Women and chess

The world celebrated the International Women's Day yesterday (March 8). Let me share with you some thoughts about women and chess, particularly Pinays and Philippine chess.

When FIDE released its March 2010 rating list, I actually didn't look first at who occupy the Top 10. What I was intently searching for were the letters "wf" in the half-bottom of Top 100. Again, like in the previous rankings, only one name with the tag "wf" made it to the list.

There's only one young Pinay in the country's Top 100, in the name of WIM Chardine Cheradee Camacho who is ranked No.97 with a rating of 2186.

For only one female player to make to it to the list is not surprising though. Even the world's Top 100 list has only one player who is a member of the fairer sex. Legendary GM Judit Polgar, who used to be in the world's Top 10, the only woman to get a rating of over 2700, is now ranked No.51 with a rating of 2682.

Polgar's being a wife and a mother seems to be having a toll on her chess career. No doubt, existing social structures put pressures on how women fare in chess.

Speaking of social structures, let me raise some valid questions.

1. Among the chess clubs in the Philippines, how many of their members are female? In those chess clubs, are there female officers? Are local clubs conducive for female players? Have you seen female players playing in the corners of the streets?
2. How many of our chess tournament organizers are female?
3. How about female arbiters? Female chess instructors?
4. Do we have female officers in the National Chess Federation of the Philippines?
5. Do we have female officers even in FIDE?

Indeed, where are the women in chess? Why is it that chess seems to be dominated by men?

More than the Pinays' (read: mothers) role of accompanying their kids to tournaments (which is a heroic task), they can take bigger roles in propelling their share, and therefore their development, in the world of chess. We need Pinays who do not only play chess but who also can speak for, participate in, and act for the welfare of Pinays in chess.

Sulong Pinay!!