if the match was tied) on the grounds that it encouraged whoever got an early lead to play for draws. While this dispute was going on, [[Anatoly Karpov]] won the right to challenge in 1975. Fischer refused to accept any match format other than the one he proposed. Among Fischer's demands was a requirement that the challenger must beat him by at least two games in order to take his title (Fischer proposed a match format in which the first player to win 10 games wins, with draws not counting, but if the result is 9–9 it is considered a tie). The FIDE argued that it was unfair for a challenger to be able to beat the world champion, yet not take his title. Fischer would not back down, and eventually FIDE awarded the title to Karpov by default.<ref name="WeeksFischerForfeitsToKarpov">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/7375$wix.htm
 |title=World Chess Championship 1975 – Fischer forfeits to Karpov
 | author=Weeks, M.
 | publisher=Mark Weeks
}}</ref> Some commentators have questioned whether FIDE president Max Euwe did as much as he could have to prevent Fischer from forfeiting his world title.<ref name="Sosonko2001RememberingEuwePart1" />

====Other 1970s controversies====
FIDE had a number of conflicts with the [[Soviet Chess Federation]]. These conflicts included:<ref name="Sosonko2001RememberingEuwePart1" />
* The defection of grandmaster [[Gennadi Sosonko]] in 1972. The Soviets demanded that Sosonko be excluded from competitive chess, television or any other event that might publicize his defection. FIDE refused, and no Soviet players took part in the 1974 [[Wijk aan Zee]] tournament in The Netherlands because Sosonko was playing in it.
* In 1976 world championship contender [[Viktor Korchnoi]] sought [[political asylum]] in The Netherlands. In a discussion a few days earlier Euwe told Korchnoi, "...of course you will retain all your rights..." and later opposed Soviet efforts to prevent Korchnoi from challenging for [[Anatoly Karpov]]'s title in 1978.
* FIDE decided to hold the 1976 [[Chess Olympiad]] in Israel despite the Soviet Chess Federation announced its boycott of Israel as the site of the Olympiad and the congress because of what it described as Israeli aggression against Arab states.

====Rapid expansion of membership====
During his period as president of FIDE (1970–1978) Max Euwe strove to increase the number of member countries, and [[Florencio Campomanes]] (president 1982–1995) continued this policy, with each member nation receiving one vote. Former world champion Anatoly Karpov later said this was a mixed blessing, as the inclusion of so many small, poor countries led to a "leadership vacuum at the head of the world of chess......"<ref name="Sosonko2001RememberingEuwePart1" /><ref name="AbundoCampomanesLegacy" /> [[Yuri Averbakh]] said the presence of so many weak countries made it easy to manipulate decisions.<ref name="KingstonAverbakhInterview2">{{cite web | url=http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles183.pdf |title=Yuri Averbakh: An Interview with History – Part 2 | author=Kingston, T. | year=2002 | publisher=ChessCafe | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040330072504/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skittles183.pdf | archive-date=March 30, 2004 | url-status=live }}</ref>

====World Championship, 1983–1985====
The events leading to [[Garry Kasparov]]'s winning the world championship involved FIDE in two controversies. While arranging the [[Candidates Tournament]] semi-final matches to be played in 1983, FIDE accepted bids to host Kasparov versus [[Victor Korchnoi]] in [[Pasadena, California]]. The Soviet Union refused to accept this, either because it feared Kasparov would [[Defection|defect]] or because it thought Kasparov was the greater threat to reigning champion Anatoly Karpov. Their refusal would have meant that Kasparov forfeited his chance of challenging for the title. FIDE president [[Florencio Campomanes]] negotiated with the Soviet Union, and the match was played in London.<ref name="AbundoCampomanesLegacy">{{cite web
 | url=http://old.fide.com/news/download/campolegacy.doc
 | title=Campo's Legacy to World Chess
 | author=Abundo, C.
 | publisher=FIDE
}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes1983CrisisLooming">{{cite news
 | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806E7DB1E39F935A3575BC0A965948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
 | title= A crisis is looming in chess world
 | date=August 6, 1983
 | author=Burns, J.F.
 | newspaper=New York Times
}}</ref>

