Friday, June 30, 2023

A Room of One’s Own

In praising the format’s versatility and gender inclusivity of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and women’s world No. 1 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) has remarked how such mixed-gender team events play an essential role in the development of women’s chess. “The general situation of women’s chess has evolved dramatically in the past few decades. I remember when I was young, most of the events for women were only be FIDE official events and very few invitational events. Even for some open events, the chances for women players to win it weren’t as good as today”, she was quoted as saying by the media on Thursday. “In the past few years, there are more organisers and sponsors paying attention to women’s chess. There are stronger women players in the open chess tournaments. I hope that there will be a more promising attitude towards women’s chess and I also hope that because of our performance and experience, it will encourage more young girls to get involved with chess”.

Being a woman in a men’s world. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy/ChessBase India.

No comments: