Trans women banned from women's chess games as Labor MP slams 'ridiculous' decision

Angela Eagle, co-winner of the UK Under-18 Women's Chess Championship in 1976, reacted angrily to news of the ban for trans women to participate in the best tournaments< /p> The International Chess Federation has said that a player who has changed from male to female "has no right" to participate in official women's events (

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A Labor MP's chess champion has slammed a 'ridiculous and offensive' decision to ban transgender women from top-level women's chess competitions. Dame Angela Eagle has reacted angrily to news that transgender women will be banned from playing in top tournaments until a review, which could take two years, is completed.

Dame Angela, co-winner of the 1976 British Women's Under-18 Chess Championship, wrote on social media: "There is no physical advantage in chess unless you believe that men are inherently more capable of playing than women - I've spent my career in chess being told that women's brains are smaller than men's and that we shouldn't even play. This ban is ridiculous and offensive to women. She added, "The best women have always competed with men, for example the Polgar sisters. Are we now going to ban that too to 'protect' them?"

The Swiss-based International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced the decision last week when it said a player who had changed from male to female "has no right to participate in official FIDE events for women" until a review is made into whether they have an unfair advantage.

Labour MP Dame Angela Eagle was co-winner of the UK Under-18 Women's Chess Championship in 1976 (

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Parliament Television)

Under the new rules, which are expected to go into effect next week, transgender players will only be able to play in open tournaments, not women-only events. There are no official competitions for male players, female ones being created to encourage participation as only 15% of all licensed players worldwide are female.

Yosha Iglesias, 35, a trans woman from France recognized as a woman by FIDE, said the news was "heartbreaking". "There's no biological benefit," she told The Times. "It's not biology, it's sociology, psychology and it's sexism, it's aggression [from FIDE]. Th...