In the 1984 world championship match between Karpov and Kasparov the winner was to be the first to win six games. In the first 27 games Karpov gained a 5–0 lead but by the end of the 48th Kasparov had reduced this to 5–3.<ref name="weeksKarpovKasparov1984">{{cite web
 | url=http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/82841wix.htm
 | title=1984 Karpov – Kasparov Title Match
 | author=Weeks, M.
}}</ref> At this point the match had lasted for 159 days (from September 1984 to February 1985). Then the match was ended without result by Florencio Campomanes, the President of the World Chess Federation, and a new match was announced to start a few months later. The termination was controversial, as both players stated that they preferred the match to continue.<ref>Edward Winter, [http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/termination.html The Termination] (1988, updated in 2006, 2007 and 2008). Retrieved on 2008-12-27.</ref> Announcing his decision at a press conference, Campomanes cited the health of the players, which had been strained by the length of the match. Kasparov won the second match and became world champion.<ref name="AbundoCampomanesLegacy" /><ref name="timesonline2007WhiteKnight">{{cite news
 | url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/white-knight-who-brought-down-the-red-king-kfj0bhknzkv
 | title=White knight who brought down the Red king
 | date=November 6, 2007
 | newspaper=[[The Times]]
 | location=London
| first=Daniel
| last=Johnson
| access-date=2010-05-02}}</ref><ref name="aboutWorldChampionship1948to1990">{{cite web
 |url         = http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06c11.htm
 |title       = FIDE World Chess Championship 1948–1990
 |author      = Week, M.
 |publisher   = about.com
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080720005910/http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06c11.htm
 |archive-date = July 20, 2008
 |df          = mdy
}} Also available on [https://web.archive.org/web/20210508203020/https://www.fide.com/news.asp?id=1268 FIDE's Web site]</ref>
<!--
http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06i09.htm The Saga of Chess Unification (1994–2006)
-->

===1993 to 2018===

====World Championship divided, 1993–2006====
{{Unbalanced|section|date=November 2020}}

In 1992, [[Nigel Short]] emerged as the official challenger for Kasparov's world title after winning the [[Candidates Tournament]]. FIDE promptly accepted a bid from Manchester, England, to host the 1993 title match, but without consulting Short, as its rules required; Short was traveling to Greece at the time. Upon learning of this, Short reached out to Kasparov, who had harbored distrust for FIDE and its president, [[Florencio Campomanes]], since the abrupt end of his 1984 title match against Anatoly Karpov. Kasparov and Short concluded that FIDE had not secured the best financial deal for them and announced their decision to play under a new organization, the [[Professional Chess Association]] (PCA). In response, FIDE stripped Kasparov of his title, removed both Kasparov and Short from the official rating list, and announced a title match between Karpov and [[Jan Timman]], whom Short had defeated in the Candidates Tournament. Both Kasparov and Karpov won their respective matches, both claiming the title of world champion.<ref name="aboutchessSchism1993to1996">{{cite web | url= http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06d08.htm | title= The Schism: Two World Chess Champions (1993–1996) | last= Weeks | first= M | publisher= About.com | access-date= January 9, 2008 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060412133658/http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06d08.htm | archive-date= April 12, 2006 | url-status= dead | df= mdy-all }}</ref>

By 1994, Kasparov realized that separating from FIDE had been a mistake, as the split in the world championship was unpopular among commercial sponsors and most grandmasters.<ref name = "chessbase2005KasparovInterviewPart2">{{cite web | url= http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2326 | title=The Garry Kasparov Interview, Part 2 | author-link = Mig Greengard | last = Greengard | first = Mig | date=April 14, 2005 | publisher = Chess base}}</ref> He began efforts to mend relations with FIDE and supported Campomanes's re-election bid as FIDE president. However, many FIDE delegates viewed Campomanes as corrupt, and he agreed to resign in 1995, provided his successor was [[Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]], the president of the [[Republic of Kalmykia]].<ref name="aboutChessUnification 1994to2006">{{cite web | publisher = About.com | url = http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06i09.htm | title = The Saga of Chess Unification (1994–2006) | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071211202255/http://chess.about.com/od/worldchampionship/p/aa06i09.htm | archive-date = December 11, 2007 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

