"It's a 'Battle of Wits'... Chess Federation Says Transgender Players Cannot Compete in Women's Division"

Transgender Athletes Must Compete in the 'Open Section' for the Time Being

The International Chess Federation (F?d?ration Internationale des ?checs, hereinafter 'FIDE') has expressed the opinion that individuals who have transitioned from male to female cannot participate in women's chess competitions.

On the 17th (local time), according to a report by the US NBC network, FIDE announced this through the 'Guidelines for Transgender Participants' released on the 14th. According to this, transgender participants who have changed their gender from male to female cannot compete against 'cisgender' women whose biological sex and gender identity match until the federation completes 'further analysis.' FIDE plans to release the final analysis results within two years.

For the time being, transgender individuals can participate in the 'open section' of tournaments hosted by FIDE. The open section refers to competitions where both men and women participate. Additionally, FIDE stated that if a female titleholder transitions to male, their female title will be revoked. However, if a transgender male athlete reverts to female, the original title will be restored.

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FIDE said, "Until now, there has been confusion due to the lack of such guidelines," and added, "FIDE needs time to study related rules without rushing on the issue of transgender participants."

LGBTQ Community Strongly Opposes... 'Biological Superiority' Controversy Emerges

Upon learning of FIDE's guidelines, the LGBTQ community has strongly opposed them, and some have sparked controversy over 'biological superiority.'

The US National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) criticized via social media, stating, "These guidelines insult cisgender women, transgender women, and the game of chess itself," and added, "They stem from the ignorant anti-trans ideology that assumes cisgender women cannot compete with cisgender men."

Yosha Iglesias, a FIDE chess master and professional chess coach who is a transgender woman, said, "If you want to support women in chess, fight against gender discrimination and sexual violence, provide more opportunities for women, and help them earn more money, do not make transgender women players scapegoats."

On the other hand, John Schweppe, policy director at the conservative US think tank 'American Principles Project (APP),' responded 'yes' to a poll on 'X' (formerly Twitter) asking whether transgender women have a 'biological advantage' in chess compared to cisgender women. He argued, "It is well known that there are more male geniuses than female geniuses, and more men with low IQ than women with low IQ," adding, "It is biologically innate."

In response, NBC refuted that there have been no recent studies showing significant IQ differences between men and women or that men are smarter than women, and that studies concluding such in 2005 and 2006 were all found to be erroneous.

Swimming, Cycling, Athletics Restrict Transgender Women’s Participation in Women’s Divisions

Meanwhile, in sports, there has been a recent trend to restrict transgender women’s participation in women’s competitions.

On the 16th, the International Swimming Federation announced that it will introduce separate events for transgender athletes at the 2023 World Cup Series Berlin competition scheduled for October. At the Berlin competition, transgender athletes will compete in the 'open division' for 50m and 100m events in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and butterfly. Previously, the federation held an extraordinary general meeting during the Budapest World Championships last year and resolved that 'only athletes who underwent surgery before age 12 can participate in women’s international competitions.' Foreign media reported that "considering the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) recommends gender-affirming surgery at ages 15-17, this effectively bans transgender athletes from international competitions."

Additionally, the International Cycling Union announced last month on its website that "female transgender athletes who have undergone male puberty will not be allowed to participate in any women’s competitions we host." The union also changed the existing men's division to 'men’s/open division,' allowing athletes who transitioned to female after puberty to compete only in this division instead of the women’s division. Earlier in March, World Athletics banned transgender women athletes from competing in women’s divisions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.