First local – and female – international chess champion
Guernsey’s International Chess Festival has had its first local champion.
Arita Strade won the local tournament and also became the first woman to win the event.
It has been a busy time for the chess player, who, as well as being named the open tournament champion in Guernsey, also achieved the title of Women Fide Master at the 45th Fide Chess Olympiad in Hungary the month before the local event.
‘I have played chess all my life since the age of five,’ said Miss Strade, who hails from Latvia.
She began playing regularly in her local club at the age of seven. She has lived in Guernsey since October 2015.
Miss Strade was pleasantly surprised at her win.
‘Talent is sometimes just locked away and you need to find it deep within,’ she said.
‘I’m surprised at being the first woman, as I firmly believe it doesn’t matter too much on gender.’
Despite being a sport of the mind, of all Federation Internationale des Echecs-rated chess players, only just over 10% are female.
Miss Strade’s most significant chess moments include winning the division one league in Guernsey, winning the Channel Island Board 1 Trophy against Jersey, finishing 56th out of over 900 women at the Fide Chess Olympiad, and winning the Chess International Festival in Guernsey.
She started the week-long event at St James by holding visiting grandmaster Keith Arkell to a draw in a Blitz tournament, when the match with her was the only one of 19 that he failed to win.
Chess is popular in Latvia with frequent tournaments and competitions and Miss Strade has played thousands of games.
‘I knew from the moment I played it mixed perfectly with my inquisitiveness, my strength in logic and learning strategy,’ she said.
‘It was one of those things that fit me like a glove.’
She said that chess was important, even critical, to her happiness. It was an escape from a difficult childhood, which she has built on during her time in Guernsey, making a better life for herself and her son.
She has started her own cleaning business locally, and has been part of the Guernsey Chess Federation and Club since 2016.
‘Chess can help with problem-solving and is a game for all characters, playing daily, even for a few minutes is good for me,’ she said.
