As August drew to a close, the Women’s Chess Marathon reached its final continental stop: Europe. Following inspiring events across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the spotlight turned to Italy and Portugal, where two meaningful initiatives carried a shared theme — giving space to women’s voices in chess.
Power Moves: Women Shaping Chess in Italy
In Conegliano, Italy, the event Power Moves: Women Shaping Chess combined competition and conference. Alongside a mixed blitz tournament for girls and boys, a panel of remarkable women — arbiters, trainers, federation leaders, and players — came together to share experiences from the chess board and beyond. Their stories highlighted the essential role of women not only as competitors, but also as organizers, coaches, and decision-makers in shaping the future of the game.
The panel featured WIM Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess; WGM Aleksandra Dimitrijević, Director of the Mitropa Chess Academy and International Arbiter; IA Franca Dapiran, Italy’s first woman A’ category International Arbiter; and Veronika Goi, Vice President of the Italian Chess Federation and former Italian Women’s Champion. The conference was moderated by Deborah Pavei, 2009 Italian Girls U14 Champion.
This gathering was especially significant for our Commission, as Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, was among the speakers. Her participation underlined WOM’s commitment to ensuring that chess is welcoming, inclusive, and inspiring for women and girls worldwide.
Women’s Talks in Portugal
Meanwhile, in Matosinhos, Portugal, the Women’s Talks conference followed the National Women’s Semi-Rapid Championship. The panel gathered figures from chess, sport, medicine, and politics, underscoring how chess connects to broader questions of leadership, opportunity, and community. Importantly, it reminded us that progress in chess requires listening to diverse perspectives and making space for all the voices.
The Conference featured Susana Gonçalves, President of Chess2All and member of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess; WIM Jussara Chaves, iconic figure in Portuguese and international women’s chess; Ana Inês Silva, chess master and medical doctor; Isabel Nunes, President of GD Basquete de Leça; Luísa Salgueiro, Mayor of Matosinhos.
The event also welcomed André Vögtlin, Chair of the FIDE Social Commission. His presence added special significance to the one of the last events of the Marathon during August, celebrated as FIDE Women’s Month within the 2025 Social Chess Year.
Amplifying Women’s Voices
Together, these European events reinforced a clear message: to develop chess in an equal and sustainable way, we must amplify women’s voices at every level. A community that values different perspectives grows not only in numbers, but in creativity, resilience, and spirit.
We thank the Portuguese Chess Federation, the Italian Chess Federation, the Veneto Chess Committee, the Queen Club Mitropa FIDE Chess Academy, and all local partners for their dedication. Their work ensured that the Women’s Chess Marathon closed its final week with the same energy, purpose, and sense of community that has defined the entire month.
Big thank you to Active Line Beauty and Mitomo for their generous support, providing beautiful gifts for both events in European leg of the Marathon.
Special appreciation goes to Susana Gonçalves, member of our Commission, whose long-standing dedication to promoting inclusivity in chess continues to inspire.
