Chess ban for transgender women is sexist, FIDE told

THERE SHOULD BE NO GENDER SPECIFIC COMPETITION

Henry Samuel
Thu, 17 August 2023 

The world governing body of chess said that transgender players present an 'evolving issue for chess' - Westend61

The world’s top chess federation faces allegations of sexism after ruling that transgender women cannot compete in its official events for females until an assessment of gender change is made by its officials.

The decision by the FIDE, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and published on Monday has prompted criticism.

Angela Eagle, the Labour MP, won the British women’s under-18s chess championship in 1976 said: “There is no physical advantage in chess unless you believe men are inherently more able to play than women.

“I spent my chess career being told women’s brains were smaller than men’s and we shouldn’t even be playing – this ban is ridiculous and offensive to women.”

The complaints came two weeks after a group of 14 of France’s top female chess players published a petition calling for sexism and sexual harassment to be stamped out in a sport whose organisers, they said, were predominantly male.

FIDE said it and its member federations have received and increasing number of recognition requests from players who identify as transgender, and that the participation of transgender women would be assessed on a case-by-case basis that could take up to two years.

Trans men would have titles abolished

“Change of gender is a change that has a significant impact on a player’s status and future eligibility to tournaments, therefore it can only be made if there is a relevant proof of the change provided,” the federation said.

“In the event that the gender was changed from a male to a female the player has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women until further FIDE’s decision is made,” it said.

Holders of women’s titles who change their genders to male would see those titles “abolished,” said the federation, although it also held out the possibility of a reinstatement “if the person changes the gender back to a woman”.

“If a player has changed the gender from a man into a woman, all the previous titles remain eligible,” said the federation.

It acknowledged that such questions regarding transgender players were an “evolving issue for chess” and that “further policy may need to be evolved in the future in line with research evidence”.

The federation issued no further comment on Thursday.

‘These are dark days’

Yosha Iglesias, a professional player who is trans, criticised the new policy.

“Can someone tell me what qualifies as an official FIDE event?,” asked Iglesias. “Will I be allowed to play the French Championship in three days? The European Club Cup in September?”

Some social media users responded to the question with dismay with one writing: “These are dark days.”

In their petition, the 14 female players from France complained about the level of “sexism and sexual violence” in chess.

Speaking to Ouest-France, Mathilde Choisy, 35, a female FIDE Master, said: “The problem is that as female players we cannot fight alone against something systemic. We need more awareness from (chess) leaders, who are in the vast majority men.”

Many sports have been grappling over which rules should apply to transgender athletes in recent years.

Last month, the cycling federation ruled that transgender women athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women’s races.