Chess Federation prohibits transgender men from participating in women’s events.
The International Chess Federation Bans Trans-Identifying Males from Women’s Competitions
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has recently made updates to its handbook, implementing a new rule that prohibits trans-identifying males from participating in women’s chess competitions. This decision comes as FIDE aims to address the inclusion of transgender players and the titles associated with gender in the sport.
FIDE, the governing body for chess worldwide, has provided new guidelines to handle titles such as Woman Grandmaster, Woman International Master, Woman FIDE Master, and Woman Candidate Master in light of transgender players. According to Mediaite, these guidelines will determine the eligibility of transgender chess players in official FIDE events for women.
“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,” the rule states. “Such decision should be based on further analysis and shall be taken by the FIDE Council at the earliest possible time, but not longer than within a 2-year period.”
The guidelines also state that if a player holds any women’s titles but undergoes a gender change to male, those titles will be abolished. However, they can be reinstated if the person changes their gender back to female and can provide proof of ownership of the respective FIDE ID that holds the title.
“The abolished women’s title may be transferred into a general title of the same or lower level (e.g., Women’s Grand Master may be transferred into FM, Women’s International Master into Candidate Master, etc.),” the guidelines explain. It is important to note that there are no restrictions for individuals who have changed their gender to play in the open section.
While women are not barred from competing in men’s events, the decision to restrict trans-identifying males from women’s competitions is aimed at encouraging more female participation in chess. This move by FIDE comes just before the World Cup event in Azerbaijan, where renowned players like World No. 1 Grand Master Magnus Carlsen will be in attendance, as reported by Fox News.
It is worth mentioning that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body for sports cycling, also recently announced a similar ban on trans-identifying males competing in women’s cycling races, reversing their previous policy.
Related: Cycling Organization Bans Trans-Identifying Men From Women’s Bike Races
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