Several attempts to reunify the world championship in the following years failed for various reasons, including financial constraints and Kasparov's opposition to any plan requiring him to play in a qualifying series. In 2000, [[Vladimir Kramnik]] defeated Kasparov in a match for the now-renamed Braingames World Chess Championship, as the PCA had dissolved by then. Kramnik, like Kasparov, was unwilling to play in a qualifying series and strongly objected to FIDE's attempt to decide the world championship through annual knockout tournaments and to shorten game time limits.<ref name = "aboutChessUnification 1994to2006" /><ref name="kramnik2005CivilizedDialogue">{{cite web | url = http://www.kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=35 | title = Vladimir Kramnik: "I am ready for a civilized dialogue with FIDE" | last = Vasiliev | first = Y | publisher = [[Vladimir Kramnik]] | date = November 14, 2004 | access-date = January 9, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071015125720/http://kramnik.com/eng/interviews/getinterview.aspx?id=35 | archive-date = October 15, 2007 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

In 2006, a reunification match was held between Kramnik and [[Veselin Topalov]], which Kramnik won amidst a controversy that resulted in one game being awarded to Topalov.<ref name = "aboutChessUnification 1994to2006" /><ref name = "chessgames2006Toiletgate">{{cite web | url = http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=52037 | title=Kramnik vs Topalov, 2006 – Toiletgate in Elista | publisher= Chess games}}</ref> However, the split in the world title had lingering effects, as evidenced by FIDE's complex regulations for the 2007-2009 world championship cycle. FIDE decided to grant Topalov a "fast track" entry into the 2007-2009 cycle due to his inability to compete in the [[World Chess Championship 2007|2007 World Chess Championship Tournament]]. Additionally, FIDE decided that if Kramnik did not win the 2007 championship tournament, he would play a championship match in 2008 against the winner. This provision came into effect when [[Viswanathan Anand]] won the tournament and became the world champion.

====IOC recognition====
In 1999, FIDE was recognised by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC). Two years later, it introduced the IOC's anti-drugs rules to chess, as part of its campaign for chess to become part of the [[Olympic Games]].<ref name="Hindu2001IOCMedicalCode">{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/07/stories/07070206.htm
 |title        = FIDE to adopt IOC Medical Code
 |date         = August 7, 2001
 |work         = The Hindu
 |access-date  = November 30, 2018
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110711170831/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/08/07/stories/07070206.htm
 |archive-date = July 11, 2011
 |url-status     = usurped
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref>
<!-- The greatest controversy came in 1993, when reigning champion Kasparov and challenger [[Nigel Short]] (who had qualified through the FIDE system) broke away from FIDE to play their 1993 match under the auspices of the newly formed [[Professional Chess Association]] (PCA). This caused a 13-year split in the world title. During the split, FIDE for a time (1998–2004) ran its championships as a single knock-out tournament with games under quicker time controls, a change which proved controversial. Another controversy was holding the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2004|2004 Tournament]] in Libya. From 2002 to 2005 FIDE failed to organize matches for the 2002 "Prague Agreement" to re-unite the world title, until the world title was finally re-unified by the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2006|2006 Kramnik–Topalov match]].

As of 2007, the format of the World Championship looks set to change again, and has again been the subject of criticism from the [[Association of Chess Professionals]] (ACP) as well as individual players.

In 1999, FIDE was recognised by the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC). Two years later, it introduced the IOC's anti-drugs rules to chess. FIDE has stated that it would like chess to become part of the [[Olympic Games]].  Cognitive enhancement is now a real concern in chess competitions.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hamblin|first1=James|title=On Cognitive Doping in Chess (and Life)|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/cognitive-enhancement-paradox/519948/|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[The Atlantic]]|date=21 March 2017}}</ref>

On June 2, 2006 [[delegate]]s from more than 150 national chess federations cast their ballots in [[Turin]], Italy, to elect the president of FIDE. The result was a clear victory for the incumbent president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, who collected 96 votes, compared to 54 for his challenger [[Bessel Kok]].
-->

====Commercial agreement with Agon and World Chess==== <!-- [[World Chess]] redirects here -->

