The World Chess Foundation ruled that transgender women cannot compete in its competitions for women until officials can assess the gender change. The decision was made by FIDE, the Switzerland-based federation, and published on Monday.

Advocacy groups and activists are criticizing the decision. I admit I’m a little surprised because I didn’t realize that there were separate men and women’s competitions. I don’t watch chess competitions but I highly recommend “The Queen’s Gambit” for an entertaining look at the world of chess.

FIDE said it and its member federations receive recognition requests from transgender players. Approval could take up to two years because it depends on an analysis of individual cases.

”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,” the federation said.

”In the event that the gender was changed from a male to a female the player has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women until further FIDE’s decision is made,” it said.

Holders of women’s titles who change their genders to male would see those titles ”abolished,” the federation said, while holding out the possibility of a reinstatement ”if the person changes the gender back to a woman.”

”If a player has changed the gender from a man into a woman, all the previous titles remain eligible,” the federation said.

Hmm. No transgender women (men) in the women’s competitions. That is the first time I think I’ve heard about a decision on a competition that does not incorporate physical strength.

The National LGBTQ Task Force in the U.S. objected. A spokeswoman called it a “case of trans panic.” ‘

‘The new ‘guidelines’ on trans competitors in chess are infuriating, confusing, contradictory and a sign that the anti-trans movement, particularly those who are promoting exclusion in sports, is spreading into other areas of competitive sport and is a very disturbing development,” Renna said in an e-mail.

I agree with the part where she says it’s confusing. I don’t really understand what is going on here. Are the guidelines to assert that men have superior intellects and should only compete with other men? How are gender transitions verified? Is it through medical records or blood tests? Do the transgenders have to go through this before every tournament or is it a one-time verification? The federation wants to use up to two years to get the verification done because it doesn’t want to rush.

I’ll look at this as a positive step to keep women’s sports for women only, not to include men living as women. The war on women in competition is real. It’s very wrong. There is an open section in which transgenders can compete. According to the FIDE website, in the open category, men and women can compete against each other. That’s a good solution. It does not deny a woman a chance at a title. And, it provides an opportunity for a transgender competitor to participate.

It really isn’t clear why chess tournaments have a separate category for women but it may be because men outnumber women in chess. Less than 20 percent of U.S. chess players are female. In 2020, only 37 chess grandmasters were female out of a total of 1,600 grandmasters. Female-only tournaments may make chess more attractive to girls and women. A smaller base of female players means fewer women champions at the top.

Color me skeptical that this clears up questions about transgender players in chess tournaments. It may raise more questions than create answers. I do appreciate a response from a sports federation that does not simply appease transgender activists who feel entitled to compete as they wish. Everyone should have the same rules.