Fury as UK’s only all-female chess team promoted – then told they must recruit a man
Summary
The UK’s only all-female chess team, She Plays to Win Lionesses A Team, was promoted to the top division but must now add a male player due to a league rule requiring mixed-gender teams. The team and its supporters say this rule forces them to drop one female player and may hurt female participation and team spirit.Key Facts
- The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) requires all top division teams to have at least one male and one female player.
- She Plays to Win Lionesses A Team is the UK’s only all-female chess team in the 4NCL’s top division.
- The league includes teams from England, Wales, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland.
- Women make up only about 11% of top-rated chess players, showing female players are underrepresented.
- The team was allowed to be all-female in the second division by including one player under 18 years old.
- Team members say forcing a male player onto the team would harm their sense of community and discourage female players.
- The league says the mixed-gender rule encourages female participation and has no evidence it discourages women.
- The league surveyed team captains and found no strong support for changing the mixed-gender rule at this time.
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