Try ChessReps and start learning chess openings from the best: https://www.chessreps.com/ My guest today is Timur Turlov — a billionaire entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and the International School Chess Federation, and now a candidate for FIDE president. We discuss what a FIDE president should be, why every candidate must be willing to answer hard questions, and how Timur is campaigning for the job. He explains how chess can reach a much wider audience, rival tennis commercially, and attract investment from major global brands. We also talk about the other candidates in the race, including one whom Timur addresses directly. On a more personal note, we discuss his love of fantasy books and what it feels like to be the hero of your own story. And of course, we finish with a blitz game: this time, I get one minute and Timur gets five. Don’t miss it! Support me on Patreon: https://patreon.com/mustreader My DISCORD server: https://discord.gg/QYX5VcpTBP My X: https://x.com/mustreader My channel with podcast highlights: https://www.youtube.com/@CwMClips My chess.com club: https://go.chess.com/MustreaderClub Collabs: mazdrid@gmail.com Timur's X: https://x.com/TurlovforChess My podcast Jan Henric Buettner: https://youtu.be/rimjT4Pj3jY My podcast with Vishy Anand: https://youtu.be/ZqHu5seKDrc Many thanks to my Patreon supporter: Sarterus 00:00 — Intro 00:54 — Timur vs his kids 02:26 — Business during the FIDE race 07:03 — FIDE presidential campaign 11:31 — Competition in the FIDE election 13:33 — How should chess change? 18:10 — Can chess rival tennis? 24:07 — Why brands should sponsor chess 27:15 — The debate incident 29:17 — “Wadim, come debate!” 30:11 — Is Timur a fantasy hero? 36:18 — Timur’s book recommendation 36:53 — Chess = decision-making test 39:36 — Blitz vs Timur My name is Greg Mustreader, I am a Candidate Master in chess, an entrepreneur and host of several podcasts. On the Chess with Mustreader channel, I interview top chess players, play against chess AIs, analyze the most interesting chess games and combinations of today and of the past, as well as show you my path in chess and the way I work on my chess improvement (including recaps from the tournaments I play). I live in Almaty, Kazakhstan and travel the world extensively (been to 50 countries). I'm 33 years old, I’m married, and I have three dogs and four cats. I speak English, Russian, German, and a bit of French and Chinese. Don't forget to subscribe! #timurturlov #fide #fideelection #chesspolitics #freedomholding #futureofchess #chesspodcast #chessinterview #mustreaderchess