More Girls and Women Joining Janus Open II

It’s fair to say that not many girls or women are active in the Faroese chess scene — something we believe should change. That’s why we’ve made a special effort to encourage female participation in Janus Open II.

When major international team tournaments are held abroad, it’s common for the Faroe Islands to send a men’s team, but not a women’s team. The same was true recently, when the European Team Championship took place in Georgia. We hope that this will change in the future.

At the European Championship in Georgia, our neighbors from Iceland participated with both a men’s and a women’s team. We are pleased to announce that all five players from the Icelandic women’s team will take part in Janus Open II.

In addition to the Icelandic national players, 12 other girls and women have registered. We hope this will inspire more interest in women’s chess in the Faroe Islands — encouraging more to take up the game, and perhaps leading the Faroese Chess Federation to register a women’s team for future international events.

Photo caption: The Icelandic women’s team at the European Championship in Georgia. From left: Ingvar Thor Johannesson (Team Leader), Hallgerður Helga Þorsteinsdóttir, Lenka Ptacnikova, Jóhanna Björg Jóhannsdóttir, Guðrún Fanney Briem, and Iðunn Helgadóttir.