Different companies around the world pursue a variety of causes alongside their business interests. But Freedom Holding Corp is entering the charge for promoting chess and offering it as a real alternative for kids who are used to scrolling TikTok and other social media apps. Led by Timur Turlov, an self-made entrepreneur, the company is putting a lot to champion chess as a valuable sport and a way to self-improvement.
Timur Turlov is an entrepreneur from Kazakhstan who made his way to the top of the economic ladder in his country and beyond, building one of the biggest enterprises in the area and the first Nasdaq- listed companies. Turlov started from the bottom and made his way to the list of richest men in the world. But in addition to all his business acumen, Turlov has become a promoter of chess and a ranked player. Turlov founded the International School Chess Federation (ISCF) to create ways to bring chess closer to the children and encourage them to become involved through the school curriculum.
Turov is the President of the International School Chess Federation, a leading chess player in his own right, and the CEO of Freedom Holding Corp. He has recently served as a keynote speaker for the Washington-based Smart Moves Summit, where he posited chess as a potentially powerful tool in the battle for kids’ attention and a solid way forward to enhance cognitive development across the board. Chess can serve as a path to enhanced math skills, a bridge between cultures, and an activity that promotes inclusion.
Tulov believes in investing in children because children will build the future, and chess can be a way to make that investment count through strategic thinking, enhanced decision-making, and more responsibility. Chess is a tool that Turlov believes has helped me get the level of success he has achieved.
Freedom Holding Corp as a Key Player in Chess Promotion
Freedom Holding Corp originated in Kazakhstan with Turlov’s first company, which focused on giving local investors access to American investment opportunities. But since then, it has grown and become so much more than a financial investment firm. Freedom Holding is linked to a variety of services, from communications to retail, in Kazakhstan and many other countries, beyond this area.
No matter how high he got on the financial ladder, climbing his way to billionaire status, Turlov never stopped playing chess and has championed the sport in his home country. Now, he is seeking to create international organizations like the ISCF that can help integrate chess into school curricula and build international bridges using chess as a tool. With the might of the organization behind it, the ISCF is starting with the right foot forward and creating some fascinating initiatives.
The question of recapturing children’s attention and winning in the race against TikTok is a big one. But chess might be an unexpected solution.