FIDE Women’s Chess celebrations: A truly global movement
March is a time of reflection and celebration for women and girls worldwide. International Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder of resilience, achievements, and the ongoing pursuit of gender equality. This year, the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess (WOM) transformed this moment into a global movement—cooperating with organizers on 4 continents to host inspiring chess events that highlighted the role of women in the game and beyond. We have officially collaborated with organizers located in 4 continents: Kazakhstan (Asia), Kenia (Africa), Poland, France (Europe) and St. Lucia (Americas), who have been doing a remarkable job in their countries and beyond for years now, to promote chess for girls and women. Beyond these flagship events, the Chess Women’s Day Celebration – Strength, Community, Empowerment initiative called on organizers worldwide to hold chess events throughout March in honor of women and girls. Over 40 events in around 30 countries joined the movement, making this a truly global celebration. At the heart of our celebrations was the Qazaq Queens Chess Fest 2025. Kazakhstan: A grand stage for Women’s Chess The Qazaq Queens Chess Fest 2025, held in Almaty on March 7, was the largest of these events and had the special honor of being attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who made the ceremonial first move. Organized by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KazChess) with FIDE’s support, the blitz tournament brought together 95 participants of all ages. The competition followed a 9-round Swiss format with a 3+2 time control, and 13-year-old WFM Aiaru Altynbek triumphed with 8 points. The top three finishers, all recipients of the Young Talent Support Programme scholarships, shared in the event’s KZT 2 million ($4,000) prize fund. The tournament also featured an art exhibition by Kazakh artist Aituar Amirkhanova, whose works explored themes of women’s experiences and self-expression. Special guest Inessa Nazarova, Mrs. Supermodel Worldwide 2019, inspired participants with a motivational speech, reinforcing the theme of empowerment. Kazakhstan continues to shine as a hub for women’s chess, and the Qazaq Queens Chess Fest, reinforcing the role of the game in gender equality. Kenya: A community-driven success In Nairobi, Kenya, we proudly supported the Queen’s Tournament on March 8. The event attracted an impressive 43 female players, including a 7-year-old girl, the youngest participant, who was recognized with a medal. The event, played on DGT boards and FIDE-rated, awarded trophies to the top three players and medals to 11 others. Notably, a group of chess moms stepped up to sponsor additional cash prizes, demonstrating how the chess community can empower and support one another. This grassroots initiative ensured a highly competitive and rewarding experience for the participants, embodying the spirit of unity and encouragement in women’s chess. Poland: Nurturing future champions The IV Memoriał Apolonii Litwińskiej, part of a big Women’s Chess Festival in Wrocław, Poland, was a key event celebrating Women’s Chess. The Festival had an honor of being attented by Łukasz Turlej, FIDE Secretary General, who opened the closing ceremony of the event and presented awards to the winners. Supported by WOM, the tournament featured top Polish junior players, many of whom are national champions and world championship medalists. The event allowed young talents to compete alongside women grandmasters like Alina Kashlinskaya, Teodora Injac, and Aleksandra Malcewska. The top 8 juniors advanced to the finals on March 9, where Varvara Matskevich emerged victorious, defeating Kaja Rządzkowska. Beyond competition, organizers and WOM provided an enriching experience with a special workshop led by mental coach Hanna Rychlik, who works with top athletes, including Poland’s No. 2 female chess player, Klaudia Kulon. The interactive session focused on confidence, handling pressure, and overcoming challenges in professional sports. Additionally, all participating girls took part in a chess-themed photo shoot, making them feel like stars both on and off the board. France: A chess showcase in Saint-Tropez The event in Saint-Tropez, France, was held under the theme “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, and Empowerment”, organized by Club d’Échecs de Saint-Tropez in cooperation with WOM. A unique simultaneous exhibition took place in the beautiful garden of the Annonciade Museum, featuring the Prochaieva sisters—Alina, Tina, Yelyzaveta, and Olha—quadruplet refugees from Kyiv, Ukraine. Facing off against local players from Saint-Tropez and the Côte d’Azur