Women and chess

Do you think that women can make as good chess players as men?

What's your opinion?

Originally posted by Tsekos the punk
Do you think that women can make as good chess players as men?

What's your opinion?

My opinion is that you have proven wrong all the people who say there are no stupid questions.

Originally posted by Maxwell Smart
My opinion is that you have proven wrong all the people who say there are no stupid questions.

Is it really a stupid question?

Is it really a stupid question?

I know for sure that great chess players that Kasparov and Bobby Fischer have raised this question before me.

I think anyone can play chess, and play it at a advance level too. All it takes is dedication, practice and hard work. since in chess you use your brains as a weapon, and not you're physical strength.

just my opinion

Is this a wider debate about gender influencing pattern matching, planning, creativity and analysis abilities?

Since the question as been raised before can you furnish us with the answers provided?

Originally posted by Tsekos the punk
Is it really a stupid question?

I know for sure that great chess players that Kasparov and Bobby Fischer have raised this question before me.

To know this 'for sure' then you have been exposed to it already. Go to where you read it before, and take it up there. To open a thread here with such an obviously baited question will not be typically well met.

But just in case you really are naive and were asking a sincere question, then my answer is YES, women can play chess as well as their male counterparts. I'm not interested in debating my opinion though.

86 out

Originally posted by Tsekos the punk
Do you think that women can make as good chess players as men?

What's your opinion?

Do you think that women can make as good chess players as men?
Do you think that muslems can make as good chess players as christians?
Do you think that blackswomen can make as good chess players as whites?
Do you think that blondes can make as good chess players as brown hairs?

Isn't this kind of questions stupid?

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Do you think that women can make as good chess players as men?
Do you think that muslems can make as good chess players as christians?
Do you think that blackswomen can make as good chess players as whites?
Do you think that blondes can make as good chess players as brown hairs?

Isn't this kind of questions stupid?

Exactly!

I don't see any reason why not. Seeing as women are better at multi-tasking, they might even have an advantage in some areas of the game?

However, I think that at the top level, men are more competitive (due to more testosterone) & that is why the top is mainly dominated by men.

Originally posted by FabianFnas
Do you think that women can make as good chess players as men?
Do you think that muslems can make as good chess players as christians?
Do you think that blackswomen can make as good chess players as whites?
Do you think that blondes can make as good chess players as brown hairs?

Isn't this kind of questions stupid?

You have a point but generally it is also well known that

1. the vast majority of great chess players are men

2. people of different genders tend to have some differences in abilitie. for example I think that men tend to have more ability in activities that require special cognition, while women tend to perform better at activities that require verbal abilities.

Originally posted by Tsekos the punk
You have a point but generally it is also well known that

1. the vast majority of great chess players are men

2. people of different genders tend to have some differences in abilitie. for example I think that men tend to have more ability in activities that require special cognition, while women tend to perform better at activities that require verbal abilities.

Okay, I ask another question in the style as above:

"Do you think that people from Luxembourg can make as good chess players as people from France?"

Chessplayers from France are vey much more numerous than people from Luxembourg so the answer is - It's more likely to have a chessplayer from France to reach World Championship than a chessplayer from Luxembourg.

But do you really think that in a city of the same size in Luxembourg and in France have the same chance of reach World Championship? Of course they have the same chance.

The fact is that there are not so many women who want to play chess as men. Why? That's the interesting question!
Give a group of girls and a group of boys the same chance of playing chess, same coaching, same training, same everything, and they will be (IMHO) the same level of players after a time.

But in real life: What will happen if a woman enters a chess club with 100% men. Will this woman be treated as anyone else in the club? Does she have the same chance of getting high level, than any other man? Seriously now?
I've even heard of women/girls here at RHP complaining over unwanted behaviour from men/boys.

In the club I belong we have some pretty good female players. This fact alone gives me the impression that women is as good as men playing chess.

Originally posted by Tsekos the punk
You have a point but generally it is also well known that

1. the vast majority of great chess players are men

2. people of different genders tend to have some differences in abilitie. for example I think that men tend to have more ability in activities that require special cognition, while women tend to perform better at activities that require verbal abilities.

The vast majority of chess players are men, so your first point is moot.

In general, yes there are differences in abilities between the two sexes. However, this does not mean that those differences apply to anyone in particular at all - every individual is different. So the answer to your original question is yes.

There are lots of women better than me.

But I think the real question was whether or not the very best women can compete with the very best men. The answer to that is no.

Originally posted by Eladar
There are lots of women better than me.

But I think the real question was whether or not the very best women can compete with the very best men. The answer to that is no.

You're a man, Eladar (I think), and you will most probably never win a Chess World Championchip.
What conclusion can we have from the above?

Originally posted by FabianFnas
You're a man, Eladar (I think), and you will most probably never win a Chess World Championchip.
What conclusion can we have from the above?

Maybe the question is being interpreted in two ways.

If we’re asking, could a woman reach the highest heights in chess, then I’d say “unlikely, but maybe”. Judit Polgar got into the world's top 10, and who’s to say it couldn’t be bettered.

However, if we’re asking, do women *generally* have the same ability to play chess as men, then I’d say “no”. Male and female brains are different and I think some of these differences affect chess ability.