Grandmaster R Vaishali Calls for Abolishment of Gender-Specific Titles in Chess

Grandmaster R Vaishali has sparked a heated debate in the chess community by calling for the abolishment of gender-specific titles in the game. In an interview with The Times of India, Vaishali expressed her agreement with chess legend Judit Polgar’s views that titles such as Women International Master (WIM) and Women’s Grandmaster (WGM) create a “false sense of achievement.”

Vaishali, who recently won bronze in the World Blitz Championship (Women) in New York, believes that these titles do not hold much value in the open category and can demotivate players from aiming for the prestigious Grandmaster (GM) title. She argues that removing these gender-specific titles could inspire more women to compete directly for GM titles and test their strengths against male players.

However, India’s first Woman Grandmaster, Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman, strongly disagrees with Vaishali’s stance. Subbaraman, who holds both the International Master and WGM titles, took to social media to express her disappointment with Vaishali’s comments. She believes that these titles played a crucial role in Vaishali’s own rise to recognition and that abolishing them would undermine the struggles faced by women chess players.

The debate over gender-specific titles in chess is not new. Judit Polgar, the greatest women’s player of all time, has long advocated for the removal of these titles. Polgar, who never took a women’s title and was ranked as high as No. 8 in the world, believes that titles should be based on a player’s rating and performance, not their gender.

As the chess community continues to grapple with this issue, it remains to be seen whether FIDE, the world chess body, will consider revising its title system to reflect the changing landscape of the game. For now, the debate between Vaishali and Subbaraman highlights the complex and nuanced discussions surrounding gender equality in chess.