region, the sisters’ participation was a poignant symbol of resilience and hope. Every participant received a commemorative diploma, medal, flowers, and a participation gift, reinforcing the spirit of appreciation and inclusion in chess. Americas: Honoring women’s contributions to chess In the Americas, Tris-Ann Richards, President of the St. Lucia Chess Federation and a new national champion, hosted a special event that celebrated the achievements of women in chess. The session featured Francisco Cruz, Chair of the FIDE America Diversity Commission, and Sonja Johnson, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Chess Federation, who shared insights on how women can access opportunities in the chess world. A special award was presented to Vernessa James in recognition of her contributions to the St. Lucia Chess Federation, further emphasizing the importance of honoring women’s leadership and dedication to the game. The event was hosted online and locally, allowing everyone to join the lectures, and celebrations, via zoom. A global celebration of Women’s Chess This year’s Chess Women’s Day Celebration proved that chess can be a powerful force for empowerment, unity, and recognition of women’s achievements. FIDE WOM Chair Anastasia Sorokina reflected on the success of the global initiative: “March is a time of celebrations of women, and this year we introduced a true chess Marathon to celebrate Women’s Chess. As Chair of WOM, I am extremely happy to see so many devoted, talented, and unique people have been involved in our initiative worldwide. Our mission is to attract as many women as possible to the incredibly diverse world of chess—not just as players, but also as arbiters, trainers, journalists, and organizers. Projects like Chess4All & All4Chess and the Queens’ Challenge show women how incredible they are and how many opportunities chess offers them. With so many federations supporting us in this March in a global movement to celebrate Women’s Month, I am sure we are moving in the
History of Chess960
Robert James Fischer went down in chess history not only as a great champion but also as an author and a popularizer of Chess960, also known as Fischer Random Chess. On the 82nd anniversary of the 11th World Champion’s birth, we publish a piece on the chess variant that bears his name. Early contributions The concept of random chess, also known as shuffle chess, was first proposed by the Dutch chess enthusiast Philip Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt (1743-1826). In his renowned treatise on chess, La Supériorité aux Échecs, published in 1792, Van Zuylen van Nijevelt articulated his disdain for the repetitive patterns often found in standard chess openings. He proposed the idea of randomizing the starting positions of the main pieces to create a vast array of unique starting positions, eliminating the possibility of pre-game memorization or extensive opening theory. This early conception of random chess by Van Zuylen van Nijevelt laid the foundation for Chess960. The earliest documented games of shuffle chess were played between Van der Hoeven and Alexandre in Mannheim in 1842. One of these games is preserved in Sissa, the Netherlands’ first long-standing chess journal, demonstrating an initial position with two advanced pawns on each side. A later game played by Van der Hoeven was against Baron von der Lasa (1818-1899), adhering more closely to the contemporary rules of random chess, except for the monochromatic bishop pairs. Following Van der Hoeven’s visit, the Sissa Chess Society received an invitation from the Philidor Chess Society in Amsterdam, in collaboration with Van der Hoeven, to organize a shuffle chess tournament. Originally intended as a tournament among the eight prize winners of the 1851 Philidor-organized event, logistical challenges led to invitations being extended to other chess societies. Ultimately, a tournament with seven players from Amsterdam, along with the 74-year-old Van der Hoeven, was organized. Maarten Van’t Kruijs emerged as the winner of the tournament, reinforcing the growing sentiment that the removal of opening theory allows true chess talent to shine. Bronstein and Benko’s support Just as the Dutch inventors of Shuffle chess back in the 18th century, World Champion Challenger David Bronstein promoted the same idea in the late 1940s, and then later Pal Benko in the 1970s. They referred to it by various names such as: Placement Chess, Pre-Chess, Shuffle-Chess. In the variant promoted by Bronstein and Benko, the game starts with white and black pawns set as usual, but the initial position of other pieces is selected by the players. The two players place their pieces alternately, one at a time. White first places