Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2025 culminates with Big Final
The Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2025 once again brought together female chess players from all around the world in a thrilling showcase of talent, competition, and empowerment. This annual festival, a series of continental online blitz tournaments, provided a platform for women and girls to compete at a high level while creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. With a whooping 121 countries represented in this edition only, the Festival continues to grow, attracting female players of all levels. The 2025 event comprised two primary competitions: the Queens’ Women Open Tournament and the Unrated Princesses’ Tournament. Queens’ Women Open tournament The Queens’ Women Open Tournament, open to all female players with a FIDE ID, saw intense continental qualifying rounds held from March 1-9. The top players advanced to the semi-final on March 16, culminating in the grand final on March 29. In total, 100 participants from the Continental Qualifiers advanced to the semi-finals. Continental qualifiers winners Africa: 1st: Ndunakazi Nobuhle (RSA) 2nd: Rjeb Nadine (TUN) 3rd: Dube Robafadzo (ZIM) America: 1st: Kelly Boor (USA) 2nd: Melissa Rodriguez Dominguez (CUBA) 3rd: Omya Vidyarthi (USA) Asia: 1st: Shubenkova Veronika (FIDE) 2nd: Dakshita Kumawat (IND) 3rd: Ivana Maria Treopolsa Lasama (INA) Europe: 1st: Machlik Monika (NOR) 2nd: Hayrapetyan Nvard (ARM) 3rd: IM Buksa Nataliya (UKR) Queen semi-finals winners The semi-finals, played on March 16, saw 100 qualifiers competing for eight spots in the Grand Final scheduled for March 28. The top three finishers were: 1st place: Veronika Shubenkova (FID) 2nd place: Tianyu Jiang (CHN)3rd place: Maria Teresa Jimenez Salas (PER) Prize fund The Queens’ Festival Chess Tournament offers a total prize fund of €1,000. The winner will receive €500, a runner-up – €300, and the third-place finisher €200. Additionally, the winner of each continental qualifier (Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe) will receive a trophy and the title of Queens’ Festival Continental Queen. The winner of the Princess Festival will also receive a trophy. All participants will receive an electronic certificate of participation. Furthermore, the top 10 players in each qualification tournament (60 players in total) will be entitled to two 45-minute training sessions with Women Grandmasters. Princesses’ Tournament: A Platform for Rising Stars Designed for female players without FIDE ratings, the Unrated Princesses’ Tournament provided young talents with a chance to shine. The tournament featured two qualification stages, East and West, attracting 102 players in the Eastern zone and 47 players in the Western zone. Hundreds of spectators followed the games live, watching these young stars in action. The winners of the Princesses’ Tournament qualifiers were: Princess Western overall winners: 1st: Anqi Yang (ENG) 2nd: Prajna Bhugwandeen (RSA) 3rd: Natalie Hull (USA) Princess Eastern overall Winners: 1st: Isra Aara Ibrahim Shafeeu (FID) 2nd: Aishwarya Nedunoori (FID) 3rd: Zinneerah Annour Zaidani (MAS) A special highlight: Refugee girls from Kakuma compete on the global stage One of the most inspiring moments of the 2025 Festival was the participation of 15 girls from the Girls Club in Kakuma Refugee Camp. These young players, part of an essential initiative empowering refugee girls through chess, had the unique opportunity to compete against peers from across the world. Their involvement highlighted the transformative power of chess in providing hope, education, and a sense of belonging. We are deeply grateful to our partners UNHCR and FIDE for making this project possible and for ensuring girls can have this special opportunity. A festival of talent and inclusion The Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2025 reaffirmed its position as a premier global event for women in chess. By bringing together established masters and aspiring young players, the festival continues to break barriers and inspire the next generation of female chess champions. As the finals approach, the anticipation builds. Who will emerge as the ultimate Queen of the chessboard? The world will be watching on March 29th! This year, the Festival saw an unprecedented number of registrations, with nearly 1,000 players signing up. However, many were unable to participate, highlighting the need for reevaluating the competition structure to ensure better accessibility in future editions. Organizers are committed to finding the best solutions to accommodate this growing enthusiasm and engagement.
FIDE EDC Chamber decision on the incident involving GM Kirill Shevchenko
The First Instance Chamber of the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission (EDC Chamber), following an exchange of correspondence and online meetings, has reached a unanimous decision regarding the incident involving GM Kirill Shevchenko (the Respondent): The Respondent is found guilty of breaching Article 11.7(e) of the Disciplinary Code. The Respondent is sanctioned with a worldwide ban of three (3) years, with one (1) year of the sanction suspended. On 26 December 2024, the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) received a report from the FIDE Fair Play Commission (FPL) titled “Report of the FPL-Investigatory Panel in the Kirill Shevchenko Case (Cheating Allegation).” The Respondent, GM Kirill Shevchenko (FIDE ID 14129574), was accused by the FIDE Fair Play Commission of cheating at the Spanish Team Championship on or around 13 October 2024. The FPL recommended a sanction of a worldwide suspension of three years, with one year suspended, as well as the revocation of the GM title. The Respondent was given the opportunity to respond to the allegations. On 3 February 2025, GM Shevchenko’s counsel, Mr. Sabin Gherdan, submitted a response on his behalf. GM Shevchenko admitted to hiding a phone in the toilet and using it to access Lichess but denied that he had “effectively” cheated or that his actions influenced the game. He presented several mitigating factors: a) He fully cooperated with the investigation.b) He admitted wrongdoing in a timely manner.c) He had a clean disciplinary record.d) He was 22 years old at the time of the offense.e) His mental state was compromised, as he had been receiving death threats.f) He demonstrated remorse on multiple occasions.g) The cheating attempt was not fully executed. Furthermore, according to the findings of Prof. Regan, there were no significant statistical deviations in the player’s performance during this tournament compared to his usual rating performance. The EDC Chamber found that GM Shevchenko did, in fact, hide a phone in the toilet at the Spanish Team Championship. It further concluded that he attempted to cheat but was unable to determine, with comfortable satisfaction, that actual cheating occurred. The EDC panel acknowledged the mitigating factors presented by the Respondent, specifically noting his cooperation with the investigation, his admission of wrongdoing, and his remorse. As the Respondent had already been provisionally suspended and had not participated in any events since the Spanish Team Championship, the ban will commence on 19 October 2024 and terminate on 18 October 2026, with the suspended portion ending on 18 October 2027. The Respondent’s GM title will not be revoked. The EDС’s decision did not satisfy FPL. “Any penalty for fair play violations should serve as a strong deterrent, reinforcing FIDE’s zero-tolerance stance on cheating. This decision appears too lenient and does not fully reflect our commitment to integrity in chess. We will carefully review the matter and determine whether to file an appeal within the prescribed period,” stated Andrew Howie, Chair of the FIDE Fair Play Commission. EDC Chamber decision on Case #6/24 (PDF)