WGM Anna Burtasova

Anna Burtasova is ACC’s Resident Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She is a consultant and advisor to the club's board. She also lectures and conducts simuls, and advises ACC’s members and invited guests. 

Salim Belcadi, President of Annex Chess Club, says that … “Anna is a superb addition to our ACC team. With her experience playing high-level chess and doing media coverage of important chess events, ACC will be well-positioned to handle additional future growth and also attract more women chess players to the Club. Anna recently participated in our 2022 Ontario Open and we were very impressed with her natural enthusiasm and interview skills during that event. She has a warm and friendly personality but plays chess like a tigress!"

Background and Accomplishments

Anna Burtasova is currently FIDE’s Website and Social Media Manager. Here is a link to a Globe and Mail article published in March 2022 about her.

In 2021, Anna held Board #3 for Canada’s mixed team (men/women) at FIDE’s Online Chess Olympiad (an online event in response to Covid-19). She finished third on her team, with a score of 4.0 pts. out of the 6 games she played in the 9-round event. 

Anna earned her WGM title in 2009.

In 2013, Chessbase noted that Anna “has a nice list of achievements including under 14 Russian vice champion and under 16 champion, as well as winner of tournaments like Mondariz, Kharkov and Jakarta. She also graduated as a lawyer from Vladimir State University, moved to Moscow and worked as an editor and reporter for the Russian Chess Federation website. Later, Anna joined the FIDE Chess in Schools Commission as General Coordinator. Her articles have been published in chess magazines like 64 Chess Review, New in Chess, Schachmagazin 64, Schach, etc. and of course she provided a few great articles for ChessBase.”

In May 2013, Anna joined the ChessTV team as an editor and reporter, and she interviewed Viswanathan Anand prior to his 2013 World Championship Match with Magnus Carlsen. Here is a link to that interview which she did for Chessbase. 

Anna notes that ChessTV was subsequently reorganized as ChessCast and during the years 2014-2018, she was the General Manager of this new company which produced official live streams of major chess events including Olympiads, World Team Championships, and both Candidates and World Championship matches. Here is a link to an article where Anna is interviewed about ChessCast’s coverage of the 2018 Candidates Tournament.

There are many YouTube videos showing Anna’s fine commentating and analytical skills. Here is an example of one from the 2019 World Team Championships, Round 9.