FIDE, the International Chess Federation, has released a new policy banning transgender women from competing in women’s chess events.
The policy states that players who have transitioned from male to female have “no right to participate in official FIDE events for women” until a further decision is made by the federation.
The new policy will take effect next Monday. It adds that FIDE will not impose any restrictions on transgender athletes competing in the open category.
Winners of women’s titles who change their genders to male would have their titles “abolished,” the federation said in the policy. “Those can be renewed if the person changes the gender back to a woman.”
It is not clear at the moment if and how this new policy will affect transgender athletes currently competing in FIDE events as the policy mentions people who transition in the future.
The decision published this Monday has drawn intense criticism from transgender advocacy groups and players.
“At a time where the chess world finally reckons with sexual assault and harassment, FIDE has announced a policy restricting the rights of transgender players, an important and vulnerable portion of our community,” said Jennifer Shahade, who has been outspoken about misogyny in the chess world, in a statement to ESPN. “This is all a scary manifestation of the links between misogyny and transphobia and I hope that the policies be reconsidered and revised.”
“FIDE is perpetuating baseless and harmful narratives about transgender people made by the extremists who seek to push trans people further to the margins of society,” Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, executive director for the national center for transgender equality said in a statement to ESPN.
“Transgender people, like all people, should be able to pursue our passions without discrimination or unnecessary barriers. We all should have the opportunity to engage in activities that enrich our lives, like reading books, making art, or playing chess,” Heng-Lehtinen added.
Yosha Iglesias, a French transgender woman chess master, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “So FIDE just published (yesterday) a list of anti-trans regulations, like it was ‘the biggest threat of women in chess,'” asking if she would be allowed to compete in the French Championship starting this week.
“If you want to help women in chess, fight sexist and sexual violence, give women in chess more visibility and more money. Don’t use trans women players as scapegoats,” Iglesias wrote.
In a written response to ESPN, FIDE’s deputy of management board, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, wrote, “allow us to clarify that the new regulations are aimed at clearly defining the procedure on how a person who has officially changed their gender may register the fact on FIDE Directory.
The lack of regulations, the response noted, created “ambiguity and therefore an established order was needed to provide the right of the transgender players being properly represented on the official register of FIDE.”
FIDE’s policy comes on the heels of World Athletics, the International Cycling Union and FINA — world swimming’s governing body — banning transgender women from competing in women’s events.
FIDE introduced the women’s Grandmaster title in 1976. FIDE ratings are not separated based on gender, but no woman is currently on the top 100 of the FIDE ratings.