In 2012 FIDE entered into a commercial agreement, initially planned to last until 2021, with the company Agon Limited. This company was given rights to organize and commercially exploit the [[World Chess Championship]] and the associated events in the World Championship cycle.<ref name="fide-contract">{{cite web| url = https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2012/Congress/Annex_11_-_Agreement_between_FIDE_and_Agon.pdf| title = FIDE–Agon Agreement, Annex 11, FIDE General Assembly 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160420203603/https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2012/Congress/Annex_11_-_Agreement_between_FIDE_and_Agon.pdf| archive-date = April 20, 2016 | url-status = live}}</ref> The first tournament it organized was the London [[FIDE Grand Prix 2012–13|FIDE Grand Prix]] event in September 2012,<ref name="interview">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/an-interview-with-ilya-merenzon-organizer-of-anand-carlsen-4530|title=An Interview With Ilya Merenzon, Organizer of Carlsen-Anand|first=Peter|last=Doggers (PeterDoggers)|website=Chess.com|date=December 2014 }}</ref> followed by the London [[Candidates Tournament]] in March 2013,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chennai2013.fide.com/anand-carlsen-chennai-2013/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926064532/http://chennai2013.fide.com/anand-carlsen-chennai-2013/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 26, 2013|title=» Anand – Carlsen, Chennai 2013|website=chennai2013.fide.com}}</ref> and the Chennai [[World Chess Championship]] in November 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/7045-world-championship-match-press-release.html|title=International Chess Federation – FIDE|website=www.fide.com|access-date=January 10, 2020|archive-date=September 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906234741/https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/7045-world-championship-match-press-release.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Agon subsequently organized the four events in the [[FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/FIDE_GP_Regulations_2014_2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912013630/http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/FIDE_GP_Regulations_2014_2015.pdf |archive-date=2014-09-12 |url-status=live|title=FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15 Regulations}}</ref> the [[Candidates Tournament]] in 2014,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/regscandidates2014.pdf |title = 2014 Candidates Regulations, Section 4.8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023222840/http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/regscandidates2014.pdf |archive-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[World Chess Championship]] in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/organizers |title=Sochi 2014 Organizers |access-date=November 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208232107/http://www.sochi2014.fide.com/organizers |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Agon had been founded in 2012 in [[Jersey]] by [[Andrew Paulson]] as the sole shareholder.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/2012/2014/Agoncorporaterecords.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801105647/http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/2012/2014/Agoncorporaterecords.pdf |archive-date=2014-08-01 |url-status=live|title=Agon Corporate Records}}</ref> On February 20, 2012, an agreement between Agon and FIDE was made, subject to approval by the 2012 FIDE General Assembly.<ref name="fide-contract"/> This approval was forthcoming in September 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2012/Congress/Minutes_of_FIDE_General_Assembly_2012.pdf|title=Minutes of 2012 FIDE General Assembly, Section 4.3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623130645/https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2012/Congress/Minutes_of_FIDE_General_Assembly_2012.pdf|archive-date=June 23, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2014, Agon was sold to its current CEO [[Ilya Merenzon]] for the sum of one pound.<ref name="interview" /> At the September 2016 FIDE General Assembly, it was resolved that Agon should institute a corporate presence in a locale with more transparency. Merenzon said that they would register in the United Kingdom within a few months.<ref>[https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2016/FIDE_News/GA_Agenda_2016/2016_General_Assembly_Minutes_Baku.pdf 2016 FIDE General Assembly Minutes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714134208/https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2016/FIDE_News/GA_Agenda_2016/2016_General_Assembly_Minutes_Baku.pdf |date=July 14, 2017 }} Section 4.2, page 19</ref> As a result, a new company, World Chess Limited, was registered shortly after, replacing Agon as the rights holder in the agreement with FIDE.

====FIDE and Agon/World Chess contract controversy====

[[Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]] was happy with the agreement on the basis that now FIDE itself did not have to expend resources to find organizers for its premier events. The issue of financial guarantees was also important, though as explained below, these have not always materialized. His estimation of 10–12 million euros to FIDE from the coming cycles has not yet come to fruition either.<ref>[http://www.sport-express.ru/newspaper/2012-02-20/15_1/ Ilyumzhinov interview] (SportExpress)</ref><ref>[http://www.chessintranslation.com/2012/02/ilyumzhinov-on-the-london-candidates-and-grand-prix English Translation of Ilyumzhinov interview] (Chess In Translation)</ref>

