Pia Cramling, the Grande Dame of Chess is celebrating her 60th Anniversary today. Heartfelt congratulations! Looking back and forward, our author, who was a spectator at the tournament where she made her final GM norm to obtain the Grandmaster title as fifth woman on earth, presents fantastic facts and funny figures from an unparalleled biography. | Photo: Carolina Byrmo via hemtrevligt.se
When they hear ‘Reykjavik Open’, many chess players spontaneously express the wish to be there. Our author Gerd Densing belongs to this group: he is currently in the Icelandic capital, playing in the tournament, writing and taking photographs. In the first three rounds, he has met not only the rating favourite, Vasyl Ivanchuk (photo), but also many other interesting personalities.
The 23rd edition of the European Women’s Individual Chess Championship will take place on March 17-30 at the Hotel Palas in Petrovac, Montenegro. The tournament grants 9 spots for the next Women’s World Cup. The top five seeds are Bella Khotenashvili (Georgia), Valentina Gunina (FIDE), Gunay Mammadzada (Azerbaijan), Marsel Efroimski (Israel) and Yuliia Osmak (Ukraine). | Photos: European Chess Union
The very competitive European Chess Championships will take place in March, with the open event set to start on March 3 in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. We take a brief look at the 23 years of history of the championships, which are traditionally taken very seriously by ambitious players, whose main objective often is to get a ticket to the FIDE World Cup. | Pictured: 2022 European champion Matthias Bluebaum
The first FIDE workshop organized by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess in 2023 took place on January 5 in Stockholm, Sweden, during the Rilton Cup. Swedish living legend Pia Cramling was among the speakers, and emphasized how chess takes away any prejudicial social boundaries based on age or gender. | Photos: Anastasiya Karlovich