Wadim Rosenstein

Wadim Rosenstein is a Dusseldorf-based entrepreneur and one of the most significant private chess patrons in the world today. Through his organization WR Chess, he has built competitive teams, organized elite tournaments, and convinced FIDE to create entirely new event formats.

Rosenstein played competitive chess in his youth, representing Koln-Mulheim in the Bundesliga West junior division. He went into business instead, founding WR Logistics GmbH and WR Certification GmbH, specializing in international export logistics across more than 40 countries. But chess never left him. In late 2022, he organized the WR Chess Masters in Dusseldorf, a world-class round-robin at the Hyatt Regency Hotel featuring top grandmasters including Ian Nepomniachtchi and Andrey Esipenko, entirely self-funded.

The WR Chess team has won two FIDE World Team Championship titles: the Rapid championship in Dusseldorf (2023) and the Blitz championship in Astana (2024). The team roster has included Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Praggnanandhaa, Vincent Keymer, Hou Yifan, and Alexandra Kosteniuk. Magnus Carlsen joined in 2024. Rosenstein also sponsors Dusseldorfer SK in the German Bundesliga, fielding a roster that includes Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh, Anish Giri, Wei Yi, and several other top-20 players.

In 2026, Rosenstein announced a second team called Chess United for the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship in Hong Kong, featuring Vishy Anand, Jorden van Foreest, and Tunde Onakoya. He also recruited Onakoya as a global ambassador for WR Chess, focusing on Africa and social initiatives. Most recently, Rosenstein offered to relocate the 2026 Candidates Tournament from Cyprus to Germany at his own expense, covering all organizational and logistical costs.