This week on Perpetual Chess we feature two chess enthusiasts who are driving initiatives to improve the chess world. 1) Emilia Castelao is a History Grad Student, Chess Photographer and Chess History student, who is collaborating with Mr. Dodgy to launch the Women in Chess Foundation. Their mission is to advocate for and empower women in the chess community. Emilia has a broad vision for the foundation, but the first order of business is to ensure a safe competitive environment for tournament players. With this goal in mind, the foundation is training on site advocates to volunteer at tournaments all over the world. In our conversation, we also discuss Emilia’s chess background and the roots of her enthusiasm for chess photography and history. 2) Craig Dubose is an Ireland based dad and relatively recent chess enthusiast. Craig believes that more can be done to convert new chess fans into tournament players, and is running an annual tournament in Ireland, The Sligo Chess Tournament. Craig runs this tournament on a not-for-profit basis with the aim to improve the playing experience of area chess enthusiasts. Craig and his team made a documentary about last year’s event, which you can see you here. In our conversation, Craig discusses the challenges and rewards of running such a tournament, and shares tips for anyone interested in starting to run their own tournaments. 

As always, timestamps of guests interviewed and topics discussed can be found below. 

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3:15- Emilia Castelao joins the pod to discuss a new initiative called the Women’s Chess Foundation. 

Mentioned: Lula Roberts, Mr. Dodgy 

To volunteer to become an advocate go to:

https://www.womeninchess.com/

19:00- Emilia discusses her background and her interest in chess history

Mentioned: Endgame by Dr. Frank Brady, Chess Notes by Edward Winter, Profile of a Prodigy, Episode X with Dr. Frank Brady 

26:00- What got her into chess photography?

28:00- Does Emilia play and study chess much? 

32:00- Thanks to Emilia for joining the pod!

Keep up with the Women in Chess Foundation here:

https://www.womeninchess.com/

Follow her on Twitter/X here:

https://twitter.com/emiliacastelao

33:00- Craig Dubose joins the podcast to discuss the background of the upcoming Sligo tournament in Ireland. 

Mentioned: Welcome to Wrexham, Word Wars 

45:00- Is it a priority to recruit titled players to compete in the tournament?

48:00- Why does Craig run the tournament on a non-profit basis? 

52:00- Is it challenging to find a venue for a chess tournament?

58:00- What is Craig’s advice for anyone interested in running a weekend tournament? 

59:00- Patreon mailbag question: Does Craig have a plan for what would happen if were no longer able to run his tournaments? 

1:01:30- Does Craig get to play much?

1:04:00- Thanks to Craig for joining the pod! You can learn more about the Sligo tournament here: https://itsligochesstournament.ie/

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