I have, and never will, understand how the fuck being trans gives you any sort of advantage in chess. Only thing I have ever rationalized about this is that the people saying it surely must be sexist cave people.
this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
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Just that everybody is aware about the scope/cultural relevance of this story. Apollo News, the original German source, is not a respectable news outlet.
It's an online publication more similar to a blog in many ways. The founders call themselves 'an alternative to the leftwing mainstream' and are not afraid to show their allegiance to the far right, regulary disseminating actual fake news or using slurs against immigrants and lgbt people. For american readers, I'd compare this to Breitbart.
When googling stuff along the lines of "chess trans-athlete championship" in German, this story does not come up at all. The German mainstream is gladly not (yet) interested in this culture war.
they prob cry over a trans person winning uno
Trans elder's bingo win in local nursing home prompts backlash
I'm tired boss
Chess “is diverse and inclusive,” the German Chess Federation said
Lol, lmao even. It's one of the more sexist sports there are in terms of organization, often marginalizing women and most of these marginalizing structures are still there to this day. This isn't to excuse anti-LGBT rhetoric, but pretending like everything is fine with chess probably doesn't help.
cisgender women players were considering quitting, fearing unfair competition
An unfair competition... in a damn chess game?! WHAT?!
yeah, but a BiOlOgIcAl man has a huge body advantge during chess!!!!!!!11111
Just when the world couldn't get stupider…
Why should it prompt backlash? Did they celebrate the win by knocking over their opponent's king with their cock?
These pearl clutchers make me want to force said pearls down their throat until they shit out every single bead or I can grab one end of the necklace and rip it out like a fucking BeyBlade!
What's the excuse here? "Afab players are too stupid to face trans opponents"?
Beat me to it.
The Times reports that she claimed some cisgender women players were considering quitting, fearing unfair competition
At least with the more physical sports there's a (spurious) argument about bone structure or whatever. There really isn't that same argument wrt Chess, even if it be a bit physically taxing.
TIL men and women don’t play int the same chess tournaments. Why? ELI5
There are open tournaments and women's tournaments. The open tournaments are for anyone. Women have competed in them but at the top level it is somewhat rare.
The women's tournaments are intended to provide an environment that encourages more women to play chess. There's considerable sexism among men (not only in the chess world, hah) which is not always very welcoming.
The men’s tournaments are open to everyone and women have and do compete in them.
Because back in the day when blatant sexism was the norm, women were excluded. Women-only tournaments were an attempt to correct that.
In a perfect world, everybody would play in the same tournaments and all genders would feel equally welcome to them, but that's not the world we live in.
back in the day
I have some bad news about the present day
Internationally, the World Chess Federation imposed a temporary ban in 2023, preventing trans women from women’s tournaments pending further review — a rule Germany opposes, pointing out that a trans woman had already claimed a national women’s title in the early 2000s, Apollo News reports.
I think this just completely took effect and was not temporary.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender_people_in_chess
https://www.bbc.com/sport/67127168
The whole thing is a shitshow, because if you are MTF , FIDE does not think you are a woman, thus can't have women's titles, but also, if you're FTM , you are ALSO not a woman, so you can't keep your women's titles (Womens' grandmaster, Womens' International Master,etc).
Good on the German Chess Federation to not bow to pressure.
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