About us
Let us please introduce you to our ladies team that will be working in the “Commission For Women’s Chess” in ECU. We share not only a love and passion for chess, but also a desire to improve and strengthen the women’s role in chess: whether players, trainers, arbiters or organizers, etc.
We are happy to share with you all the news about women’s chess in Europe like tournaments, calendars, seminars and many other exciting events. Do not forget to follow us on Facebook to be sure you do not miss anything. And please feel free to share with us your suggestions for the improvements or just leave us your feedback, we are here to listen and support you!
Our main long- and short-term goals and objectives are:
- promoting and supporting women’s participation in chess and in the chess tournaments;
- building and strengthening a network of female chess community in Europe;
- encouraging and supporting European chess federations to create a women’s commission;
- providing support to initiatives and projects that positively enhance women’s role in chess;
- increasing interest and number of female trainers, arbiters and organizers by organizing online workshops and seminars for them;
- organizing online chess tournaments and supporting organizers to increase the number of norm’s events in Europe for female chess players
Regina Theissl Pokorna (Chairman)
My whole life is from this beautiful sport influenced and I‘m very thankful for that. I was born in Bratislava and learnt how to play chess at the age of 4.. I like to say that Caissa sent me my former trainer GM Jan Plachetka with whom I was lucky to celebrate one of my nicest achievements, like Junior & Team European Champion in 1999, 7.Place at the Olympiad in Calvia 2004.
I sacrificed a lot for chess, but also got many positive things back.
I‘ve been travelling a lot, managed to win several strong tournaments and got to know many wonderful „chess“ people.
Hobbies:
Sport, Reading, Traveling, Foreign languages
Favourite player
Michael Adams
Anatoly Karpov
Favourite chess piece
A pair of Bishops
Favourite chess book
Lessons with a Grandmaster
from Boris Gulko
If” doesn’t exist in sport. That’s the real thing. If, if, if – never comes. The thing is, you have to do it.
Marija Lukic (Secretary)
I was born in Belgrade and learned to play chess at the age of 6. Very quickly, I wanted to become an arbiter and coach.
I founded the chess club at the age of 19, and since then I have been working with the children of the chess school. Also, I really liked being the organizer of many domestic and international tournaments and chess camps for children. As a teacher, I taught chess as an elective subject in schools in Serbia for 9 years.
Hobbies:
Taekwondo, Skiing, Practical Shooting I.P.S.C.; Reading, Travelling
Favourite player
Svetozar Gligoric
Favourite chess piece
King
Favourite chess book
I play against pieces
I have always a slight feeling of pity for the man who has no knowledge of chess, just as I would pity the man who has remained ignorant of love. Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make man happy.
Elina Danielian (Councilor)
I learnt to play chess when I was about 5 years old. Since that time I achieved many titles in youth chess as well as in my entire chess career.
One of my significant achievement was in 2021 when I became European Women Champion. And until now I’m an active player. It’s all because I like to play chess, to create, to find ideas and simply to fight over the board.
Hobbies:
Spor, Traveling, Music
Favourite player
Jose Raul Capablanca
Anatoly Karpov
Favourite chess piece
Knight
Favourite chess book
“Candidates Tournament” Zurich 1953
by David Bronstein
Whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.
Agnieszka Milewska (Councilor)
l was born in Augustów in Poland. Since my childhood I was playing chess in the club and with my family. Chess was always a big part of my family life. We play before and we play now. Since I moved to England, I have started working in Chess in Schools and Communities and support children learning chess at schools. I have become Fide Arbiter and National Instructor. I’m as well Director of the Women’s Chess in England. I would like to encourage more Woman and girls to play chess.
Hobbies:
Basketball, Table Tennis, Music
Favourite player
David Howell
Favourite chess piece
Knight and Queen
Favourite chess book
Think Like a Super-GM
by Michael Adams and Philip Hurtado
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
Elena-Luminița Cosma (Councilor)
Date and place of birth: 22.01.1972 Bucharest
WGM (1994), FT, FA
Engineer (Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Science – University Politehnica of Bucharest)
World Junior Champion 1990 and Vice-champion in 1988,1989,1992
13 participations at the Olympiad (1 silver board medal), 11 participations at European Team Championship (2 team’s medals, the best result of EWTC Batumi 1999)
Hobbies:
Reading, movies, board games
Favourite player
Viswanathan Anand
Favourite chess piece
Rook
Favourite chess book
„My Great Predecessors”
Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do.
Lilli Hahn (Councilor)
Chess has been a part of my life ever since I can remember! In my youth, I spent most of the time behind the board myself. Once I grew older, I got more and more involved in organizational tasks. I was a member of the German Chess Youth Federation committee, a co-founder of the ChessSports Association and organized numerous chess events. Thereby the topic closest to my heart has always been to get more girls and women into chess, and make sure the ones that already play feel comfortable and welcome in our chess community.
Hobbies:
Tennis, Badminton, Hiking, Travelling
Favourite player
Pia Cramling
Favourite chess piece
Bishop
Favourite chess book
Chess Queens: The True Story of a Chess Champion and the Greatest Female Players of All Time
by Jennifer Shahade
Marianna Stefanidi (Advisor)
Chess appeared very early in my life and was meant to be my first love. I was born in Athens , my uncles are chess Trainers and they are the reason why I am so passionate about our noble game. Apart from organizing chess events and tournaments or playing chess whenever there is some free time in my schedule, I am also board member of Greek Chess Federation, Chair of Kallithea Chess Club, Chair of Greek Women’s Commission and Owner of Shah Mat Masters Chess Academy.
Hobbies:
Travelling, baking and keep learning
Favourite player
Stavroula Tsolakidou
Favourite chess piece
The Knight
Favourite chess book
Chess Middlegames by Laszlo Polgar
Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.