"Chess is something magic": An interview with Timur Turlov

by ChessBase
9/24/2026 – Timur Turlov is an entrepreneur, president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and a candidate for the FIDE presidency. But how did he get into chess? In a conversation with Johannes Fischer at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Turlov talks about how his grandfather taught him the game, how his six children rekindled his enthusiasm for chess, why chess helps him in his work as an entrepreneur, and why he supports the game.
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In the interview, Turlov also reveals how chess taught him why it is important to get enough sleep, and how useful it is to think through an opponent’s possible reactions in advance.

He also talks about his commitment to chess in Kazakhstan, his encounters with top players, the chess player he admires most, and the moment he is particularly proud of as a supporter of chess.

Chapters

0:00

Introduction

0:40

First chess lessons from his grandfather

1:31

Timur Turlov – born in Moscow, back to Kazakhstan in 2011

2:44

Beating the computer as a kid

3:45

Why grandmasters were heroes in the Soviet Union

5:29

How his children brought him back to chess

6:15

Chess as family time with six kids

7:21

Chess vs. smartphones: training concentration

7:48

From supporting a chess club to federation president

8:39

Taking lessons from his kids' trainer

10:05

Can chess make you better at business?

10:43

The biggest lesson: sleep, stress and decision-making

12:41

Thinking in scenarios, like in chess

14:28

From "bullet" decisions to preparation

15:26

Sponsoring the Women's Grand Prix in Astana

16:28

Meeting Alexandra Kosteniuk

16:56

"Never meet your heroes"?

18:24

His chess idol: Vishy Anand

19:14

His most special moment in chess

20:19

Kazakhstan: a young, tech-optimistic chess nation

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Topics: Chess Olympiad 2026, Timur Turlov
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