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Men, Women, and Chess.

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thegab03

Everybody please laugh, for the great  Rael has spoken!

Ray_Brooks
Rael wrote:

but please understand, if you keep sniffing around at my crotch and nipping at my heels because you're all butthurt for some reason and you'd really like some attention from me, one day I suppose I'm going to have to give it to you.

 

I'm just glad you're taking it easy!

smokinlloyd

I think the question is why do women, in the general sense and with a high statistical significance, not LIKE chess?  The obvious thought is that until we have an understanding of what drives our wants we will not be able to answer that question.  The discussion then breaks down into a nature v. nurture debate when the answer certainly conttains elements from both.  As for the question being offensive.... bullshit.  The only reasons questions are offensive is because they *might* challenge someone's assumpotions about the world and not able to defend their views except by admonishing your inquiry.

 

Anyhow here is a joke some of ya might get along the sexist lines of thought.

 

Two professors walk into a bar.  They are arguing intensely as to whether a woman could be beautiful and smart.  The first professor insists that such traits are strictly inverse relations and the second prof declared that no evidence exists to support this claim, except hearsay.  When the first prof went to the dispose of his beer, the second realized his opportunity to bolster his case.  The waitress was a stunning Venus that no man would argue that she possessed beauty.  

He called her over and with a generous tip he asked her, "My dear, would you be so kind as to return in just a few minutes and do me a small favor?"

"Sure, what can I do for you?" she replied.

"When my colleague returns, I'll ask you a question, do not worry about the question, just reply 'one-half x squared', can you do that for me?"

"One half x squared, no problem hun." She winked and walked away.

He thought of the brilliance of his plan as the other prof returned from the men's facilities.

"Listen he told the other professor, why do we not settle this issue with a little wager for the tab?"

"What do you have in mind?" replied the mark.

"I'll tell you what, I bet that waitress is no dunce.   I'll bet she has at least a little knowledge of the Calculus.  That she at least knows the basics of integration."

The mark laughed, "Her! No - Yes, I most certainly will take that bet, she is far too appealing to the eye to know that."

A moment later the goddess in flesh stood before them, and as planned the professor asked her his question praying that she could not fuck up such a simple 'order'.

"My dear could you tell me, if you know, what is the integral of x dx?"

With perfect timing and a wink she replied, "Of course, one half x squared plus c."

LOB

Men have been encouraged to participate and thrive in chess for centuries. Women, only gaining equal status in the world now and in some cases still driving for it - have not had this encouragemnet. Like sports it would have been seen as -'unladylike' and is still seen so. 

It is a male dominated sport, just like football or rugby - but slowly and surely we are breaking through. I am one of two females in my club.. my club being one of the biggest in Ireland. But give us time, there are so many gifts that are undiscovered within people. I truly believe that though men and women may have different methods of playing chess - both sides can learn the ways of the others! 

Logically, in the centuries to come - gender equality and what not will promote the idea of intergration in what was once mostly male sports and so we shall be better represented.

The Polgar sisters, examples of women who had their gifts nurtured and proved that we are well capable. 

amac7079

people continue to refer to the centuries of training men have as to why they may be better chess players. why would the amount of time matter? have genetecists found a chess DNA sequence in men that is lacking in women? maybe and more likely the issue isnt men and women in chess at all, maybe it's in the archaic teaching institutions which have modeled their teaching methods "over centuries of training" which has largely been a male dominated structure.  i think there is enough evidence that men and women do learn differently and accordingly it makes sense that the tools that have been developed favor men in a number of areas: many hard sciences, chess, and business among others.

by the way, there is no such thing as equality only equal opportunity in rare circumstances.

Zenchess

If any of u want to see if women can play chess, challenge PaulineVN to a game.  And prepare to die.

Barefootknight

I talked to my dad this last week about this issue, and he told me that he actually played in a simul against one of the Polgar sisters.  That's pretty neat in my opinion.  I would love to play in a simul against any GM.

iused

Interesting article on this subject here.

Annabelle

This is such a boring topic...we all know it's just statistics..like the scienceblog says...why do more women get lung cancer due to smoking? good question..next one... why are more "westerns" getting HIV than 15 years ago...good one..next..boring..