Freedom Holding Corp. backs World Championship Match as general partner

by Press release
9/20/2026 – Freedom Holding Corp. has been named General Partner of the 2026 FIDE World Championship Match, which will see Gukesh Dommaraju defend his title against Javokhir Sindarov in Switzerland from 22 November to 12 December. The 14-game match will open at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Both players will be 20 at the start, making this the youngest World Championship contest since the title match tradition began in 1886.
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Press release by FIDE

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC) announced that Freedom has become the General Partner of the Salesforce FIDE World Championship Match 2026.

The match will take place from 22 November to 12 December in Switzerland. The opening ceremony will be held on 22 November at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju of India defends his title against Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan over 14 classical games. Both players will be twenty at the start of the match, the youngest title contest since the competition began in 1886.

Freedom has been a strategic partner of FIDE since 2023. The group is a regular sponsor of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships and was the title sponsor of the 2024 FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship in New York. Under the 2026 cooperation agreement, Freedom also funds FIDE tournaments, training centres, school programmes and talent scouting across all continents. The World Championship extends that partnership to the sport's defining event.

The championship sponsorship reflects how Freedom approaches the game: as a system to be built over years, from the classroom to the championship board.

"The World Championship decides who is first. There is nothing bigger in chess", said Timur Turlov, founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, and head of the International School Chess Federation, the regulating body for chess in education. "Freedom has worked with FIDE for three years, and this is the natural next step, not a logo on a stage. Chess and finance are the same discipline: you calculate, you decide under uncertainty, you refuse the obvious move, and you plan far ahead. We invest in chess on that horizon", he added.

"Freedom has committed to chess seriously, over years and at every level of the game", said Viswanathan Anand, five-time World Champion and FIDE Interim President. "To have them behind a World Championship contested by two twenty-year-olds is fitting. This company understands chess is a long game, and this match is its future".

"The World Championship is the pinnacle of chess", said Emil Sutovsky, CEO of FIDE. "It is the event that decides who stands first. We are proud to have support of Freedom - a company that champions smart solutions and has a long-term vision, calculating moves ahead much like top chess players".

About Freedom Holding Corp.

Freedom Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: FRHC) is a U.S.-listed diversified financial and technology group headquartered in Kazakhstan, operating brokerage, banking, insurance, telecommunications and lifestyle services in more than twenty countries. A strategic partner of FIDE since 2023, Freedom treats chess as a long-horizon cultural and educational investment.

About FIDE

The International Chess Federation (FIDE), founded in 1924 and headquartered in Switzerland, is the governing body of world chess and organiser of the World Championship cycle.

Media contacts:
Freedom Holding Corp. Media | media@freedomholdingcorp.com
FIDE Press Office | press@fide.com

In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

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