So... yesterday I got banned from playing #Chess on an international level because trans woman have a physical advantage in...
*looks at notes*
thinking
ok.
@fuchsiii What I don't understand is why you don't take the Judit Polgár's route and compete with men if you really think there is no such advantage. According to the document you linked, “[t]here are no restrictions to play in the open section for a person who has changed the (sic) gender.”
In more general terms, I don't understand why only one woman (that I know of) did that. Why do women-only chess competitions even exist?
@josemanuel @fuchsiii women's tournaments and women's titles were ostensibly introduced to encourage more women to play. they work, to that end; plenty of women compete in open tournaments, but reports abound of harassment and sexism at every level, from fellow competitors to tournament organizers and officials. FIDE has routinely shown disregard for these concerns. meanwhile, women's tournaments are a way to compete while avoiding (most of) that. so it's not just a matter of skill
@bloodhail If women don't refuse to participate in women-only competitions, things will never change, and, at some point, people in general will start wondering whether it is indeed a matter of skill.
@bloodhail I think exactly what I said. Your bad faith interpretation, both of what I said and of the facts (I was there thirty years ago watching Judit Polgár play against people like Topalov, Kramnik or Anand. I didn't see her feel unwelcome or diminished in any way. A couple of years earlier she had become the youngest GM ever, beating Bobby Fischer) is your own responsibility.
@josemanuel @fuchsiii since you care about facts so much, here's Nigel Short making sexist remarks about women in chess. he was later appointed as a VP of FIDE, where he still works. Short was repeatedly beaten by Polgár, which he calls irrelevant. the article includes comments from Polgár + a WIM talking about exactly the sort of sexism you still see at open tournaments.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/chess/11548840/Nigel-Short-Girls-just-dont-have-the-brains-to-play-chess.html
sexism exists in chess; the responsibility falls on men to step up, not on women to "challenge" it.
@bloodhail And the reason why I (or any woman, for that matter) should care about the opinions of this sore loser is...?
But anyway, are you really claiming that the responsibility for changing a certain _status quo_ lies not on the people who really need it changed, but on those who are not affected by it?
@josemanuel @fuchsiii because he's not just some "sore loser." he is, and was, in a position of significant power at the international governing body for chess, and his opinions both influence and reflect the kind of sexism seen in these decisions, which actively harm women in chess.
and yes, I believe women shouldn't have to put up with misogyny, and throwing your hands up and saying "it's the way things are" is stupid when FIDE would have to do very little to make open tourneys safer for us
@bloodhail
> a position of significant power at the international governing body for chess
Ok, let me spell it out for you: _he only has the power you choose to give him_. His opinions only mean anything if you think they do. And if you think they really mean anything other than his public admission of him being a fucking idiot and sore ass loser, then you are the fucking idiot. Is that finally clear now?
Words mean fucking shit, as Judit Polgár clearly stated where it matters in chess—on the board.
Women can (and should) already play open tournaments exclusively, and you, treating them like damsels in distress, are not helping their cause. Nigel Short can't stop them, but your attitude can and does.
@josemanuel @fuchsiii i thought you liked facts, why get upset and resort to ad hominem? if you can't see how bigots being decisionmakers leads to bigotry then there's nothing i can do to help you. get blocked
@josemanuel @bloodhail @fuchsiii sometimes women want to play chess, not actively constantly fighting for her rights or entitling an activism protest while playing.
They just want to play, without minding harassment and uncomfortable situations. This is why safe spaces exists most of the time.
They shouldn't need to mind about this while playing but they sadly have to.
It's also sad that trans women find distress even in these spaces.
@alien If what you said (i.e., “sometimes women want to play chess” and nothing more) was true, then why would they do it professionally? Why do they participate in tournaments with prizes instead of playing for fun in parks or local clubs?
What women who refuse to play open tournaments want is not simply “to play chess,” but to have a greater chance of getting that prize money. Unfortunately, that attitude harms all women, because at some point, like I wrote before in this very thread, people will interpret that cowardice and convenience as a lack of skill associated with their sex.
If you don't want to see it, that's fine with me, but I've said all I wanted to say on this matter and I think I've made myself sufficiently clear.
@josemanuel @fuchsiii so you think the responsibility to make chess tournaments more hospitable to women - tournaments which are organized and overwhelmingly attended by men - is the responsibility of women?