Life In 19x19

Of course they come from the world of chess.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... promoting/
It seems probable that in between the over egged claims lie some real juicy story.

One part struck me - would you ever imagine it was wrong to have a male trainer for a female team. I think people generally look for experience and talent in a trainer, not gender.

One part struck me - would you ever imagine it was wrong to have a male trainer for a female team. I think people generally look for experience and talent in a trainer, not gender.

I would agree that the "best qualified person for the job" could often be the ideal criterion for a trainer, but my impression of the particular chess case you link to is that the job is NOT as a trainer but as someone promoting the game among women (and girls).

If so, I can well see that eyebrows would be raised in that specific chess case. There is a lot to be said for having a role model as part of the strategy, and so a female might well fit the bill better. Also, in the case of girls, seeking the approval of parents in the process is vital, and I can well imagine that many parents would be chary of a man spending lots of time closeted with their daughters in the light of recent scandals such as the US doctor and the girl gymnasts.

I don't think there is any juicy back-story behind this anyway. Having fruitlessly dealt with some figures in the UK chess world administration as part of the T Mark Hall Foundation, I suspect it boils down to nothing more than that the chess directors don't like spending money. They quite possibly just took the cheapest option.

Incidentally, the boom in Japanese women's go is indeed down to a female role model: pop star/actress Tojima Hana. The fact that she is savvy and energetic and is in this for the long haul all helps as well, of course.

There are 2 job roles mentioned here
1: Director of Women's Chess
2: non-playing captain (I would describe this post as a Coach/Trainer who also knows how to fill in FIDE paperwork) of the England women's team for the Chess Olympiad
I'm not actually sure what the role of [1] involves, but I'd mostly agree with your assessment. Regarding [2], I found that to be a seriously barking complaint. The ECF does indeed seem to be run a little like a bank or a hedge fund. Probably this proves the trite phrase "You are what you eat" is actually true