The Estonian Embassy in Vilnius honored Paul Keres on the occasion of his 110th birthday on January 7, 2026, with a consultation game played by politicians and diplomats. The two teams were led by grandmasters. The politicians’ team was headed by Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas. Her husband, Peter Heine Nielsen, led the diplomats’ team.
The initiator of the event was the Estonian diplomat Mart Tarmak, himself an enthusiastic chess lover. After completing a degree in chemistry, Mart Tarmak studied Lithuanian and journalism in Vilnius and Portuguese in Lisbon. In the 1990s, he worked as an adviser to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence. In 2006, he began his diplomatic career as Estonia’s ambassador to Portugal and, from 2008, also to Morocco. From 2010 to 2014, he served as Estonia’s ambassador to Finland. He then moved to South America, representing his country until 2022 in Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Colombia.
Mart Tarmak (left), with Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen in the center.
Viktorija Cmilyte was for a time the strongest chess player in Lithuania, among both men and women, and one of the world’s leading female players. In her youth, she won European and World Championship titles in the girls’ categories. She has held the title of Grandmaster since 2010. In 2015, she began her political career as a member of the Seimas. In 2020, she became Speaker of Parliament. Since 2024, she has served as Deputy Speaker. Viktorija Cmilyte has been married to Peter Heine Nielsen since 2013.
Peter Heine Nielsen, left
Peter Heine Nielsen, a grandmaster since 1994, was for many years Denmark’s strongest chess player, winning five national championship titles. In July 2010, he briefly reached an Elo rating of 2700, placing him among the world’s elite players. He represented Denmark at seven Chess Olympiads. Peter Heine Nielsen is also the strongest shogi player in Denmark. As a trainer and second, he assisted Magnus Carlsen during his World Championship matches. Peter Heine Nielsen is an outspoken critic of FIDE, particularly of Russian influence within the world chess federation.
Press release of the embassy on Facebook:
Last week we marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of Estonia’s most outstanding chess Grandmaster Paul Keres with a friendly consultation game at the Embassy, traditionally bringing together diplomats and politicians.
Two teams faced each other: one led by Grandmaster and Deputy Speaker of the Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, and the other by Grandmaster Peter Heine Nielsen. The arbiter of the match was the initiator of the event – our good former colleague Mart Tarmak.
The game was intense and ended in a draw – a true win-win, which is surely a goal worth striving for not only on the chessboard, but also on the board of life in today’s world.
Many thanks to everyone who joined us!
We were especially delighted to see so many young participants taking part
The Estonian Embassy in Vilnius