The condition that Agon would be the sole organizer of Championship events was disputed originally by principally the Bulgarian Chess Federation, with respect to the Candidates matches for 2012.<ref name="2012ga">[https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2012/Congress/Minutes_of_FIDE_General_Assembly_2012.pdf Minutes 2012 FIDE General Assembly] Section 4.3 (page 18)</ref> In early 2014, a purported agreement between Paulson and FIDE President [[Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]] was leaked, and then published by Chess.com (and others), which allegedly indicated that Paulson was simply a front man with Ilyumzhinov the ultimate benefactor of Agon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/deal-between-paulson--ilymzhinov-revealed-in-yet-another-leaked-document-6252|title=Leaked Agreement Between Ilyumzhinov & Paulson Suggests Conflict of Interest|first=Peter|last=Doggers (PeterDoggers)|website=Chess.com|date=January 30, 2014 }}</ref> In that Chess.com article [[Malcolm Pein]] is quoted as having twice been told by Paulson that Ilyuzmhinov owned Agon, and in a ''New In Chess'' article [[Nigel Short]] asserted he had also been told this personally by Paulson.<ref>[https://issuu.com/newinchess/docs/newinchess_2014_2_short_stories_ago Short Stories (Agony)] Nigel Short, New In Chess 2014 #2, page 43]</ref> In response, FIDE's deputy vice president [[Georgios Makropoulos]] pointed out that the purported contract was a draft document.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/7713-the-truth-about-the-fide-agon-contract.html|title=International Chess Federation – FIDE|website=www.fide.com|access-date=November 28, 2015|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208133836/https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/7713-the-truth-about-the-fide-agon-contract.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The FIDE Ethics Commission ruled in September 2015 that Ilyumzhinov did not violate the FIDE Code of Ethics.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2015/FIDE_News/2015_EB_Agenda__Annexes/Annex_52.pdf| title = 2015 FIDE Ethics Commission report, case 7/2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170714130636/https://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS_2015/FIDE_News/2015_EB_Agenda__Annexes/Annex_52.pdf| archive-date = July 14, 2017| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ethics.fide.com/images/stories/Ethics_Decision_case_7_2014.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190623130601/http://ethics.fide.com/images/stories/Ethics_Decision_case_7_2014.pdf |archive-date=2019-06-23 |url-status=live|title=FIDE Ethics decision, case 7/2014}}</ref>

===2018 to present===
====Election of Arkady Dvorkovich and the end of the Ilyumzhinov era====

In July 2018, [[Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]] was ousted as FIDE President, after having been in office for 23 years, since 1995. Being subjected to US sanctions for his business dealings with the Syrian government, Ilyumzhinov was forced out and did not run for re-election in the 2018 FIDE elections. The Greek Georgios Makropoulos, who had been General Secretary since 1990 and number two in the organization under Kirsan's presidency, was the first to announce his ticket. He was followed by the Englishman [[Nigel Short]], a world title contender in the [[World Chess Championship 1993]] against [[Garry Kasparov]]. The last to announce his candidacy was [[Arkady Dvorkovich]], an economist who had served as Russian deputy prime minister and was also a member of the supervisory board of the [[Russian Chess Federation]]. Dvorkovich was also one of the chief organizers of the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]]. Dvorkovich was placed in the US Treasury pre-sanctions list in 2018 as a top Russian government employee.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Arkady Dvorkovich in the pre-sanctions list of the US Treasury: New problems for FIDE? {{!}} Chessdom|date=July 26, 2018 |url=http://www.chessdom.com/arkady-dvorkovich-in-the-pre-sanctions-list-of-the-us-treasury-new-problems-for-fide/|access-date=2020-08-02|language=en-US}}</ref>

In the elections, held in [[Batumi]] (Georgia) in October 2018, Dvorkovich won by 103 votes to 78<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/breaking-dvorkovich-elected-fide-president|title=Dvorkovich Elected FIDE President|first=Peter|last=Doggers (PeterDoggers)|website=Chess.com|date=October 4, 2018 }}</ref> against Makropoulos, after [[Nigel Short]] withdrew his candidacy at the last minute and expressed his support to the Russian candidate.

After the 2018 FIDE elections and the appointment of a new FIDE President, the new management took regaining control over the World Championship cycle as one of their top priorities. In January 2019, FIDE Director-General [[Emil Sutovsky]] announced that a new contract has been signed that continues a scaled-back relationship with World Chess (formerly known as AGON) through 2021. In virtue of this new agreement, FIDE reasserted control over the 2020 Candidates and the World Championship match, which from now on will undergo an open bidding procedure. Agon/World Chess only retained organizational and commercial rights over the FIDE Grand Prix Series, limited until 2021.

