The Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2025 once again united female chess players from across the globe in an exciting month-long celebration of competition, talent, and empowerment. Held throughout March—Women’s Month—the Festival highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for women and girls to play and succeed in chess.
The event featured two main competitions: the Queens’ Women Open Tournament and the Unrated Princesses’ Tournament. These tournaments gave players of all levels a chance to compete, connect, and enjoy the game. Spanning from March 1st to March 29th, the Festival included continental qualifiers, semifinals, and the grand finals.
The finals saw some of the most talented female players rise to the occasion. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners of all sections:
Queens’ Tournament Winners
Here are the winners of the Queen’s Festival 2025:
🏆1st place – Aliona Garmash 👑 (FIDE)
🥈2nd place – Zoey Tang 🥈 (USA)
🥉3rd place – Nataliya Buksa 🥉(Ukraine)
And rest of the finalists:
- Omya Vidyarthi
- Veronika Shubenkova
- Maria Tsakona
- Maria Teresa Jimenez Salas
Congratulations to all, especially new Queen 👑 of the whole Festival – Aliona Garmash! 🙂
Continental Tournaments Winners
Winners of the Continental qualifiers and Queens of the following continents are:
Africa:
🏆 1st place: Ndunakazi Nobuhle (RSA)
America:
🏆 1st place: Kelly Boor (USA)
Asia:
🏆 1st place: Shubenkova Veronika (FIDE)
Europe:
🏆 1st place: Machlik Monika (NOR)
Princesses’ Tournament Winners
U09
🏆1st place – Swetha Narayanan (England)
🥈2nd place – Pagadala Ananya (India)
🥉3rd place – Despoina Theocharia Tafaki (Greece)
U11
🏆1st place – Hima Srinika Alla (India)
🥈2nd place – Isra Aara Ibrahim Shafeeu (Maldives)
🥉3rd place – R M Sayuni Suhansa Rajakaruna (Sri Lanka)
U13
🏆1st place – Shiho Yula Katayama (Japan)
🥈2nd place – Roaa Mohanad Magdi (Egypt)
🥉3rd place – Romina Montes Cervantes (Mexico)
U15
🏆1st place – Yarroju Ramya (India)
🥈2nd place – Anqi Yang (England)
🥉3rd place – Aishwarya Nedunoori (India)
U17
🏆1st place – Lee-Anne Matima (South Africa)
🥈2nd place – Karimella Sahasra (India)
🥉3rd place – Bokao Setlhare (South Africa)
Prize Fund of the Festival
The Queens’ Festival Chess Tournament had a lot of different prizes to award the winners. Most importantly – the winner of the Festival, Aliona Garmash, will be invited to visit the next Chess Olympiad. The first-place winner received 500 euros, the second-place winner 300 euros, and the third-place winner 200 euros. Additionally, the winner of each continental qualifier (Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe) will be awarded a physical trophy and the title of Queens’ Festival Continental Queen. The winner of the Princesses’ Tournament shall also receive a physical trophy. All participants were awarded an electronic certificate of participation.
Furthermore, the top 10 players in each qualification tournament (a total of 60 players) earned two 45-minute training sessions with Women Grandmasters, providing them with valuable learning opportunities.
Championing Queens of the Game
The Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2025 proved once again that chess is a powerful platform for women’s empowerment. With 121 countries represented and nearly 1,000 players signing up, the event showed the increasing enthusiasm for women’s chess and highlighted the need for even greater accessibility and inclusivity in future editions.
This festival is not just about competition; it is about building a global chess community that supports and uplifts women in the sport. By bringing together grandmasters, rising stars, and young talents, and amateur plates the event strengthens the bonds between players, mentors, and chess lovers worldwide.
A heartfelt thank you to all participants for their enthusiasm, dedication, and incredible sportsmanship—exemplifying the true Gens Una Sumus spirit. Special gratitude goes to FIDE, the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, and the entire organizing team for making this celebration of women in chess possible. Together, we continue to champion the presence of women in chess and create meaningful opportunities for future generations.
We look forward to an even bigger and better edition in 2026!
