International Chess Federation, Balkan Chess Federation and Albanian Chess Federation, in collaboration with Albanian Center for Openness and Dialogue, are pleased to announce the International Women's Day Chess festival, a series of chess events to celebrate the International Women's Day and reinforce a commitment to women's equality.
The large-scale celebration will be held from March 9-19, 2023. It will start with the "Balkan Chess Star" tournament, the women's workshop "Chess is a safe space for women", organized with a contribution from ECU Women Commission, and a simul with female chess influencers, scheduled for March 9-10 in Tirana, Albania. The events will take place at COD – Center of Openness and Dialogue, located within the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Edifice.
The "Balkan Chess Star" blitz tournament is played by 16 girls born in 2007 and younger, representing all Balkan countries, who will first compete in 2 round-robin qualification events on March 9. The Final between the winners of each event is scheduled for March 10.
Workshop and simul by chess influencers will feature Dana Reizniece-Ozola, WGM, FIDE Deputy Chair of Management Board; Antoaneta Stefanova, GM, former Women's World Champion; Anastasia Sorokina, WIM, Chair of FIDE Commission for Women in Chess, international arbiter; Agnieszka Milewska, Director of the Women's Chess in England; Carol B Meyer, Executive director of the US Chess Federation and Majlinda Pilinci, General Secretary of Albanian Chess federation, member of FIDE PDC Commission, international organizer.
Programme of the festival:
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March 9 |
14:30 – 15:00 |
Opening ceremony with officials (FIDE, Albanian Ministry of Education and Sports, NOC Albania, Balkan Chess Federation, Albanian Chess Federation, special guests). |
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15:00 – 17:30 |
The “Balkan Chess Star” tournament. Qualification stage |
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17:30 – 20:00 |
Workshop “Chess is a safe space for women” Simul with female influencers |
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March 10 |
10:30 – 13:00 |
The “Balkan Chess Star” tournament. Final stage 2-hour session with GM |
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14:00 |
The Closing Ceremony |
The events will be followed by the Ladies-only arbiters seminar held by IA Panagiotis Nikolopoulos (GRE), IA Mihail Prevenios (GRE), and IA Tshepiso Lopang (BOT) from March 10-12. The Seminar will award norms and titles of FIDE Arbiter and is open for national arbiters nominated by their federations.
The Online FIDE Trainers' Seminar for female trainers organized by the FIDE TRG Commission in partnership with the FIDE WOM Commission, scheduled for March 17-19, will finalize the celebration of International Women's Day.
Contact details:
Majlinda Pilinci: pilincimajlinda@gmail.com
Anastasia Sorokina: a.sorokina@fide.com
