Chess-Presidential candidate Buettner pitches outsider shake-up, promises to leave politics out of FIDE

BENGALURU, Sept 23 - FIDE presidential candidate Jan Henric Buettner says his lack of traditional chess credentials is not a weakness but an asset, with the German entrepreneur betting that his business experience can modernise the world governing body.

Buettner, co-founder of the Freestyle Chess series backed by world number one Magnus Carlsen, is challenging Kazakh businessman Timur Turlov and German entrepreneur Wadim Rosenstein in the September 26 election at FIDE's General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The election was thrown open after longtime FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich suspended the exercise of his duties in July after being included in a European Union sanctions package.

While critics have questioned whether he has the credentials to run a 204-member global federation, Buettner said his role would be centred on commercial growth, governance and organisational reform rather than the sport's competitive structure.

"It is actually good that I don't have a chess history. I come from an outside perspective and I have a business background," Buettner told Reuters.

Buettner said British International Master Malcolm Pein, his running mate, would provide expertise on chess matters as part of a leadership structure that delegates responsibilities rather than concentrating power in the president's office.

Under his proposed model, FIDE would adopt a corporate-style structure led by a management board overseeing finance, marketing, development, events and ethics.

"We're going to have a very lean management structure," he said.

"We have to identify the great people working at FIDE, nurture them and see where positions have been given because of political favours."

Buettner said greater transparency and accountability would be central to his administration and argued that his experience building businesses across several industries made him best placed to lead FIDE's commercial growth.

CLASSICAL CHESS 'THE PINNACLE'

Buettner's candidacy comes after a turbulent period in relations between FIDE and Freestyle Chess, the Fischer Random-based circuit he helped establish with Carlsen.

He rejected suggestions that alternative formats should replace the traditional game, saying the classical world championship must remain the sport's premier title.

"One hundred percent classical chess, the world championship is the pinnacle of the sport and it has to be even more put out as the best thing and the marquee achievement that you can do as a chess player," he said.

At the same time, he believes formats such as freestyle chess, rapid and blitz can help attract new audiences and broaden the sport's appeal.

Asked about potential conflicts of interest, Buettner said he had relinquished his executive and operational role with Freestyle Chess, retaining only a minority shareholding, and would recuse himself from any matter where a conflict could arise.

On one of the most sensitive issues facing international sport, Russia's war in Ukraine, Buettner said FIDE should avoid becoming entangled in geopolitical debates and instead follow legal and sporting rulings.

"We're going to follow the law and we're going to follow court decisions, and that's it," he said.

Buettner also criticised administrative problems surrounding visa approvals for delegates travelling to Samarkand, saying such instances could undermine confidence in FIDE's governance. REUTERS