Dvorkovich takes over from Kirsan Ilyumzhinov who headed the federation since 1995

The World Chess Federation elected its first new president in more than two decades on Wednesday, choosing former Russian deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich as its head after an election marred by mud-slinging and recriminations.

Dvorkovich takes over from Russian businessman Kirsan Ilyumzhinov who had headed the federation since 1995 but was suspended in July for having allegedly violated the organisation's code of ethics, something he denied.

Dvorkovich's path to victory was smoothed after rival Nigel Short, a British grandmaster, withdrew his candidacy earlier on Wednesday and endorsed the Russian against the only other contender, Greece's Georgios Makropoulos.

The vote took place in the coastal resort of Batumi in Georgia. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Toby Chopra)