I would like to see more out there. My sister and I are actually promoting chess to women and girls by our TV show, Chess Diva: www.geocities.com/chessdiva.show
The Status of Female Players in Chess
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There are good female chess players out there, such as the Polgar sisters.
Jan 5, 2008
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#43
i think your wrong about the polgar statement nm,but the very first post is acusing women of being shallow ,i think. i have no answers.but regarding the top model avatar, i`ve had them beat for ages an they ar just draggin it out !!!
Jan 5, 2008
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#44
Unbeliever wrote:
I just finished reading an extremely interesting article on the New York Times Website about the dearth of female players in chess. The article discussed how different people were attempting to raise awareness among female players.
This article started my brain churning, why is it that I go to my local chess club, and all the players are male? It is statistically improbable that women are more stupid than men at chess, so why is it that the majority of chess players are male?
My conclusion is that women are perhaps more susceptible to the predominant stereotype regarding the average chess player's mediocre physical and social condition. As a result of a want to not be included in this stereotype, women do not play chess as often as males.
Thoughts, please?
The article can be found at
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/fashion/sundaystyles/27CHESS.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=sloginlostapiece .. where exactly above does it state that women are shallow ?
i belive your words were "but the very first post is acusing women of being shallow"
The origional post mentions nothing of this ... and i, as a woman don't see the origional post as comming across as such
I was curious, and I was careful to phrase my question in a way that it would be quite neutral. How in the world is this offensive?
Jan 5, 2008
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#46
i wasn't offended in the least, i was merely asking why you said ;
i think your wrong about the polgar statement nm,but the very first post is acusing women of being shallow ,i think. i have no answers.but regarding the top model avatar, i`ve had them beat for ages an they ar just draggin it out !!!
(please note the highlighted test only)
Before everyone "gets their knickers in a twist"... lostapiece's English is so poor, it's difficult to know exactly (or even approximately) what he was talking about. Best ignored, I think.
Thank you Ray. I have no idea how you manage to find humor in these situations.
Jan 5, 2008
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#49
Ray_Brooks wrote: Before everyone "gets their knickers in a twist"... lostapiece's English is so poor, it's difficult to know exactly (or even approximately) what he was talking about. Best ignored, I think.
point taken and accepted ....
lostapiece i apologise, i didn't know english was difficult for you .. my error
im a high school student who recently joined my school's chess team and i would just like to add my two cents in this subject.
when my best friend, who is also a girl, asked me to join the chess team, i honestly thought she was kidding. My calculus teacher is the chess coach, so if i joined, i would get extra credit for class. Going to my first practice with the team, i realized i knew most of the kids on the team, because they were my classmates. My presumptions of guys with thick-rimmed glasses who do not talk to anyone shattered immediately. Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful, teaching me openings and tactics. After over a month of learning, I went to my first chess tournament. In total in that tournament, there were about 7 girls, 4 already from my school's team. Some of us faced rude male opponents who would yawn when we take our time or stood up, stretched, and walked around for minutes! However, befriending the other teams, i discovered that they are not any different than I am, and are very generous in helping me improve my game.
I just think that the appeal of chess is different towards females. So i read in earlier posts that chess is similar to war, something that not many women would have an interest in. Also, both sexes have their own presumptions of the other on their skills and knowledge of the game, and of one another. Another thing, chess is taken so seriously and is somewhat exclusive because of the male ratio since early times that the appeal level is not strong for females.
anyways, that's just my views on this topic because it really intrigued me and i questioned this myself, so i'd like to put myself in the chess community.
ps. im a beginner, so if anyone wants to play me and help me out a bit, that would be greatly appreciated. thanks!
Jan 5, 2008
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#51
A lot of women posting here on page 3 of the never-ending conundrum!
Consider this - How do people become grandmasters? Outside of studying and practicing, they must, of course, play in tournaments, lots of tournaments. Not just local tournaments, but as many good ones as possible wherever they may be. And once they achieve a high enough rating and some national titles, then they must play internationally, etc. Outside of women's tournaments, these affairs are less congenial for women than for men. Additionally, women are less prone to this nomadic lifestyle. In short, the road to grandmastery is a male-oriented pavement. It's a wonder to me that as many women play on a high level that already do.
noonoodabamf wrote:
Some of us faced rude male opponents who would yawn when we take our time or stood up, stretched, and walked around for minutes!
I suspect that this is the primary issue. Men make women unwelcome in chess circles, then invent all sorts of odd theories about why so few women play chess.
You don't need to ask for opponents, just challenge someone. If you win, great. If you lose, even better: when you review the game you'll have a custom-made lesson that addresses your specific weaknesses. Since Chess.com records all moves, you can go over the game with your chess coach.
I'm happy to play, though I don't pretend to be particularly good. (Getting better, mainly because I have a policy never to refuse a game without a very good reason.)
I think it has to do with how men and women (generally speaking) think differently. Men tend to be more strategic thinkers than women and can better anticipate what may happen as a result of a particular move and therefore are able to see several moves down the road.
batgirl wrote: no offense intended, but that's hogwash, pure and simple.
I'll go with Batgirl on that one.
i think modern WGMs are better than GMs. women are better, scientifically they are better at war. women are more accustomed to see blood. in chess, example: Susan Polgar at the age of 5 or 7 i think went into her first chess club & defeated all of the men inside the club. all of them told her father different excuses like they were stressed, sick, etc. at the age of 15 i think to she was already a WGM, even in the oppression of men, which didn't want her to be a WGM. because of that, now she doesn't play in any tournaments or events. earlier years, bobby fisher said that there would never be a WGM, & Susan appeared. Read an article i wrote about her. just click on my name & look for it in my recent activities. She is my favorite WGM.
I would love to see some sort of contest, like a Kasparov v. Polgar match. I think that, as a whole, GMs are better (rated) than WGMs.
I think it's probably mainly that the image of chess is that it's still quite a male preserve.
For example, I was taught by a guy, had many years when I didn't play and was reminded about the game by a boyfriend, and have been playing again for some months. I've generally found that, among friends, more men play than women.
But, here on the site, there seem to be plenty of women registered. What's the ratio of men to women on chess.com? Can the administrators tell us?