Kjell Madland

Founder and tournament director of Norway Chess
Co-Founder and board member of Norway Summit

Kjell has a long background from business. He started his own construction company at 22 years old and has since held leader positions in several companies, including managing director for a Norwegian soccer team playing in 1^st division. One of his strengths is to increase company revenue and earnings significantly.

Kjell is the mastermind behind the Norway Chess tournament and the initater of the Norway Summit conference. He has been the main driver in Norway Chess from the idea to the international brand its become today. He has done all the major business deals for the companies and is still a vital driver and a hands-on force within the companies. He is uniqely creative and has the ability to always think outside the box.

Benedicte Westre Skog

Co-Owner and General Manager of Norway Chess, 
Managing Director and co-founder of Norway Summit

Benedicte has an international background spending big parts of her life abroad living and studying in different countries. She holds an MSc in International Development from Utrecht University, the Netherlands and an interdisciplinary BA Honors degree from Dalhousie University, Canada. She has also studied in India, Mexico and Norway.

She has been working with Norway Chess since 2015 as project manager after joining the board in 2014.

She has been instrumental in the creation of the Norway Summit conference in Stavanger, which is an extension to Norway Chess, aiming to create a space for business, technology, finance and sustainability, particularly building bridges between Norway and innovation eco-systems around the world.

In 2014 she founded a non-profit organization, Argan Care, which has reached great achievements in Morocco. Argan Care focuses on reforestation projects, literacy training and creates employment opportunities in southwestern Morocco, in particular for women.

DEA MAIOLI EGELI

Marketing Manager, Norway Chess og Norway Summit

Dea works as the Marketing Manager for Norway Chess and Norway Summit, and she leads the company’s marketing and communication work.

Dea has a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Marketing from the University of East London and Digital Marketing through Noroff.

She has previous experience from, among other places, a media agency, Stavanger Concert Hall, and the EV charging company amina charging. Outside of work, she is active as a board member in the Marketing Association in Stavanger (Markedsføringsforeningen i Stavanger).

Maria Fragkaki

Social Media Manager

Maria, originally from Greece, studied Mathematics at the University of Crete, followed by Marketing and Management at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh.

With over a decade of experience in Digital Marketing, including four years dedicated specifically to the chess industry, Maria has collaborated with 42 companies across diverse locations such as Greece, London, India, Brussels, Norway, Berlin, and Amsterdam.

In 2020, she founded her own freelance social media branding company, Lemonpie Agency, and became an official social media trainer for Google in Greece. Currently, Maria is the Social Media Manager of Norway Chess.

Anastasia Sorokina

Chief arbiter

Anémone Kulczak

Arbiter

Anémone is a French international arbiter. She became a national arbiter in 2004, an international arbiter in 2010, and has trained over 200 French arbiters since 2007.

She served on the French Chess Federation’s steering committee (2013–2021) and is now on the board of its National Training Institute. Anémone has arbitrated over 100 tournaments, including several times as Chief Arbiter at Norway Chess and as Sector Arbiter at the 2014 Tromsø Olympiad.

Marco Biagioli

Marco is an Italian International Arbiter (Category A’) and a FIDE, ECU, and Italian Chess Federation official. He became an International Arbiter in 2018 and achieved Category A’ status in 2019.

Marco serves as Secretary of the FIDE Rules Commission, Data Protection Officer for FIDE, and Legal Advisor to the ECU Arbiters’ Council. He is also President of the MITROPA Chess Association and the Veneto regional league of the Italian Chess Federation, overseeing tournament authorizations in Italy.

With over 300 events in his 20-year career, Marco has held key roles at all levels, from local tournaments to World Championships. In 2020, he was awarded the Bombelli Prize for Best Arbiter of 2018.

He and his wife, WGM Aleksandra Dimitrijević, run the Mitropa Chess Academy.

Ulkar Umudova

Arbiter

Ulkar is an International Arbiter, chess trainer, and founder of Azerbaijan’s first private chess school. She has been involved in chess since 1997 and became a FIDE Arbiter in 2007, earning her International Arbiter title in 2009.

Since then, she has officiated at numerous national and international tournaments, serving as an arbiter, deputy chief, and chief arbiter. She is also a Fair Play Expert and an active member of FIDE’s WOM Commission, where she has led multiple projects.

In 2013, Ulkar established AĞ AT (“White Knight”), Azerbaijan’s first private chess school, which now operates three branches and trains over 300 students.

Agapi Ter-Avetisjana

Fair Play Expert

Agapi is the youngest FIDE Arbiter in Latvia, a Fair Play Expert, and the organizer of the Riga Christmas Chess Festival. Alongside her dedication to chess, she is pursuing a law degree at the University of Latvia. Her chess journey began in 2017 as a volunteer, and since then, she has officiated at prestigious international events, including the World Junior Rapid & Blitz Championship and the World Chess Olympiad.

Lasse Østebø Løvik

Fair Play Expert

Lasse is a chess coach, and organizer in Stavanger, as well as an International Master. He serves as the President of the Norwegian Chess Federation and Stavanger Youth Chess Club. For years, he was also an active member of the Norwegian Youth Chess Federation until its recent merger.

Lasse has been working on “Fair Play” and anti-cheating efforts both online and over the board for several years. In 2022, he was invited to join FIDE’s Fair Play Commission, and he currently holds the title of “Fair Play Expert.” His most recent assignments included the Chess Olympiad and the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2024.

Thanasis Serntedakis

Mehmet Ismail

Game Theory Expert

Mehmet is currently a lecturer in economics at King’s College London’s Department of Political Economy, and has a diverse academic background. He holds a PhD in Economics from Maastricht University and during this period, he had the opportunity to work with esteemed game theorist and political scientist, Steven Brams, at New York University. Mehmet also holds a masters in applied mathematics from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and spent a semester at Bielefeld University as part of the Erasmus Mundus QEM programme.

Beyond academia, Mehmet is an ardent chess enthusiast and a former professional backgammon player. His passion for games goes much further than just playing; he is intrigued by the multifaceted world of games, exploring everything from theoretical foundations and practical applications to game design, fairness and gameplay itself.