The Riga Christmas Chess Festival 2025 successfully took place Dec 15-21, 2025 for the third consecutive year, continuing its mission to promote chess as an inclusive, educational, and inspiring platform for young players and women. Over the years, the festival has become a meaningful tradition in Latvia’s chess calendar, with a strong focus on development, community, and equal opportunities.
A special highlight of this year’s festival was the “Riga Little Star” Blitz Tournament for Girls, organized fully with the support of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess (WOM) for the second year in a row. The tournament was free of charge, ensuring open access for young female players and encouraging broader participation without financial barriers.
All participants of the Little Star Riga tournament received commemorative gifts and certificates, underlining the festival’s inclusive and encouraging spirit. The top three players were awarded medals and special prizes, while the winner received a trophy and an online training session with IM, WIM Sara Khadem, providing a unique motivational opportunity and direct inspiration from an elite female chess professional.
🥇 Winner: Jakabsone Tifanija Bella
🥈 Second place: Maklakova Dafne
🥉 Third place: Treigute Lea
Another key event supported by FIDE WOM was the WIM tournament, which holds particular significance as it was the only classical time control women’s tournament held in Latvia in 2025. This tournament provided an essential competitive platform for women players seeking high-level classical chess experience and title norms.
🥇 Winner: WIM Kubicka Anna, POL
🥈 Second place: WGM Rogule Laura, LAT
🥉 Third place: WFM Subramanian Anusha, ENG
Notably, the festival stood out for its strong representation of women at every organizational level. The organizing team consisted entirely of women, and the arbiter team was also fully female (Chief Arbiter – Dimitrijevic Aleksandra), reinforcing the festival’s commitment to female leadership and visibility in chess beyond the board.
The festival was hosted at the Pauls Stradiņš Museum of the History of Medicine in Riga, which served not only as the venue but also as a valued partner of the event. The unique historical setting added a special cultural dimension to the tournament experience. The organizers express sincere gratitude to all partners and supporters who helped make the Riga Christmas Chess Festival possible and contributed to creating an inspiring environment for players, parents, and guests. Among the partners were: Latvian Chess Federation Chess School CHESSTON VENDEN Active Line Beauty.
The Riga Christmas Chess Festival 2025 once again demonstrated how targeted support, thoughtful organization, and collaboration with FIDE WOM can create meaningful impact — inspiring young girls, supporting women players, and strengthening the role of women in chess both competitively and organizationally.