one of his pieces on his first rank, and then Black does the same. Players continue to alternate in this manner until all pieces have been placed, with the only restriction being that bishops must be on opposite-color squares. The game then proceeds in the usual way. Strategic chess thinking therefore begins with the first placements of pieces. Yet, the essence of the game remains the same, as the pieces move as usual as in traditional chess, and the game similarly ends with checkmate. Fischer’s influence and the evolution of Shuffle-Chess to Chess960 The year after Bobby Fischer returned to chess in 1992 for a second match versus Boris Spassky, he moved to Budapest at the suggestion of Susan Polgar. For nearly a year, he was a regular visitor to the Polgar family. He sought the help of Susan Polgar to better the rules of Shuffle-Chess. They spent a lot of time discussing and experimenting with various versions of the rules, which at times was joined by Pal Benko. Fischer’s goal was to eliminate what he considered the complete dominance of opening preparations in classical chess, and replacing it with creativity and talent. Like others before him, Fischer believed that eliminating memorized book moves would level the playing field. In those days, Fischer and Susan Polgar initially played by the Shuffle-Chess rules promoted by Bronstein and Benko. There were three key points of debates: if the pieces should be required to be positioned symmetrically; if castling should be part of the game, and if so, in which exact form; and if Bishops can start on any square, or with the restriction of starting on opposite-colored squares. The Final Rules by Fischer and Susan Polgar Fischer and Susan Polgar concluded the following: – Castling should be incorporated into the rules (by requiring the King to start somewhere in between the two Rooks), and the King and Rook would end up in their traditional castling positions. – Bishops must start the game on opposite color squares, as in traditional chess. – The pieces from both sides should be set up symmetrically. Back then, it was originally known as “Fischerandom” or “Fischerandom chess”, the name given by Fischer himself. While in Budapest, Fischer consulted mathematicians to figure out how many such piece arrangements were possible. The answer was 960, which as far as he was concerned, was enough to prevent players from planning their opening moves in advance. Hence, the name Chess960. Fischer Random Chess was formally introduced to the public on June 19, 1996, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here is a link to all possible 960 starting positions: https://web.archive.org/web/20070402110500/http://www.playchess960.com/images/AllPositionsChess960.gif Chess 960 Tournaments There have been many Chess960 tournaments held since the first one which was held in Kaniza, Yugoslavia, in the spring of 1996. Some of the most notable ones were: The Mainz Championship series 2001-2009, organized by Hans-Walter Schmitt. In the Battle of the Sexes match, which took place in Lindsborg, Kansas between Anatoly Karpov and Susan Polgar, 2 games of the Chess960 variant were included, ended with one win for each player. The first edition of the European Fischer Random Cup was held in Reykjavík on March 9, 2018, on Fischer’s 75th birthday. In February 2018, a Chess960 match between former classical World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen and the unofficial Fischer Random Chess world champion Hikaru Nakamura was held in Høvikodden, Norway. The match consisted of 8 rapid and 8
Salome Melia to replace Lela Javakhishvili in FIDE WGP India
IM Lela Javakhishvili, Georgia’s nominee, has withdrawn from the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix India for personal reasons. In accordance with WGP regulations, she will be replaced by IM Salome Melia (pictured above), who is now set to compete in the fifth leg of the series. A native of Batumi, Georgia, Melia won the European Under-18 Girls Championship twice, in 2004 and 2005. She also claimed silver at the Women’s European Individual Chess Championship in 2013 and bronze in 2014. A two-time Georgian Women’s Champion (2008 and 2010), she has represented her country in multiple Chess Olympiads, including the 45th edition in Budapest. Additionally, she was a member of the gold medal-winning Georgian team at the 2015 Women’s World Team Chess Championship in Chengdu. The fifth leg of the FIDE WGP 2024–25 will take place in India from April 13 to 24, with Salome Melia replacing Lela Javakhishvili in the draw. The full pairings can be found below: FIDE Women’s Grand Prix India 2025 Pairings (PDF) FIDE WGP official website: https://womengrandprix.fide.com/ Photo: Anna Shtourman