Mind blown!

I'm going to quote you as an example of the blatant sexism that goes on. I see women in chess be mistreated all the time. My sister has tried to play chess and been a victim of chess sexism. Short's comments, while partly biologically true, are part of the chess culture that women are not as good at chess as men. Many women don't like the game nearly as much, which accounts for much of it. Although men and women are different, saying that women are worse at chess than men when the only evidence we have are that there are "differences" between women and men is going too far. There are other factors (like sexism!) which discourage women from playing chess.

EDIT: Specifically what irks me is the tireless comments on appearance. For the US open men's division there were no appearance comments, but for the women's (especially the live feed) there were endless comments "her legs are great" "she is so pretty" "look at those titties" along with other inappropriate and simply horrible comments. The women's world championship was also bad with this, with many bigots commenting about the women's rating and their "different" playing style. Simply appalling.

That is the crux of the issue, I think.

Something to think about.

It seems meanless to some and actually perfectly normal to others, but I'm of the opinion that when certain behaviors, certain actions, are silently accepted or condoned in public or even within groups of like-minded individuals, there is a validation of those behaviors. In most cases the validation adds nothing to society and is often a detriment.

Very well said. Big fan of your articles btw!

Merci beaucoup.

Well said, batgirl.

Are men actually being blamed/denigrated for noticing beauty in women ? ! 

This makes me so sad. Men (or at least most men) don't "notice" beauty in women. What I'm talking about is that they can't respect women for their intellect or their power, just their beauty. When all of your comments on men's chess are actually chess related and all of your comments on women's chess are about appearance, then there's a fundamental difference, yes. So I am denigrating men for noticing beauty in women, at least in this specific way.

Well men dont often comment on what they think of other men's physical appearance . Men are hardwired to notice women more . To fault men for noticing a womans apperance is the same as to fault cats for killing birds ... its a basic part of their nature . 

Women also notice men's appearance and their physical attributes , I have heard plenty of females making comments on how they think certain men look . 

Congratulations. But maybe you let them out from your basement.

The physical beauty of a female chess player is about as germane to their ability to play chess as the physical beauty of a male chess player is. Which is to say, it's not. 

When talking about chess players, the beauty that I care about is the beauty of their ideas. I don't need to see screen shots of a chess player's body. I am far more interested in the chess moves that are made. 

So yes, focusing on the physical beauty of a female chess player is a bit denigrating especially when you don't focus on the physical beauty of male chess players. When GMs are playing chess, it's about the quality of their chess. And that's the topic, not physical beauty.

Why can't one do both ?  I dont notice beauty in men because I am a man and am not gay so I tend to not pay attention to what men look like . Women also notice what men look like , their attributes as well as their dress, and they can probably do this at the same time as paying attention to their game . Most people can do several things at once and arent limited to just one thing . Some people worry so much about whatever the current PC is that they deny their own nature , or lie about that nature .  If women didnt want others to notice their beautiful legs why feature them prominently by wearing dresses or shorts that highlight them ? Women like to be noticed but I am sure they dont like people to leer and/or make crude remarks . Dont go against your nature simply because you are afraid of being called sexist , at the same time one doesnt have to be rude/crude  either . Women spend a lot of time and money to be attractive and so do a lot of men , they WANT people to notice or they wouldnt bother to do either of those things . 

You're trying to make this about physical appearance. Neither Short not Polgar mentioned it. It's not part of this topic. Bringing up physical appearance just obscures the real issue.

Chess sexism: Meet the girls who 'have the brains' to play the men's game of chess

A British chess grandmaster has caused controversy by suggesting girls and women are 'hard
wired differently' and therefore unable to compete at the highest level. Radhika Sanghani speaks to the schoolgirls who are proving otherwise.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11549164/Sexist-chess-row-Girls-brains-are-not-hard-wired-differently-thanks.html

There's always a few girls that wear low cut shirts at the big money tournaments. The worse their position gets the lower the cut (less buttons?) seems to become. That's gotta balance out at least about 100 rating points.

Why am I married to Nigel Short?!!