Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For more than 50 years, Pia Cramling has been part of the chess world. She was a pioneer.
One of the strongest female players of her generation. A Grandmaster who never wanted to be “the best among women” — only the best, period. In this video, Pia looks back on her life in chess: from being the only woman in open tournaments, to questioning whether chess should remain her life,
to finding balance through family, love, and motherhood. She speaks about pressure, competition, and loneliness and about how chess can also be about joy, friendship, and happiness.
We also hear the story of the Cramling family: Pia, her husband Juan Manuel Bellón López, and their daughter Anna Cramling, who found her own path in chess through streaming and a new generation of fans.
This is not just a story about titles and tournaments. It’s a story about choice, identity, and what chess can truly mean.
Media Attribution
This video includes images licensed under various Creative Commons licenses. All content has been used in accordance with the terms of those licenses.
Attribution has been provided as follows:
Photos
Arturo Pomar et Juan Manuel Bellón © Europe Echecs
Anatoli Karpov et Juan Manuel Bellón © Europe Echecs
Erik Lundin, Pia Cramling et Ferdinand Hellers © Europe Echecs
Juan Manuel Bellón López et Pia Cramling en 1982 à Lucerne © Europe Echecs
Pia Cramling en couverture d'Europe-Echecs : avril 1986 © Europe Echecs
Vasyl Ivanchuk, 2023 by By Stefan64 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143162344
Pia Cramling, Borislava Borisova, Margaretha Aatolainen, Chess Olympiad 1982 in LucerneBy GFHund CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9524016
Pia Cramling, Chess Olympiad 1984 in Saloniki, By GFHund CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9516646
Nona Gaprindashvili, 30 January 1975, By Hans Peters for Anefo commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68068716
Stockholms bokhelg på Hasselbacken. Schackutmaning där allmänheten fick möta schackinfluencern Anna Cramling by Zquid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pia Cramling bei der Schacholympiade in Luzern 1982, by Krtschil, CC BY-SA 4.0
Videos
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess Videos by John Brezina,”Anna Cramling taking photos with fans at Chess Olympiad Budapest" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=QEpsMErRnc4
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess Videos by John Brezina,”Anna Cramling is swarmed by fans at Chess Olympiad opening ceremony" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=aqXmgc4gJ9I
Video excerpt courtesy of Anna Cramling,”5 Common Mistakes BEGINNERS Make in Chess" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=7czaBml3SeI
Video excerpt courtesy of Anna Cramling,”Can My Grandmaster Mom & I Beat MITTENS?" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=xBjwPgOPRa0
Video excerpt courtesy of Balkan chess,”Dzagnidze Nana (GEO 2535)-Cramling Pia(SWE 2491) in tie break Tbilisi 2012" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=mbbn56gty6M
Video excerpt courtesy of GibChess,”Pia Cramling: My Life in Chess" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=k_TVO5xPuOI
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”🎬 FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 | Batumi, Georgia 🇬🇪 | Aftermovie" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=jOmeIp-v81U
For more than 50 years, Pia Cramling has been part of the chess world. She was a pioneer.
One of the strongest female players of her generation. A Grandmaster who never wanted to be “the best among women” — only the best, period. In this video, Pia looks back on her life in chess: from being the only woman in open tournaments, to questioning whether chess should remain her life,
to finding balance through family, love, and motherhood. She speaks about pressure, competition, and loneliness and about how chess can also be about joy, friendship, and happiness.
We also hear the story of the Cramling family: Pia, her husband Juan Manuel Bellón López, and their daughter Anna Cramling, who found her own path in chess through streaming and a new generation of fans.
This is not just a story about titles and tournaments. It’s a story about choice, identity, and what chess can truly mean.
Media Attribution
This video includes images licensed under various Creative Commons licenses. All content has been used in accordance with the terms of those licenses.
Attribution has been provided as follows:
Photos
Arturo Pomar et Juan Manuel Bellón © Europe Echecs
Anatoli Karpov et Juan Manuel Bellón © Europe Echecs
Erik Lundin, Pia Cramling et Ferdinand Hellers © Europe Echecs
Juan Manuel Bellón López et Pia Cramling en 1982 à Lucerne © Europe Echecs
Pia Cramling en couverture d'Europe-Echecs : avril 1986 © Europe Echecs
Vasyl Ivanchuk, 2023 by By Stefan64 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143162344
Pia Cramling, Borislava Borisova, Margaretha Aatolainen, Chess Olympiad 1982 in LucerneBy GFHund CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9524016
Pia Cramling, Chess Olympiad 1984 in Saloniki, By GFHund CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9516646
Nona Gaprindashvili, 30 January 1975, By Hans Peters for Anefo commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68068716
Stockholms bokhelg på Hasselbacken. Schackutmaning där allmänheten fick möta schackinfluencern Anna Cramling by Zquid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pia Cramling bei der Schacholympiade in Luzern 1982, by Krtschil, CC BY-SA 4.0
Videos
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess Videos by John Brezina,”Anna Cramling taking photos with fans at Chess Olympiad Budapest" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=QEpsMErRnc4
Video excerpt courtesy of Chess Videos by John Brezina,”Anna Cramling is swarmed by fans at Chess Olympiad opening ceremony" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=aqXmgc4gJ9I
Video excerpt courtesy of Anna Cramling,”5 Common Mistakes BEGINNERS Make in Chess" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=7czaBml3SeI
Video excerpt courtesy of Anna Cramling,”Can My Grandmaster Mom & I Beat MITTENS?" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=xBjwPgOPRa0
Video excerpt courtesy of Balkan chess,”Dzagnidze Nana (GEO 2535)-Cramling Pia(SWE 2491) in tie break Tbilisi 2012" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=mbbn56gty6M
Video excerpt courtesy of GibChess,”Pia Cramling: My Life in Chess" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=k_TVO5xPuOI
Video excerpt courtesy of FIDE chess,”🎬 FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 | Batumi, Georgia 🇬🇪 | Aftermovie" retrieved from Youtube:youtube.com/watch?v=jOmeIp-v81U
