....... that the number of women holding active grandmaster status—now 18 out of 1,028—w
Submitted by on Tue, 10/20/2009 at 9:12am.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298004574457393421190888.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel
Headline: Abolish Women's Chess Titles
Quote from the above link ---"The time has come to drop gender-segregated titles for women, which make even less sense today than when they were introduced in 1950 (WIM) and 1976 (WGM). "I don't see their benefit," says 25-year-old IM Irina Krush. "Women's titles are really a marker of lower expectations." Ms. Krush, part of the bronze-medal-winning American women's team at the 2008 Chess Olympiad in Dresden, tied for third place with 18-year-old rising star Alisa Melekhina in the U.S. Women's Championship, which concluded yesterday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Top-seeded IM Anna Zatonskih, 31, won first prize."
My opinion - I would want the women titles to stay for only ONE reason - it inspires more girls to play the game and to take part. We need to do something to get more girls into chess. Girls have all sorts of interests and it is hard to get girls into chess - for all sorts of reasons. We should appreciate the girls taking part and being active players and try to motivate them to continue playing.
Why I want to see it being abolished? For those men who always think women are less worthy and think women are too dumb to play chess, those who think women are not good at chess, those men who see themselves superior to women in chess,...and all the other "characters" you get in the world of chess. Thank you, that was my piece of mind for all "those men".[have I mentioned anything about "those men" having personality problems?] I know it is a small percentage of men falling in these categories, but they do exist. [big sigh] -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703298004574457393421190888.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_RIGHTTopCarousel