Life In 19x19 :: Invisible Pieces

Of course it’s complicated, though, evidenced by the fact I’m writing this anonymously. I would quite genuinely fear for my safety if I wrote this under my username. That, in itself, is indicative of a huge problem, and I hope that if nothing else, you internalise the fact that I, and all the female chess players I’ve spoken to about this article, thought that there was a non-zero chance that I’d end up dead in a ditch if I used my name. It’s very easy to dismiss this as baseless paranoia if you are not female, but I am a woman who grew up on the internet, and I know for a fact that it is not.

Author:	Javaness2 [ Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:41 am ]
Post subject:	Invisible Pieces
In the wake of The Queen's Gambit comes to Netflix multiple pieces about women in chess have made it online. This is one of them : https://lichess.org/blog/X9i1gRUAAJzOKp ... n-in-chess Some interesting points in this article, although sometimes rather OTT Quote: Of course it’s complicated, though, evidenced by the fact I’m writing this anonymously. I would quite genuinely fear for my safety if I wrote this under my username. That, in itself, is indicative of a huge problem, and I hope that if nothing else, you internalise the fact that I, and all the female chess players I’ve spoken to about this article, thought that there was a non-zero chance that I’d end up dead in a ditch if I used my name. It’s very easy to dismiss this as baseless paranoia if you are not female, but I am a woman who grew up on the internet, and I know for a fact that it is not.

Author:	daal [ Sun Jan 03, 2021 6:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Invisible Pieces
Being male, it is hard to make an assessment of how female go players experience the go community in this regard, but I can'T imagine that it's all that different. The percentage of female players is similar to that of chess, and so being the only woman in the room is probably something that most female go players have experienced. Since it is generally fairly common for women to receive unwanted male attention, this probably takes place in go circles as well.

Author:	jlt [ Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:30 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Invisible Pieces
Here is a text written last November by a female go player about the French female go championship: https://cdff.jeudego.org/2020/11/18/pourquoi-le-cdff/ Here is a rough translation: == begin translated text == It's funny because the French female go championship (often compared with chess) will take place this weekend. Is this event sexist? Yes. It is necesary? Yes. We all know the physical differences between men and women, they are factual, that's why men and women are separated in physical sports events. However, it doesn't seem that go and chess require any physical strength. Creating a men/women separation for an intellectual sport says that there is a difference between brain capacities of men and of women, and that's sexist. To exclude a category of humans from an event because of their sex, is sexist. In addition, female sports are much less publicized, and that's sexist. However, this week-end I am playing the French female Go championship. Why? Because today, women are by far in the minority in this environment, and need more visibility. Because some women don't feel comfortable in a male environment (in general because of men's behavior) and need female references. Because it is difficult to be heard by go players when you are a woman, especially when the level of these players is high. Because women with a modest level don't feel legitimate to speak up and to exist in that environment. Because women's conditioning lead them to underestimate themselves, and not to be daring, as if these games were not for them. Because to make yourself heard, you must unfortunately silence the loudest voice, namely the voice of men, to re-establish the balance. Because today, when a woman faces a man in a tournament, it may happen that the man tells her that if she wears a low-cut top, she has more chances of winning (true story). Because the sentence "you are strong for a woman" may still be heard. Because of the fact that women are in the minority in that environment, they are sacred, coveted, thus objectified. And I am forgetting many other reasons. That's why today, despite that the French female championship is profoundly sexist, I am doing it, with a militant aim, in the hope that it will disappear one day when the "because" don't exist anymore. Thank you for your attention. == end translated text == Note: the competition attracted 30 players. Several of them had never played in a competition before.

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