Women's chess in Australia has been occurring since the 1930s and competitive chess tournaments in Australia were taking place on a state level by 1934.
Women's chess in Australia has been occurring since the 1930s and competitive chess tournaments in Australia were taking place on a state level by 1934.
During the 1930s, women were encouraged to play chess because the sport was not seen as a bridge to gambling. [1] In 1940, a study of 314 women in New Zealand and Australia was done. Most of the women in the study were middle class, conservative, Protestant and white. The study found that 183 participated in sport. The ninth most popular sport that these women participated in was chess, with 3 having played the sport. The sport was tied with croquet, billiards, chess, fishing, field hockey, horse racing, squash, table tennis and shooting. [2]
There were chess championships for women being organised by the 1940s. [3] A New South Wales's women's championship was held in 1936, [4] 1939 [5] and 1941. [6]
As at January 2015, the following players are the top FIDE rated Australian female players: [7]
Other top Australian female chess players, who are no longer regular tournament competitors, include Arianne Caoili (died 2020), Katrin Aladjova, Laura Moylan, Daniela Nutu-Gajic, and Ngan Phan-Koshnitsky.
The Australian Women's Chess Championship has not been held since 1999 due to lack of interest by the Australian Chess Federation and the top women players of the time. The title of Australian Women's Champion is now awarded to the top finishing woman in the biennial Australian Open, subject to conditions being met.
The Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is largely restricted to Australian chess players, although it is common to allow a small number of strong overseas players to compete. The highest-scoring eligible player holds the title of Australian Chess Champion until the next tournament is held. The tournament format is normally a restricted Swiss system, and in case of a tie for first place, a playoff match or tournament is conducted.
Arianne Bo Caoili was a Filipino-Australian chess player. She held the FIDE title of Woman International Master, won the Oceania women's chess championship in 2009 and competed in seven Women's Chess Olympiads. Outside of chess, she was a financial consultant, and served as advisor to Armenian prime minister Karen Karapetyan.
Gregory (Gary) Koshnitsky was an Australian chess master.
Alisa Marić, PhD is a Serbian chess player who holds the FIDE titles of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (WIM).
The Women's World Chess Championship 2010 took place in Antakya, Turkey from December 2 through 24, 2010.
The Women's World Chess Championship 2001 took place from November 25 to December 14, 2001 in Moscow, Russia. It was won by Zhu Chen, who beat Alexandra Kosteniuk in the final by 5 to 3. The final was tied 2–2 after the classical games and decided in the rapid tie-breaks.
Women were involved with horse racing in Australia by the 1890s. Since then, they have owned horses, rode horses, gambled on horses and attended the races. Their participation in the sport was hampered because of a lack of facilities and participation rates were not as high as other sports.
In 1940, a study of 314 women in New Zealand and Australia was done. Most of the women in the study were middle class, conservative, Protestant and white. The study found that 183 participated in sport. The ninth most popular sport that these women participated in was squash, with three having played the sport. The sport was tied with croquet, billiards, chess, fishing, field hockey, horse racing, squash, table tennis and shooting.
Australia's fishing has been both an essential cultural pastime for women in pre-European Australia, and as a sport in recent times.
Irina Berezina is an Australian chess International Master and trainer, and five-time Oceania women's chess champion. She was born in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Katrin Aladjova-Kusznirczuk is a Bulgarian-Australian chess Woman FIDE Master (WFM).
Ngan Phan-Koshnitsky is a Vietnamese-Australian chess player holding the title of Woman International Master (WIM). She is now known as Ngan Nadalin.
Biljana Dekić is a chess Woman International Master who has represented Australia in eleven Chess Olympiads.
Emma Guo is an Australian chess player holding the FIDE title of Woman International Master (WIM). She won the Oceania Women's Chess Championship in 2015.
Daniela Nuțu-Gajić is a Romanian Australian chess Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and chess trainer. She represented Romania in seven Chess Olympiads, winning five medals, including two individual gold medals. She won the Romanian Women's Chess Championship three times in 1978, 1979 and 1980, the Yugoslav Women's Chess Championship in 1989, and the Australian Women's Chess Championship in 1995.
Narelle Kellner was an Australian chess player who held the title of Woman International Master. She was a two-time winner of the Australian Women's Chess Championship.
Maria Lucia Ratna Sulistya, also known as Maria Lucia Ratna or Maria Lucia Sulistya, is an Indonesian chess player. She received the FIDE title of Woman International Master (WIM) in 1993 abd is a two-time Indonesian Women's Chess Championship winner.
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