 Welcome back. It is round five at Gibraltar chess and we're delighted to have another guest the Honourable Samantha Sacramento Minister for equality and justice. Welcome Samantha and thank you for joining us. So my first question to you is I was reading up before you joined the show and I saw you at the first Minister for equality here in Gibraltar so tell us a bit about that. Well it's very exciting and it's a huge honour for me to be the first Minister for equality that Gibraltar's ever had. We came into government in 2011 and it was something that as a government we felt very strongly about so we introduced that as a portfolio and I'm very honoured to be Gibraltar's first Minister for equality. So yeah it's great. Can you maybe tell us a bit about what has been done in those nine years in that department? Yeah well equality essentially means that we are looking at all the protected strands like gender equality and disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and what we've done is really the priority for our department is to make sure that discrimination in those protected strands don't exist and that we also implement any policies or training to make sure that we prevent discrimination from happening. So it's a very fulfilling job and it's a very exciting job. I'm very fortunate in that because it's something that never existed before. I pretty much had a blank canvas to be able to develop. That's actually, I have to say I'll have to read more about it. I find it fascinating and I find it especially fascinating because here at the tournament Gibraltar it is known as the home of women chess so we have not only a lot of women players but also players from pretty much any continent, every age. You told me you have been upstairs in the playing house so I guess that's something you must be happy to see. Well yes and I know that it's developing. I know that we have more women year on year. Tonight you have the battle of the sexes and it's something that's always a highlight. I know and Gibraltar has a specific prize for women and I know that in the past there's been criticism of that prize but here is the evidence as to why that prize is so important. That prize is here to attract women. Chess is a game that is truly a game that represents equality. There's nothing that a man can do that a woman can't do and because there was historically an under-representation of women in the game it's initiatives like this and initiatives like the specific prize that we have in the women's game that attracts more women to the game and clearly more women to the festival as I understand it we've got more women this year than we ever have. Absolutely I couldn't agree more. I am a women's chess player myself so I'm very happy to see what is being done here in the support to women's chess. I know it's also partly thanks to the support, the continued support of the government so on my behalf and behalf I think of everyone and every chess player and fans around the world so thank you for that. Let me ask you about the chess. Do you play chess yourself? No I don't and I've been involved with the chess festival for many years now because I used to be the Minister for Tourism so I used to be very involved with it when I was the Minister for Tourism and I am ashamed to say that every year I do this interview every year I promise that I'm going to learn to play chess. We have a man behind the camera with the white man for the job still at Congress. But it's not his fault I have to say it's absolutely my fault because I always say I'm going to pursue it and ask him to teach me and I never do. Next year? Well I've got a year from now to next year's tournament and hopefully we should make it a point that I need to make a point of learning. Absolutely you do it's a great game and I think one of the beautiful things about chess is it's never too late so we'll be holding you to it. I have one more question I saw you assumed office in 2011 which is actually my first time I played here in 2011 and so I've just come back now and the tournament has come such a long way since then I think every year there's been improvements and as you said you have been Minister for Tourism so how did you see the tournament develop through the years? Well I think that it goes without saying that we really have to credit Brian Callahan who has developed the tournament into the success that it is. It was you know it was his idea he's developed it into the success that it is and you know you're a player you've participated. You know that the reputation that the Gibraltar tournament has internationally it is the best open in the world. It just improves year on year it just gets better and better and you know we're here at the tournament and we look at it and we look at its success and we see how it changes and the dynamic and how it's so interactive nowadays. Everyone even if you're not participating in the tournament you can see every single game that's happening online. We've got this facility now the you know the communication suite which is something that was introduced a few years ago. It's just great and it means that more people can learn about the tournament and it's just getting better. Every year we have more players we've got Grand Masters so it's no wonder that we really are the best chess open in the world and it's all credit to the team who just make it happen and make it the success that it is. Absolutely I think Gibraltar really is leading the way globally. A final question I've met a few local fans well not just fans players so what has happened in Gibraltar what happens chess wise when the tournament is not on because I think there's been big developments there too and I think once again Stuart is one of the man the people to be credited there. Well the tournament itself is a success in itself but thanks to the version of the tournament and Brian and of course Stuart they've been leading the way in promoting this in the community throughout particularly in schools and after school clubs and through sports we now have a chess tournament for children. We have Gibraltar we organise a summer sports program for children and chess forms part of it. There's a great emphasis in chess in schools and I think that everything that can be done to develop chess in schools is done and it kind of all comes together around the tournament because that is the event but there's things happening throughout the year and Stuart again you know has been one of the pioneers in making chess the success that it is in Gibraltar and it really is at the forefront of our sporting agenda. As you know we love sports we try very hard in sports we excel in a lot of sports. If you think about it Gibraltar is a very small jurisdiction but we put so much effort into anything that we do that I think that we really punch above our weight whatever we do. I have to say I mean I've been blown away not just by the chess tournament which is I think my specialty but especially I think what you said about what is being done in the Department of Equality and I think you really are leading the way on and off the board. Samantha thank you very much for everything you do. Thank you for your continued support and for your time it's been an absolute pleasure having you here and next year hopefully we'll meet again for a game of chess. I hope so well it's been a pleasure to meet you thank you very much. Thank you very much we'll go on a break now and we'll be back with David in a few minutes.