International Chess Federation (FIDE) recognized Kazakhstan for its support of women’s chess. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at what the country did to attract the federation’s attention.
Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Gulmira Dauletova received a certificate of appreciation on Sept. 22 at the annual meeting of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess (WOM), held alongside the 46th Chess Olympiad and FIDE Congress. Dauletova was recognized for her efforts to advance and support women’s chess worldwide.
Dauletova has been working with the Kazakhstan Chess Federation since 2015 and was appointed executive director in November 2022. She is a Woman Grandmaster, a bronze medalist at the Chess Olympiad, a three-time champion of Kazakhstan and an Asian Youth Chess Championship winner in the Girls U18 category. She has also competed in seven Olympiads and three World Cups.
«Great attention is paid to women’s chess in Kazakhstan. The country’s championship prize pool is the same for both men and women. And, of course, this is a great achievement for us. I express my gratitude to FIDE for this recognition of my work. And many thanks to our Kazakhstan Chess Federation President Timur Turlov, who supports all these initiatives,» Dauletova said.
Kazakhstan also hosts the Qazaq Queens Chess Fest and participates in international projects run by FIDE and WOM. In 2023, the women’s national team won silver at the World Team Chess Championship, followed by another silver at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest. At the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Kazakhstan is also among the teams with the highest starting ratings.
The recognition came ahead of the FIDE presidential election, which will be held on Sept. 26. Kazakhstan Chess Federation President Timur Turlov is running for FIDE president.
