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Both the UK and US Chess governing bodies have rejected FIDE's transphobic bullshit. You know you're out there when even TERF Island and DeSantisland go, "steady on a bit, guys!"
in reply to Sarah Brown

This places the terverati of Britain in a hell of a bind, and I for one am ready to watch them squirm.

DeterioratedStucco reshared this.

in reply to Sarah Brown

FIDE are increasingly losing control of the game, and have been for a while. I'm no expert, mind.
in reply to Dan Howell

@Dan Howell maybe they could try not being egregious tossers?
in reply to Dan Howell

@Dan Howell How so? (In β€œwhat could be worse?” news I daresay the Saudis will be delighted to fund a rebel organisation.)
in reply to Alexandra Lanes

@ajlanes @shinydan They have almost no control over online chess. Online tournaments don't bother with FIDE accreditation in the first place.
in reply to Richard Gadsden

@ajlanes @shinydan chesscom has more money than FIDE by miles and prize funds for things like the Champions Chess Tour are vast compared to anything bar the handful of top tournaments that extract money from sponsors.
in reply to Richard Gadsden

@ajlanes @shinydan Just to add some extra explanation: chess can be played at four official speeds: classical (only over the board, about 4-8 hours per game), rapid (over the board or online, about an hour per game), blitz (mostly online, possible over the board, but quite a lot of DQs when pieces go flying, about ten minutes per game) and bullet (only possible online, two minutes per game).

FIDE have total control over classical, but that generates far less revenue than the others.

in reply to Richard Gadsden

@ajlanes @shinydan FIDE classical ratings are so important (because they get you titles like GM) that no-one plays non-FIDE classical, but no-one cares about rapid/blitz ratings.

All online chess is faster than classical, so no-one cares about ratings, so no reason to register with FIDE, so online tournaments (which make a *lot* of money from sponsorship and streaming adverts) are entirely beyond FIDE's control.

in reply to Sarah Brown

I'm not sure if sport is in some way exempt from the Equalities Act in the UK and if so if chess counts. I would imagine it must need to be be for physical sports since otherwise sex categories would trigger legal action, I'd hope chess is not like that.
in reply to Sarah Brown

I'm struggling to see why there are separate men's and women's tournaments in the first place, if I'm honest.
in reply to Mark Rigby

@Wufflekins there aren't tournaments that are only open to men, afaik. Generally, tournaments are either open to everyone, or have specific qualifications (like rating, title, or winning a qualifying event).

There are, however, tournaments that are only open to women. Ostensibly, these exist to encourage participation, although many have suggested that it is actually to shield women from rampant misogyny in the chess scene that institutions are unwilling to handle properly.

in reply to jonathan

@triplenineteen
That's a weird one for me. I absolutely understand the need for a safe space for women, and, as a man, I have no experience of the issues women face but, to me, it feels like that should be a refereeing issue. If men and women (and whoever identifies as whichever) can't participate on an even footing, regardless of gender, that's a fundamental problem with the way the sport is being supervised, isn't it?
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