Lausanne, Switzerland-based federation Fidethe world's top chess federationruled that trans women cannot compete in its official events for females until a review of the situation is made by its officials, The Guardian reported.
The federation has open competitions that allow all players to take part, as well as specialized categories for women, young players and even computers.
Fide said it and its member federations increasingly have received recognition requests from players who identify as transgender, and that the participation of trans women would depend on analyses of individual casesand that entire process could take up to two years.
The organization acknowledged that questions regarding transgender players were an "evolving issue for chess" and that "further policy may need to be evolved in the future in line with research evidence."
PinkNews ran an op-ed about this development, stating, "The toxic, pseudoscientific 'debate' around trans folks jeopardizing women's sports makes even less sense in chess, where the power of the human brain reigns supreme over physicality, and where they now find themselves excluded."
Organizations involving activities that are more physically intense have weighed in on trans women participants. For example, The International Cycling Union ruled that female trans athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no longer be able to compete in women's races.
Andrew Davis