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The participation of transgender people in chess refers to transgender individuals who compete in chess tournaments. As of 2025 [update] , it is a controversial part of a broader discussion regarding transgender people in sports, particularly trans women competing in women's sports. Only a handful of professional chess players have come out as openly trans.
During the 18th century, French spy, diplomat, solider, and trans person Chevalière d'Éon was a chess enthusiast. [1] [2] D'Eon was listed as a subscriber to André Danican Philidor's new edition in June 1777. They also beat Philidor in a chess match where the latter was blindfolded.
In May 2018, the United States Chess Federation (USCF) Executive Board unanimously voted in favor of self-identification of transgender chess players. [3] The policy reads:
The Executive Board moves to adopt the following transgender policy as provided by legal counsel: Allow a person to identify as they choose, and allow each person one change to their gender identification. If an individual attempts a second change to gender identification, at that time the individual must provide US Chess a birth certificate, and the birth gender indicated on the birth certificate will be used to determine gender for US Chess purposes. [3]
In 2021, Yosha Iglesias began transitioning. [4] [5] She was an International Chess Federation (FIDE) [6] Master and a chess coach at the time. The French Chess Federation didn't immediately recognize her gender change, deciding not to award her second place among women at the French Blitz championship. [7] When asked about the decision, the organization's vice president Jean-Baptiste Mullon clarified, "Yosha has asked us to change her gender without justifying it with the gender on her ID. We have yet to work out how we are authorised to deal with her request. We have neither refused nor accepted it." She became the first openly-transgender Women International Master on April 29th, 2024. [4]
In 2022, Morgen Mills achieved the Woman Chess Master title. [8] [9] She became the first trans woman to internationally represent Canada in chess that year, playing in the country's women's team at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. [10] While Mills did express some fears over how her participation might be received, the Chess Federation of Canada fully supported her placement on the team.
In January 2022, Assam University hosted a chess tournament with cash prizes worth 4.25 lakhs. [11] Transgender participants were exempt from having to pay its entry fee.
In August 2023, FIDE announced restrictions on the ability for trans women to compete in any official women's FIDE events. [12] [13] [14] Following this, the USCF reiterated its stance. [3]
In November 2023, Chess Life Magazine published a story detailing the chess journey of trans woman Sam Sharf. [15] Following the 2021 US Open, she and her friend Mady formed the Trans Chess Club. Members of the club would travel to chess tournaments together. Her favorite tournament she's played in at the time of publication was the 2022 U.S. Women's Open Chess Championship in Las Vegas. In December 2024, Sharf traveled to the Dominican Republic to compete in the Women’s Continental Chess Championship. [16] At the event, she was the only player with a FIDE rating below 1900 to finish with an even score or higher. The tournament netted her over 50 FIDE rating points.
On January 14th, 2025, the United States House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025. [17] This bill, if passed, will defund schools that allow trans women to compete on women's sports teams. The ban encompasses all sports, including chess. It is now going to the Senate for a vote.
In August 2023, International Chess Federation announced that transgender women would be banned from competing in any official FIDE women-only events. [12] [13] [14] Additionally, FIDE also announced that transgender men who've obtained women's titles before transitioning would have those titles abolished. Adding to this, FIDE stated it could possibly reinstate such titles if the person changes the gender back to a woman.
[18]
One advocate in favor of the policy was Riley Gaines, who worked alongside leadership to ensure its implementation. [19] Another proponent of the FIDE regulation was trans woman Debbie Hayton, who wrote an article for UnHerd detailing her position. [20]
The Russian government came out in support of FIDE's decision. [21] Dmitry Svishchev, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, swiftly expressed his agreement: The rest of the international sports organizations should follow this move.
[22]
This policy sparked criticism from chess players. Yosha Iglesias said that the policy would lead to "unnecessary harm" to trans players and women. [12] Jennifer Shahade, two-time United States Women's Champion, reacted by stating, It's obvious they didn't consult with any transgender players in constructing it... I strongly urge FIDE to reverse course on this and start from scratch with better consultants.
Labour MP Angela Eagle came out against the ban:
There is no physical advantage in chess unless you believe men are inherently more able to play than women – I spent my chess career being told women's brains were smaller than men's and we shouldn't even be playing. [23]
The French Chess Federation expressed opposition to FIDE's policy, with its vice president stating, We are not going to follow FIDE's decision.
[24] The organization's vice president also added FIDE does not have the power to impose this decision on the national championships.
The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE, is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. FIDE was founded in Paris, France, in 1924. Its motto is Gens una sumus, Latin for 'We are one Family'. In 1999, FIDE was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As of December 21, 2023, there are 201 member federations of FIDE.
Irina Borisivna Krush is an American chess Grandmaster. She is the only woman to earn the GM title while playing for the United States. Krush is an eight-time U.S. Women's Champion and a two-time Women's American Cup Champion.
