Guyana Women in Chess Community holds first interactive session

The Guyana Women in Chess Community held their first virtual interactive session for women and girls involved in chess on February 20th, 2022. This was the inaugural event of the recently formed Women in Chess Community, the first body to be formed in Guyana which will deal exclusively with women and girls.

The session served to educate attendees on the history of chess as an art, science and sport. The presentation by Mrs Pritima Khan, co-chair of the committee, also included a brief history of Guyanese women chess players and female grandmasters from around the globe.
Mrs Khan also gave an overview on planned activities for 2022. These include special classes and lectures, an International Women’s Day programme, quarterly chess day camps, outreach and volunteer programmes – all geared towards inspiring, growing and empowering female chess players of all ages.
Special guest Mrs Yolander Sammy, who is also a committee member, spoke at the event, sharing her experiences as a chess player of many years. Mrs Sammy is the current Vice Chair of the International Chess Federation’s (FIDE’s) Ethics Committee, and is the only female on that board. She has also represented Guyana numerous times at all levels of the game, including at the Fide Chess Olympiad.
Also in attendance was Vice President of the Guyana Chess Federation, Anand Raghunauth, throwing his support behind the initiative. He lauded the efforts of the steering committee, and said he looks forward to seeing our female membership growing in strength.
Mrs Marcia Lee, chairperson of the committee, outlined the need for a group which caters to the unique needs of the female players with the purpose of building a community where girls can feel confident and excited about the game of chess. She observed that the formation is timely, as 2022 was declared by FIDE to be the “Year of the Woman in Chess”.
The Women in Chess Committee’s main goal is to promote, encourage, and teach the game of chess and increase the awareness of the educational value of chess among women in Guyana. There is also the intention to encourage more female players to take part in the sport.
The Women in Chess Community are now offering membership to all girls and females within the federation. This includes all mothers of chess players as well. Please join us as we venture to promote the game of chess within our female community. Please register on guyanachess.org.