Kira Storm

Bad move

New and clear policies are needed in the international tournament chess arena. But barring trans girls and women from competition only increases the feelings of exclusion and discouragement they are already likely to face.

As a trans woman who has been a tournament chess player for five decades, I find myself targeted by the recent ruling about transgender chess players by FIDE (a French acronym for an organization that translates as "International Chess Federation") and the news cycle surrounding it.

Given the relatively large number of people in our community (as well as the chess-playing community of the region) who are aware that I am in this position, I feel compelled to share my perspective.

When, in 2015, I became legally female in Vermont, I also changed my gender marker with the United States Chess Federation (USCF). This immediately made me the top-rated female player in the state, and shortly thereafter, I received an invitation to participate in a national women's event.

I declined, mostly because I did not want to be embroiled in exactly the sort of controversy addressed by the FIDE ruling.

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