For the first time, an equal chess tournament for women is being held, where the prize pool is as large as in the open class. The Norway Chess Women’s Tournament takes place at the same time as Norway Chess, simultaneously and with the same number of players.

– I am very proud that EY has been involved in getting this tournament for women in place, it has been an important priority for us since we became the Queen Sponsor three years ago. This year’s tournament represents a historic shift in tactics, says CEO of EY, Christin Bøsterud.

Bøsterud has fought for more equality, sustainability, and what the sport of chess can do for women’s opportunities in business for many years.

– Unfortunately, it is a fact that there is still a long way to go in the land of equality, Norway. Sports is one of the areas that lags the most, and in chess, the differences are marked: Women struggle to balance time for training with income-generating work, and only two to three percent of international chess grandmasters are women. This limits the opportunities for female chess players to train, win competitions with the big prizes, and receive sponsorship funds, explains Bøsterud.

In EY, there are 14 corporate sports teams, where EY chess is one of them. Bøsterud says that the chess fever in EY is high these days.

– At EY, we facilitate our employees having the opportunity to engage in activities they enjoy, which is why we have a hybrid work model that allows our employees to decide from where and when they want to work, in consultation with clients, colleagues, and immediate leaders, Bøsterud explains and adds:

– There is high activity in the chess team these days, an internal chess tournament was recently held where the winner won a trip to the final days of Norway Chess in Stavanger, and at the beginning of June, a social chess tournament will be held that everyone can participate in. I would like to extend a big congratulations to Sebastian M Schjerven from Drammen, she says.

Finally, Bøsterud has a challenge for business and media. She believes that although the equal chess tournament is both historic and important, this tournament should represent the first of many.

– To succeed with more women’s tournaments, some important prerequisites must be in place: Media and business must enter the field. We encourage the media to both highlight issues and possible solutions within chess and take responsibility for giving women’s tournaments TV time. At the same time, the business community should support good initiatives and tournaments. We must be part of the change, she concludes.