Cramlings Make Surprise TV Appearance: 'A Triumph For Chess'
The Swedish chess community had an unforgettable moment this week when living legend GM Pia Cramling and her daughter WFM Anna Cramling made a surprise appearance on national television during one of Sweden's most-watched events.
The duo took the stage at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm during Idrottsgalan, Sweden's annual sports gala, on Monday. The prestigious award show celebrates the nation's top athletic achievements in the past year and is one of the nation's most-watched shows with two million viewers.
The Cramlings were invited to the stage and given the honor of presenting the Best Female Athlete (an award that went to swimmer Sarah Sjostrom). The presence of the two stars on stage brought chess into the limelight, a rare occurrence in Sweden.
You can watch the moment in this video below:
The 61-year-old said: "When I was 10 years old I joined my big brother to the chess club. I had no idea how the game worked, but there, the first night, the pieces came to life and a new magical world opened for me. That's the place I wanted to be, and I didn't even need to talk."
Anna followed up with a touching tribute to her mother, talking about how much of an inspiration she had been. She recounted the fulfillment of her dream of playing her mother in a tournament. The mother and daughter finally got to meet in the 2024 European Women's Blitz Chess Championship in Monaco this month, a game that ended in a draw.
Pia is the fifth woman to earn the grandmaster title, which she did in 1992. She was the highest-rated woman on three occassions in the 80s, but has remained one of the strongest female players for four decades. Her peak rating was 2550 in 2008.
Anna, at 22 years old, is carving her own path in the chess world. She has represented Sweden in the Chess Olympiad three times and has built a significant following through her online presence, thanks to her 1.4 million YouTube subscribers. Her influence extends beyond the board, as she is now playing a signifcant role in growing the chess interest in her own country.
An emotional Anna shared this with her 712,000 Instagram followers:
"What a DREAM to be able to present the prize of ’Female Athlete of the Year’ in Sweden together with my mother. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have an opportunity to do so, but here we are. Chess is becoming bigger everywhere & I’m so happy to see it 🫶♟️"
Chess is becoming bigger everywhere & I’m so happy to see it.
—Anna Cramling on her Sports Gala appearance
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Ingemar Falk, a journalist who covers news for the Swedish Chess Federation's official site, noted that it was a historic moment for Swedish sports.
Speaking to Chess.com he calls the appearance of the Cramlings a huge moment that surprised the Swedish chess community. "Chess is about to be recognized as a sport in Sweden, but nobody expected them to appear on stage for millions of viewers," he said. "It's a triumph for chess to appear on the Sports Gala."
Falk noted that the Swedish Chess Federation is currently considering an application to join the the national sports federation. While neighboring Norway has experienced a chess boom over the past 15 years thanks to a certain national hero, Sweden has struggled to achieve similar growth. Anna’s popularity is beginning to change that.
“Anna is a media phenomenon. She is always happy and positive, and she has been successful in engaging readers and viewers,” Falk explained.
Anna is a media phenomenon. She is always happy and positive, and she has been successful in engaging readers and viewers.
— Ingemar Falk on Anna Cramling
He notes that Anna's participation in Förrädarna (The Traitors), a hit Swedish reality show, has established Anna's status as a celebrity in Sweden. "If Pia is the grandmaster on the board, Anna is the grandmaster in front of the camera."
Falk thinks Anna has played a pivotal role in growing the interest in chess in Sweden. "She has clearly played a role in helping chess grow, with more members and chess clubs," he says, adding:
"What Anna is doing is that she captures the interest among young adults between 15 and 25 years old, both with men and women, a group that has been difficult to reach in the past. Thanks to her, that group is now growing. She succeeded in sharing the fact that chess is cool."
Tarjei J. Svensen is a Norwegian chess journalist who worked for some of the country's biggest media outlets and appeared on several national TV broadcasts. Between 2015 and 2019, he ran his chess website mattogpatt.no, covering chess news in Norwegian and partly in English.
In 2020, he was hired by Chess24 to cover chess news, eventually moving to Chess.com as a full-time chess journalist in 2023. He is also known for his extensive coverage of chess news on his X/Twitter account.
