In February 2021, Atmos International (Atmos) participated in the first World Corporate Chess Championship organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The tournament was held between February 19 and February 20 and more than 250 companies from around the world participated in it.
The idea to take part in the tournament came from Atmos Engineer, Mario Fernández from the Costa Rican office, who is also a professional chess master.
Atmos had four registered teams and a total of 17 participants. Over two days, colleagues had the opportunity to face players from different companies with varying levels of experience and ability.
Ahead of the tournament, Mario provided lessons and coaching to the other Atmos participants, who were not so experienced in playing chess. For some it was the first time for them to play competitive chess, for others it was the first time playing the game!
Mario added: “It was great to have the participation of our colleagues from the United States, United Kingdom and Costa Rica. It’s a great demonstration of how brilliant we are together”.
Regarding the makeup of the teams, FIDE stipulated that each group should have at least one female member. Carin Meyer said: “At the beginning I was quite nervous, it really was my first-time playing chess and it was in a tournament. I think there was no better way to get started. With Mario's guidance and the support of the other colleagues it ended up being a wonderful experience”.
For Atmos, teamwork, or better known as one of our core values “being brilliant together” is very important, especially during the recent challenging times of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
That’s why Atmos’ CEO, Jun Zhang supported the initiative without any hesitation: “It is important that these initiatives are available to our colleagues, I am proud of the participation of our teams in the championship”, she commented.
By taking part in the championship, Atmos and other companies were able to support different initiatives such as FIDE’s social program which includes providing access to chess for people with disabilities and an aid program for chess veterans.