Norway Chess has announced the lineup for this year’s women’s tournament. The prestigious event will be held from May 27 to June 7 at SR-Bank’s main building in Stavanger.
For the first time in the history of the Norway Chess, organisers introduce the inaugural Norway Chess Women’s Tournament. The event will transpire in the same playing hall, with an identical number of players, and an equivalent prize fund.
Collaborating with EY, the Sparebank-1 SR-bank foundation, Sparebank-1 SR-bank, and Stavanger municipality, the organisers aim to provide women with more opportunities and a comparable prize fund, fostering female participation and serving as role models for aspiring female chess players. Notably, three out of six players in the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament boast World Championship titles.
“After dedicating several years to securing sponsors for a women’s tournament, we take great pride and joy in announcing the realization of this event. Our aspiration is for the tournament to serve as an inspiration for young female chess players to pursue a professional career. Furthermore, we hope that other super tournaments will follow suit, organizing women’s events with prize money on par with the open class. Firmly believing that these measures will accelerate the process of increasing female representation in chess, we acknowledge the ongoing grassroots efforts worldwide. While commendable work is being done at the grassroots level, it is equally crucial to raise awareness at the top level. We envision this as a regular addition to the annual Norway Chess tournament and invite sponsors committed to gender equality and diversity to reach out and join us in this endeavor.”
– Benedicte Westre Skog, Norway Chess, FIDE WOM Commission member.
Participants this year include reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun.
Vaishali Rameshbabu, as well as her brother Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, will mark the debut in Norway Chess and the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament. Vaishali Rameshbabu is the third woman in India to achieve the Grandmaster title, making her and her brother the first brother-sister duo to attain this distinction.
The Norway Chess Women’s Tournament will also feature chess legend Pia Cramling, who since the early 1980s, has been one of the strongest female players in the world.
The Chief Arbiter of the event will be also a woman – Anastasia Sorokina, Head of FIDE WOM Commission. The Norway Chess tournament has had a female chief arbiter every tournament since the first one in 2013.
“I have been visiting the Norway Chess tournament for many years. It is always an amazing, professionally organised event and I am excited to see female arbiters there. This year edition is also remarkable for the equal prize funds for open and women’s tournaments. I am pleased and honoured to witness such a great achievement not only as a former chess player, but also as an arbiter and FIDE WOM Chair. I truly hope this experience will be inspiring for other organisers and future similar events.” – Anastasia Sorokina, Head of FIDE WOM Commission.
Player field in the Norway Chess Women’s Tournament:
Koneru Humpy (India). World No. 2 among women.
Lei Tingjie (China). World No. 4 among women.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun (China). World No. 5 among women.
Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine). World No. 7 among women.
Vaishali Rameshbabu (India). World No. 14 among women.
Pia Cramling (Sweden). World No. 31 among women.
More info on norwaychess.no
