International Chess Federation announces limitations for transgender women who want to compete in women's events

Transgender people will no longer be able to compete in the official women’s events of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), at least until its officials conduct a gender change assessment, the organization announced.

The federation explained through its website that they are receiving more and more requests from people who identify as transgender. However, FIDE explained that the only way for the organization to recognize them is to analyze every case.

“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,” FIDE stated.

The organization explained that for the federation system to accept a player’s gender change, the player must provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that they have complied with national laws and regulations and, therefore, complied with due process for the change. FIDE will now ask for a birth certificate, passport, national ID, or any relevant document to prove that the gender change was made legally.

The federation also explained that until an official decision is made, a man who changes gender to female has no right to participate in official women’s events.

The analysis process can last up to two years, and the organization warns that some aspects must be considered once the change is accepted. “If a player holds any of the women’s titles, but the gender has been changed to a man, the women’s titles are to be abolished ... If a player has changed the gender from a man into a woman, all the previous titles remain eligible. The player may use only the published rating at the time the registration was changed, and all subsequent ratings when applying for women titles,” FIDE said.