World chess champions Dana Reizniece-Ozola and Anastasia Sorokina are in New Zealand as part of a global initiative by the World Chess Federation to promote chess, especially among women and girls.
Dana Reizniece-Ozola is the deputy chair on the board of the World Chess Federation, FIDE. She is a Woman Grand Master, and is also the former Latvian Minister of Economics and Minister of Finance.
Anastasia Sorokina is a Woman International Master, the chair of FIDE's Women's Commission and was the president of the Belarus Chess Federation for several years.
Their tour comes as chess is experiencing a surge in popularity, boosted in part by the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, as well as the success of TV shows like The Queen's Gambit on Netflix.
The world's the largest online chess platform, chess.com, now has more than 100 million members, with over 10 million games of chess played per day.
Dana Reizniece-Ozola and Anastasia Sorokina are visiting New Zealand as part of a global initiative by the World Chess Federation to promote chess, especially among women and girls Photo: Supplied
