Let the games begin: Top women chess players in Nicosia for prestigious FIDE event

Nicosia is hosting the fourth leg of the 2024-25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, a prestigious international chess event that has brought 10 of the world’s best female players to Cyprus.

Taking place under the auspices of the International Chess Federation and Cyprus Chess Federation and sponsored by Freedom Holding, the event is on until 25 March.

The 10 players are sisters Anna and Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), Zhu Jiner (China), Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece), Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), Divya Deshmukh (India), Harika Dronavalli (India), Olga Badelka (Austria), Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (playing under the FIDE flag).

The competitors were welcomed to Cyprus and the Grand Prix in an opening event at the Nicosia Hilton Hotel on Friday, 14 March.

The opening ceremony began with the national anthem of the Republic of Cyprus, followed by the FIDE anthem. FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky then took the stage, highlighting the tournament’s significance.

Emil Sutovsky

“In the past two years, Cyprus has become one of the European chess hubs. We are delighted with our cooperation with the Cyprus Chess Federation and with our partner, Freedom, who are backing a number of important events all over the world. Our mission here is not only to stage a high-level event, but to lay a foundation and keep building on the previous work to make chess more popular, more accessible and more attractive to everyone,” Sutovsky said.

Next to adress the event, Freedom Holding Corp CEO Timur Turlov thanked the players for their participation reiterated the company’s firm commitment to promoting chess in Cyprus.

Timur Turlov

“I believe that the Cyprus role as interconnector of finance and chess will continue to grow. This is a country with very welcoming people, great weather, great cuisine, and with a lot of opportunities to enjoy and also focus on your business,” Turlov said.

He wished the players focus on their games but also invited them to enjoy their breaks and see more of Cyprus, including Limassol where Freedom Holdings’ offices are based.

“I am very thankful to FIDE for our partnership. We definitely share the same values and I believe that we will continue this cooperation through some new initiatives such as the International School Federation. I really see how prestigious this game is rising all over the world and how more and more people are being involved,” Turlov added.

“Chess is a great game because it allows us to discover how our mind operates. It helps us to build great connections,” Turlov said, addressing the importance of chess as a game, adding that, in his opinion, there were no other games “the financial community appreciates as much as chess.”

The President of the Cyprus Chess Federation, Criton Tornaritis, on his part, welcomed the players to Cyprus and highlighted Freedom’s support.

Criton Tornaritis

“This is the second time we are organising this tournament in Cyprus and I hope that there will be a third time. The most important thing for me is to enjoy some good games. Chess in Cyprus before Freedom was very poor. Now we have more than 2,000 members, most of them kids.”

Takis Nikolopoulos, Chief Arbiter, also addressed the event. Among other things, Nikolopoulos said he was honoured to be Arbiter of such a prestigious event.

Takis Nikolopoulos

He also noted that, having also visited Cyprus from Greece in the past, he was pleased to find that far more people in Cyprus played chess now, adding that the fact many of them were children and young people “means that the future of chess is in very good hands.”

“This is a very, very important tournament and a great opportunity for Cyprus,” Nikolopoulos said, noting that this tournament gave participants the opportunity to qualify for the finals of the Women's World Chess Championship 2025.

The evening culminated in a family group photo, with all the players on the stage joined by FIDE Secretary General and tournament director Lukasz Turlej and Nikolopoulos.

Afterward, the guests had the chance to speak to the players, take photos, and enjoy the cocktail reception.

You can follow the games live and watch the action with commentators GM Alik Gershon and WGM Anastasiya Karlovich on a dedicated YouTube channel.