At FIDE's general assembly in [[Chennai]], India, in August 2022 Dvorkovich got re-elected by 157 votes to 16 against Ukraine's [[Andrey Baryshpolets|Andrii Baryshpolets]].<ref name="Reuters2022Russian">{{cite news
| author       =<!--not stated-->
| title        = Russian former deputy PM Dvorkovich re-elected chess federation president
| url          = https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/chess-russian-former-deputy-pm-dvorkovich-re-elected-fide-president-2022-08-07/
| work       = Reuters
| date         = 2022-08-07 
| access-date  = 2022-09-02
}}</ref>

====Reactions to the Russian invasion of Ukraine====
On February 27, 2022, FIDE issued an official statement condemning the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian invasion of Ukraine]]. As a consequence, Russia and Belarus were forbidden from hosting official FIDE events. The decision to hold the [[44th Chess Olympiad|2022 Chess Olympiad]] and the 2022 FIDE congress in Moscow was also revoked.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/21/sergey-karjakin-banned-chess-fide-russia-invasion-ukraine|title=Russia's Sergey Karjakin banned from chess for supporting invasion of Ukraine|website=theguardian.com|date=2022-03-21}}</ref> The Russian and Belarusian national teams were banned from participating in FIDE tournaments, although individual players could compete if they complied with strict regulations, in which case their federation and flag was replaced with FIDE and its banner.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-belarus-chess-ban/31756039.html|title=Chess Federation Bans Russia, Belarus From Tournaments Over Ukraine Invasion|website=rferl.org |date=2022-03-16}}</ref>

On March 22, 2022, FIDE decided to issue a six-month ban from competing in rated tournaments against Russian grandmaster [[Sergey Karjakin]]. Karjakin had posted controversial statements on [[Twitter]] in which he declared his support for the invasion of Ukraine and for President [[Vladimir Putin]]'s characterization of the war as a fight against Nazism. FIDE argued that Karjakin's statements had shed a negative light on chess and on the federation and found that he had violated the FIDE code of ethics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/dwcom-en-checkmate-russias-war-on-ukraine-fractures-tight-knit-world-of-chess-a-61158979/a-61212688#:~:text=FIDE's%20executive%20council%20met%20on,it%20had%20not%20been%20moved.|title=Russian chessmaster banned by world chess federation over support for Ukraine invasion|first=Kyle |last=McKinnon |website=dw.com |date=2022-03-22}}</ref> [[Sergei Shipov]], who also publicly commented in favor of Russia, was not sanctioned, because FIDE decided that his statements were less provocative.<ref name="theguardian.com"/>

