The world’s top chess federation has sparked a furious row over sexism after banning trans women from participating in all-female competitions while adjudicating whether they have an unfair advantage.
The new rules from the International Chess Federation (FIDE) state that any player who has transitioned from male to female “has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women” until further analysis is made, which could take up to two years. to last.
The decision, which was published Monday and takes effect August 21, has drawn criticism from trans rights supporters who have labeled the move as “pure bigotry and persecution,” while others called it “offensive to women.”
It’s because many sports involving intense physical activity have struggled in recent years to formulate policies regarding transgender athletes. Women’s rights campaigners such as former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies have spoken out against athletes competing in male categories in female categories.
But many have wondered why the Chess Federation, which has failed to justify its move, has made the change to a sport that involves mental skills.
Angela Eagle, Labor MP for Wallasey, wrote: ‘There is no physical advantage in chess unless you believe that men are inherently better able to play than women. even play – This ban is ridiculous and offensive to women.’
On the left of the photo is transgender chess player Yosha Iglesias. She describes the federation’s decision as ‘heartbreaking’
The rule change by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) states that any player who has transitioned from male to female “has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women” until a decision is made, which could take up to two years. (File Image)
Katy Montgomerie reacted angrily to the rule change by tweeting, “By barring trans women from chess, the crazed anti-trans lobby has fully exposed their hand.
“Not only do they believe that sex is an immaterial unchanging binary number, they also think that women are intellectually inferior. That’s what we told them to believe from the start.”
Trans player Yosha Iglesias, who is recognized as a woman by FIDE, described the federation’s decision as “heartbreaking.”
That is what the 35-year-old from France told me The times: ‘There is no biological advantage whatsoever. It’s not about biology, it’s about sociology, psychology and it’s about sexism, it’s about aggression (from FIDE).
“They say they are not against trans people, they fight to protect women’s sport, even if they don’t care about women’s sport.”
Iglesias also tweeted: “So FIDE just (yesterday) published a list of anti-trans rules, as if it were ‘the biggest threat to women in chess.’
Can someone tell me what qualifies as an official FIDE event? Can I play the French championship in 3 days? The European Club Cup in September?’
She later wrote, “If you want to help chess women, fight sexist and sexual violence, give chess women more visibility and more money. Don’t use trans women as a scapegoat. We contribute to the development of women in chess. We are women in chess.’
India Willoughby, a transgender journalist, tweeted, “This is insane. Trans women are not allowed to play women’s chess by the International Chess Federation. Sheer intolerance and persecution. How can you justify this @FIDE_chess?’
The National Center for Transgender Equality wrote, “Really? To play chess? This is so offensive to cis women, to trans women and to the game itself. It assumes that cis women cannot compete with cis men — and relies on ignorant anti-trans ideas.”
Meanwhile, Twitter user Kate said, “Oh they were just showing what they really think because WHY should an intellectual sport like chess be broken down by gender!?” It’s insulting to all women.”
The top chess federation’s decision has sparked a major backlash, with some accusing it of “pure bigotry and persecution”
FIDE said it and its member federations have been receiving increasing requests for recognition from players who identify as transgender. It said it would only recognize a player’s new gender if it was “confirmed by national authorities on the basis of a legal and formal change process”.
“Switching gender is a change that has a significant impact on a player’s status and future eligibility for tournaments, therefore it can only be implemented if relevant evidence of the change is provided,” the federation said.
“In the event that the gender is changed from male to female, the player will not be entitled to participate in official FIDE events for women until a further decision by FIDE has been made,” it said.
Women’s title holders who change their gender to male would see those titles “abolished,” the federation said, while holding out the possibility of reinstatement “if the person changes gender back to female.”
If a player has changed gender from male to female, all previous titles will remain eligible.
It acknowledged that such questions regarding transgender players were an “evolving issue for chess” and that “further policy may need to be developed in the future consistent with research evidence.”
Under the rule change, trans players will still be allowed to compete in open tournaments, but not female-only competitions – which were introduced to encourage more women into the sport.
The game’s popularity has skyrocketed among women to an all-time high of 15 percent thanks to online games and the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit which starred Anya Taylor-Joy as a fictional female grandmaster.
Chess players have reacted to the policy by accusing FIDE of trying to “divert attention” from allegations of “sexual assault” that rocked the sport last week. Female chess players made the accusations in an open letter.
Flora van Uffelen, 21, wrote: ‘Does @FIDE_chess think trans women have a biological advantage in chess? How profoundly absurd. Or are they trying to distract from the misogyny, harassment and even rape that many female chess players face when they compete in their tournaments?’
Chess players have responded to the policy by accusing FIDE of trying to ‘distract’ from allegations of ‘sexual assault’ that rocked the sport last week
The game’s popularity has skyrocketed among female players to an all-time high of 15 percent thanks to online games and the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit which starred Anya Taylor-Joy (pictured) as a fictional female grandmaster
Ana Valens, a trans writer for The Mary Sueclaimed that “FIDE treats trans women as some sort of threat to the integrity of chess-playing cisgender women.”
She said, “This raises a lot of questions. Why are trans women excluded from women’s chess? What’s the point? Are trans women naturally better at chess? Are we too smart to play with cis women?
“For example, I don’t think I’m smarter than most cis women, nor do I think my pre-transition years gave me any sort of innate advantage in chess, so this shouldn’t be the case.”
Word of the decision comes as the federation hosts a World Cup event in Azerbaijan that will feature top players, including Norway’s number one grandmaster Magnus Carlsen.
The federation has open competitions that all players can participate in, as well as specialized categories, such as for women, young players and even computers.
It comes after the International Cycling Union joined the governing bodies of athletics and swimming as top Olympic sports addressing the issue of transgender athletes and fairness in women’s events.
Last month, the cycling federation ruled that female transgender athletes who switched after male puberty are no longer allowed to participate in women’s races.
A spokesperson for FIDE said the “new rules are intended to clearly define the procedure for how a person who has officially changed gender can register this fact on the FIDE Directory.”
It added that “the lack of such rules created ambiguity and therefore an established order was needed to ensure that transgender players have the right to be properly represented in FIDE’s official register.”
A spokesperson continues: ‘Transgender legislation is developing rapidly in many countries and many sports organizations have their own policies. FIDE will follow these developments and see how we can apply them in the chess world.
“Two years is a range that seemed reasonable for in-depth analyzes of such developments. It is to set a certain deadline for another reiteration of this policy, without rushing it.”