On the 26th and 27th of February, the English Chess Federation’s Director of Women’s Chess, Agnieszka Milewska, travelled to Monaco to represent England in the European Chess Women’s Gala. The event was organised by the President of the Monaco Chess Federation, Jean-Michel Rapaire, and supported by the European Chess Union and FIDE. The gala was opened by Prince Albert of Monaco, with a simultaneous exhibition match with local school children against Grandmaster Pia Cramling and IM Almira Skripchenko.
Thanks to them, the event was a superb opportunity to connect and learn with other chess players and organisers in women’s chess. Aga took a lot away from sharing perspectives, talking about the challenges facing women’s chess and different solutions we can try. The gala included interviews, talks and seminars with the President of the European Chess Union, Mr. Zurab Azmaiparashvili, the ECU Vice President and FIDE CEO Mrs. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, ECU Secretary General Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, Eva Repkova the Chairperson of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, and Sonja Johnson, the Chairperson FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess. As well as a rapidplay tournament on Sunday for schoolchildren, where they were able to meet and chat with their women’s chess heroes and ask for autographs, the event closed with a friendly blitz tournament for the attendees. The Gala was fun, engaging and educational.
— Aga Milewska