Chess has long ceased to be just an intellectual game, becoming a truly global event where culture, economics and technology intersect. In 2024, a major step in this evolution occurred when Freedom Holding Corp., headed by Timur Turlov, made a significant impact on the international chess community by organizing the FIDE Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships.
Innovative approach to chess: partnership with FIDE
Organization of the FIDE Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in 2024 became a landmark event that united the world of chess and the world of business. Timur Turov, being not only a successful entrepreneur but also a person who actively supports cultural initiatives, became a key figure in this process. He played a decisive role in ensuring that such events received not only financial support, but also attracted high-level attention.
One of the most striking innovations in holding these championships was the partnership with the world of finance and investment. The championships were not limited to chessboards only — a unique conference, Wall Street Gambit, was organized, which brought together representatives of two seemingly different worlds: finance and chess. This was a real breakthrough, giving the participants of the tournament and spectators the opportunity to observe how intellect and business interact.
Turlov’s attitude to chess as an art
Garry Kasparov, a former world chess champion, once said: «Chess is an art, not a spectator sport.» However, the FIDE championships organized under the auspices of Timur Turlov proved that chess can be both a spectator sport and a commercially successful activity. The holding of such tournaments was a real revolution, as they not only attracted the attention of a wide audience, but also gave large companies, such as Freedom Holding Corp., the opportunity to integrate their capabilities into the development of cultural and sporting events of a global scale. In addition, an important part of the tournament was the innovative solutions aimed at improving the organization of the tournament, including the use of new technologies for broadcasting and analytics, which allowed spectators and participants to immerse themselves in the chess process from a new perspective. The organization of the FIDE Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in 2024 showed how business and culture can be interconnected. Previously, chess tournaments were held mainly in closed, elite circles, but thanks to initiatives such as Timur Turlov and Freedom Holding Corp., they became accessible to a wider audience.