Chessboard: Women stand up against sexism in the chess world

Photo: Lukas Schulze/ dpa

Numerous women from the world of chess have launched an initiative against sexism in their sport. In an open letter, more than 70 female signatories strongly condemn sexist behavior by male colleagues. "We, chess players, coaches, referees and managers, have experienced sexist or sexual violence by chess players, coaches, referees or managers." Thus begins the open letter entitled "We, Female Chess Players".

The initiative goes back to 14 French chess players who published the letter at the beginning of the month. In the meantime, more than 70 women from numerous countries have signed the letter, and more women are currently joining in. Among the most prominent signatories are:

  • the Iranian chess arbitrator Shohreh Bayat, who cannot return to her home country Iran because of her handling of the headscarf,

  • Women's Grandmaster and commentator Jovanka Houska,

  • as well as former U.S. champion Jennifer Shahade.

  • German international Annmarie Mütsch has also signed.

No more silence

"We are convinced that these harassments and assaults are still one of the main reasons why women and young girls, especially in their teens, stop playing chess," the women wrote. They had been silent for too long: "But to remain silent is to bear the burden of shame alone. It may take time to find the words and the courage to speak out, but we believe it is necessary and salutary."

Now all players are encouraged to denounce the violence they have suffered, the women write: "So that the supporting players, coaches, referees, managers and parents become aware of the extent of the problem and can be part of the solution. Their vigilance, support and determination are essential."

Sexist comments and even assaults

One of the signatories is the French women's grandmaster Mathilde Choisy. She herself had to listen to comments about her clothes, for example, or that women generally played chess badly. That's how she told chess.com . The experiences of girls and women in the chess world ranged from sexism to harassment, abuse and rape, Choisy said.

Chess champion Yosha Iglesias also reports assaults. At an award ceremony, a man grabbed her buttocks, writes the trans woman on Twitter. Last October, a chess player asked her at a tournament "how much I charge for sex."

The #MeToo movement has not been as big in chess as it is in other parts of society. That seems to be changing. Last February, for example, the American Jennifer Shahade, who also signed the letter, made accusations against grandmaster Alejandro Ramírez public. She had experienced "sexual misconduct" on the chess player's own body. The Wall Street Journal later reported on allegations by other women against Ramírez, saying that his behavior had been known in the scene for years. The U.S. Chess Federation has since expelled him.

Women outnumbered

Men dominate chess at the top of the world so far, women are clearly outnumbered. Why is that? Chess federations and professional players have been dealing with this question for years. One argument is that women feel uncomfortable among so many men, and abusive behavior deters many female players. Many young players would know the feeling of "being treated like fair game," wrote the "FAZ" as early as 2021. There are pick-ups, lewdness, abuse and rape. Chess has a problem: "men".

In 2022, the World Chess Federation Fide had made efforts to empower women in chess. He proclaimed the "Year of Women". However, the marketing was instinctive: a medical technology and aesthetics company was presented as a sponsor, which mainly produces breast implants, which met with sharp criticism from many chess players.

PTZ