Sex verification in sports occurs because eligibility of athletes to compete is restricted whenever sporting events are limited to a single sex, which is generally the case, as well as when events are limited to mixed-sex teams of defined composition. Practice has varied tremendously over time, across borders and by competitive level. Issues have arisen multiple times in the Olympic games and other high-profile sporting competitions, for example allegations that certain male athletes attempted to compete as women or that certain female athletes had intersex conditions perceived to give unfair advantage. The topic of sex verification is related to the more recent question of how to treat transgender people in sports. Sex verification is not typically conducted on athletes competing in the male category because there is generally no perceived competitive advantage for a female or intersex athlete to compete in male categories.
Jennifer Shahade is an American chess player, poker player, commentator and writer. She is a two-time United States Women's Champion and has the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster. Shahade is the author of the books Chess Bitch, Play Like a Girl, and most recently, Chess Queens, and co-author of Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess. From 2018 to 2023, she was the Women's Program Director at the United States Chess Federation. She is also a MindSports Ambassador for PokerStars and a board member of the World Chess Hall of Fame in Saint Louis.
Camilla Baginskaite is a Lithuanian and American chess player. She was awarded the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) by FIDE in 2002.
Robert Lee Hess is an American chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in 2009. In May 2012, his FIDE rating was 2635, fifth in the United States. Hess is a commentator for Chess.com, covering events such as the World Chess Championship and Candidates Tournament. He also streams chess content on his Twitch channel GMHess, which has 73,000+ followers.
In the United States, the rights of transgender people vary considerably by jurisdiction. In recent decades, there has been an expansion of federal, state, and local laws and rulings to protect transgender Americans; however, many rights remain unprotected, and some rights are being eroded. Since 2020, there has been a national movement by conservative and right-wing politicians and organizations against transgender rights. There has been a steady increase in the number of anti-transgender bills introduced each year, especially in Republican-led states.
FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and norms. Once awarded, titles are held for life except in cases of fraud or cheating. Open titles may be earned by all players, while women's titles are restricted to female players. Many strong female players hold both open and women's titles. FIDE also awards titles for arbiters, organizers and trainers. Titles for correspondence chess, chess problem composition and chess problem solving are no longer administered by FIDE.
Sarah Elizabeth McBride is an American activist and politician who is the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Delaware Senate from January 2021 to January 2025, representing the state's 1st senate district. Prior, she was the national press secretary of the Human Rights Campaign from 2016 to 2021. McBride is the nation's highest ranking openly transgender elected official and the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress.
The participation of transgender people in competitive sports, a traditionally sex-segregated institution, is a controversial issue, particularly the inclusion of transgender women and girls in women's sports.
Shawn Nicole Thierry is an American politician. She was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives, after an August 30, 2024 switch from the Democratic Party, representing the 146th District. She won the November 2016 general election and was sworn into office on January 10, 2017. She lost her re-election bid for her Texas House seat on May 28, 2024 after being defeated by Lauren Ashley Simmons by 65% to 35% in the Democratic primary runoff. Thierry was an unsuccessful candidate for the 57th Civil District Court in 2010.
Transgender rights in the United Kingdom have varied significantly over time.
Blaire White is an American YouTuber and political commentator. White’s videos have been centered around social issues such as transgender people, feminism, and Black Lives Matter. She has previously described her political views as centre-right, but her views have more recently been described as aligned to far right ideologies.
Carissa Shiwen Yip is an American chess player and the winner of the 2021, 2023, and 2024 U.S. Women's Chess Championship. In September 2019, she was the top rated female player in the United States and the youngest female chess player to defeat a grandmaster, which she did at age ten. In October 2019, she became the youngest American woman in history to qualify for the title of International Master until surpassed by Alice Lee in June 2023.
The participation of transgender people in ice hockey is an ongoing issue in the place of LGBT+ rights and diversity in ice hockey. Only a small handful of professional players have come out as openly trans, and systemic transphobia presents many barriers to the inclusion of trans people in the sport.
Women represent a small minority of chess players at all ages and levels. Female chess players today generally compete in a mix of open tournaments and women's tournaments, the latter of which are most prominent at or near the top level of women's chess and at youth levels. Modern top-level women's tournaments help provide a means for some participants to be full-time professional chess players. The majority of these tournaments are organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and revolve around the World Championship cycle, which culminates in a match to decide the Women's World Chess Champion. Beyond those events, among the most prominent women's tournaments are women's and girls' national and continental championships.
Lia Catherine Thomas is an American swimmer. She was the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship, having won the women's 500-yard freestyle event in 2022, before being barred from competing in women's events by World Aquatics. Thomas's career has been a part of the public debate about transgender women in women's sports.
Transphobia in the United States has changed over time. Understanding and acceptance of transgender people have both decreased and increased during the last few decades depending on the details of the issues which have been facing the public. Various governmental bodies in the United States have enacted anti-transgender legislation. Social issues in the United States also reveal a level of transphobia. Because of transphobia, transgender people in the U.S. face increased levels of violence and intimidation. Cisgender people can also be affected by transphobia.
Riley Gaines Barker is an American conservative political activist and swimmer, known for campaigning against the participation of trans women in women's sports. As a 12-time NCAA All-American she competed for the University of Kentucky NCAA swim team before retiring from competition and focusing on political activism.
Yosha Iglesias is a French chess player. She is one of the world's only openly transgender professional chess players.
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