OAN’s James Meyers
1:40 PM – Thursday, August 17, 2023
The top chess federation in the world has ruled transgender women will not be allowed to compete in official women’s events for females.
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The International Chess Federation (FIDE) stated transgender women may compete once an assessment of gender change is approved by officials.
Additionally, the chess organization disclosed they received a high volume of recognition requests from players who identify as transgender and said cases can take up to two years for a decision.
“Change of gender is a change that has a significant impact on a player’s status and future eligibility to tournaments, therefore it can only be made if there is a relevant proof of the change provided,” FIDE said.
If a women’s title holder decides to change their gender to male in the future they would be stripped of their title, according to the federation, but said there’s a possibility of reinstatement “if the person changes the gender back to a woman.”
Furthermore, the federation said any transgender player is allowed to participate in any of the “open” sections of their tournaments.
The decision comes as the organization is hosting a World Cup tournament, with number one ranked Grand Master Magnus Carlsen competing in the event.
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