==== Policy on transgender players ====

In August 2023, FIDE ruled that transgender women would be excluded from women's tournaments organised by them, such as the [[Women's World Chess Championship]], the [[Women's Chess World Cup]], and qualification events for these. Additionally, they implemented rules stripping transgender men of any [[FIDE titles#Women's titles|women's titles]] they might have earned while competing as women.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/trans-gender-chess-players-lose-titles-biological-birth-jhfdckm0c |title=Trans women banned from top level female chess |work=The Times UK | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213171152/https://www.thetimes.com/world/article/trans-gender-chess-players-lose-titles-biological-birth-jhfdckm0c?region=global|archive-date=13 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.themarysue.com/transgender-chess-fide-transphobia/ |work=The Mary Sue |title=Oh Great, Now I Can't Play Chess Because I'm Trans|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213171320/https://www.themarysue.com/transgender-chess-fide-transphobia/|archive-date=13 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=B. Permanent Commissions / 03. Regulations on Registration & Licensing of Players / Transgender Registration Regulations / FIDE Handbook |url=https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/TransgenderRegulations |website=International Chess Federation (FIDE) |access-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122224709/https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/TransgenderRegulations |archive-date=22 January 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The regulation affects those who changed their gender identity after being assigned a FIDE identification number.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Moses |first1=Claire |last2=McCarthy |first2=Lauren |date=August 17, 2023 |title=Some Transgender Women May Be Barred From Women's Chess Competitions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/sports/chess-transgender-women-ban-fide.html |work=The New York Times | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926184852/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/sports/chess-transgender-women-ban-fide.html|archive-date=26 September 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[French Chess Federation]] announced that they would not implement any restrictions on transgender players, considering the FIDE decision transphobic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Femmes trans exclues des compétitions d'échec féminines : «En France nous n'allons pas suivre la décision de la fédération internationale» |url=https://www.liberation.fr/sports/femmes-trans-exclues-des-competitions-dechec-feminines-en-france-nous-nallons-pas-suivre-la-decision-de-la-federation-internationale-20230818_O55VKALM7RAUFHET73QVYAMKEI/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Libération |language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213171246/https://www.liberation.fr/sports/femmes-trans-exclues-des-competitions-dechec-feminines-en-france-nous-nallons-pas-suivre-la-decision-de-la-federation-internationale-20230818_O55VKALM7RAUFHET73QVYAMKEI/|archive-date=13 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> A little later, the [[German Chess Federation]] said in a statement that they do not exclude transgender women from women's tournaments, and made reference to [[Annemarie Sylvia Meier]], a transgender woman who won the 2003 [[German Chess Championship#Women|German Women's Chess Championship]]. They also said that no one should have to experience violence and discrimination.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement of the German Chess Federation on the "@FIDE_chess Policy on Transgender Chess Players Registration" |url=https://twitter.com/Schachbund/status/1692480523954790481 |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Twitter |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230818112249/https://twitter.com/Schachbund/status/1692480523954790481 |archive-date=18 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Similar statements were also released by the English, Finnish and US chess federations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baska |first1=Maggie |title=English Chess Federation 'will not exclude trans women' despite international ban |date=August 20, 2023 |url=https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/08/20/english-chess-federation-fide-trans-women-policy/ |publisher=Pink News |access-date=21 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241213171314/https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/08/20/english-chess-federation-fide-trans-women-policy/|archive-date=13 December 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the announcement, French transgender player [[Yosha Iglesias]] has competed as a woman and been awarded the [[Woman International Master]] title.

==FIDE presidents==
* 1924–1939 {{flagicon|NED}} [[Alexander Rueb]]
* 1939–1946 {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Augusto de Muro|Augusto De Muro]]<ref>{{cite web
|url=https://www.fide.com/news/2359
|title=1st FIDE Council Meeting 2023: List of decisions
|access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref>
* 1946–1949 {{flagicon|NED}} [[Alexander Rueb]]
* 1949–1970 {{flagicon|SWE}} [[Folke Rogard]]
* 1970–1978 {{flagicon|NED}} [[Max Euwe]]
* 1978–1982 {{flagicon|ISL}} [[Friðrik Ólafsson]]
* 1982–1995 {{flagicon|PHI}} [[Florencio Campomanes]]
* 1995–2018 {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Kirsan Ilyumzhinov]]
* 2018–present {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Arkady Dvorkovich]]

==Publications==
*{{Cite book
|last1=Kazic|first1=Bozidar
|last2=Keene|first2=Raymond|author-link2=Raymond Keene
|last3=Lim|first3=Kok Ann
|year=1985
|title=The Official Laws of Chess
|publisher=Batsford
|isbn= 0-7134-4802-4
}}
*{{Cite book
|last=FIDE
|year=2000
|edition=2nd
|title=The Official Laws of Chess
|publisher=Macmillan
|isbn= 0-02-028540-X
}}

==See also==
{{portal|Chess}}

* [[FIDE Online Arena]]
* [[Chess around the world]]
* [[FIDE World Rankings]]
* [[International Correspondence Chess Federation]]
* [[List of FIDE chess world number ones]]
* [[FIDE titles]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website}}
*[https://chessarena.com/ Official Online Platform: Fide Online Arena]
*[http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/fideprehistory.html "FIDE: The Prehistory" by Edward Winter]
*[http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/fidehistory.html "Chess: The History of FIDE" by Edward Winter]

{{World Chess Championships}}
{{Women's World Chess Championships}}
{{FIDE Grand Prix series}}
{{Chess World Cups}}
{{Chess}}
{{National members of the World Chess Federation}}
{{International Sports Federations}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:FIDE| ]]
[[Category:Chess in France]]
[[Category:Chess governing bodies]]
[[Category:1924 in chess]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1924]]
[[Category:Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations]]