Chess's gender problem: Harassment, bias and the debate over women-only categories

A report by Fide highlighted how the sport continues to grapple with gender discrimination even as it expands its global reach.

The International chess federation last month published the findings of a survey of girls and women involved in the sport, revealing the extent of sexual harassment and gender bias in chess.

Three in four respondents (76%) said they had faced some form of discrimination or harassment in a chess setting. (HT/Made on Canva)

Conducted by the women’s commission of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (Fide), the survey covered participants across continents, ranging from junior and elite-level players to arbiters, trainers, organisers and federation officials, with its findings highlighting how the sport continues to grapple with gender-based discrimination even as it expands its global reach.

How widespread is gender bias in chess? How does it affect women players? And what must the sport’s governing body do to create a more equitable space?

What do the findings show?

Three in four respondents (76%) said they had faced some form of discrimination or harassment in a chess setting, while 63% said they had experienced gender bias or sexism.

“Just under four in ten have experienced online abuse or harassment (38%), sexual harassment or inappropriate behaviour (38%) and exclusion from coaching, teams, tournaments or leadership opportunities (37%),” the report added.

No. While the survey has quantified the extent of harassment, the existence of such a problem in chess is hardly new. The 2020 Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, based on a 1983 novel of the same name, depicted its protagonist, Beth Harmon, battling systemic sexism and gender discrimination in competitive chess during the Cold War.

The picture it portrayed wasn’t all creative liberty. Hungarian Grandmaster (GM) Judit Polgar, who was the world’s highest-rated woman chess player from 1989 until her retirement in 2014, told The New York Times in 2020 that male opponents made disparaging remarks and displayed poor sportsmanship after games, often attributing her success to luck.

Former world champion Garry Kasparov, widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players, said in a November 1989 interview that men were better at chess because “women are weaker fighters” and “probably the answer is in the genes”. He distanced himself from the remarks three decades later. “It was a long time ago… I don't believe that now,” he told The Telegraph in 2017.

A hostile environment

While Kasparov may have changed his stance on women in chess, the harassment they face has not necessarily improved. A few of the cases of misconduct that have come to light in recent years offer a glimpse of the hostile environment women chess players continue to face.

In February 2023, GM Alejandro Ramírez, who had coached the US women's team at the 2022 Chennai Chess Olympiad, was accused by several other women players, including a 16-year-old, of sexual misconduct. The US Chess Federation suspended Ramirez's membership and Fide removed him from its Athletes' Commission.

In October 2024, American GM Christopher Yoo, then 17, struck a woman videographer after losing a match at the US Chess Championship. He was expelled from the tournament and suspended by the US Chess Federation. Following further complaints of harassment and inappropriate conduct, Fide suspended him for 18 months in August 2025. Yoo returned to competitive chess in 2026.

In another case, Fide's Ethics and Disciplinary Commission in 2024 banned Latvian Andrejs Strebkovs for five years after finding him guilty of harassing dozens of women over a decade. Some victims were as young as 14 and received obscene letters. The complainants called the action unsatisfactory.

A barrier to women's representation

According to the survey, 44% of respondents had considered stepping away from chess. The proportion was 56% among those who had experienced gender bias, compared with 23% among those who had not. Similarly, 58% of those who had experienced sexual harassment had considered leaving, against 34% of those who had not.

The findings highlight how discrimination and abuse can discourage women from continuing in the sport, potentially contributing to their limited representation at the highest levels.

According to the 2026 Fide Gender Equality in Chess Index (GECI), women account for only 238,716, or 16.5%, of the 1,446,605 active Fide-rated players. They made up just 2% of GMs, the highest title for a chess player, in 2025.

This under-representation can also mean fewer role models for emerging players. The survey found that fewer than half (44%) of respondents had ever had a female role model or mentor in chess, while only a third (33%) felt adequately represented in their regional chess community.

India’s chess gender divide

India has made rapid strides in global chess, but women's participation remains limited. Of the country's 99 GMs, only four are women. India ranked 24th in the GECI, with girls and women accounting for 18.72% of participants.

In 2024, GM Divya Deshmukh highlighted the misogyny women players routinely face in the chess world. “I think it is the sad truth that people, when women play chess, often overlook how good they actually are, the games they play and their strength,” she said. Recalling the response to her interviews, she added that audiences focused on “everything except her games”, while male players faced less personal scrutiny and “received more compliments about their performances”.

Separate titles, equal footing?

The debate over gender bias in chess extends to separate titles and tournaments for women. Fide awards women-specific titles, which have lower rating and norm requirements than their open-category equivalents, as well as separate women-only categories in tournaments. Supporters say these encourage participation and provide opportunities in a male-dominated sport. Critics argue they reinforce gender divisions and suggest women’s achievements are measured by different standards.

The way forward

The symbolic irony of a game so deeply affected by gender bias is that its most powerful piece — the Queen — is female. Chess authorities must go beyond acknowledging the problem and put in place robust safeguarding policies, independent mechanisms to investigate complaints and strict penalties for offenders to ensure that female dropout from the sport is curbed and they are given a level playing field.