Emil Sutovsky

Emil Sutovsky is the CEO of FIDE, the International Chess Federation, and one of the most accomplished chess administrators in the history of the sport. A Grandmaster since 1996, Sutovsky won the World Junior Championship, the 2001 European Individual Chess Championship, and earned an Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Chess Olympiad with the best statistical performance in Olympiad history.

Before joining FIDE, Sutovsky led the Association of Chess Professionals as president from 2012 to 2019, advocating for professional players's rights and standards. His playing style was aggressive and uncompromising, with Viswanathan Anand calling his 2005 Gibraltar victory over Daniel Gormally the best chess game he had ever seen.

As FIDE CEO since 2022 (and Director General from 2018), Sutovsky has expanded the tournament calendar, improved broadcasting quality, launched women's chess and youth education initiatives, integrated online chess platforms, and forged strategic corporate partnerships. Under his leadership, FIDE declared 2026 the Year of Chess in Education and has grown its operational scope to a level not seen in the federation's recent history.

Sutovsky was born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1977, moved to Israel at age 14, and represented Israel in nine Chess Olympiads. He currently lives in Holon, Israel, and also serves as a guest speaker at Harvard's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.