Will There Ever Be A Female World Chess Champion?!

Hello, All!

I have recently been thinking about this and wanted to ask the forums. I hope that we can have a candid discussion, without name-calling. A discussion that is rooted in data and realism and not feelings.

So, first of all, I would like to note that this thread is not to put down or belittle anybody. We need to acknowledge that there have been, and still are, some terrific female chess players. However, we also need to acknowledge, that none of them have ever come close to the title of World Chess Champion. The question is whether the day will ever come and what the implications will be...

Judit Polgar was probably the closest as she made it to the top 10 strongest players in the World back in 2005 with a rating of 2735. That is a very impressive achievement. Also impressive is the fact that she has secured victories against many World Champions. But, as we know, winning a game and winning a match are two completely different things.

Polgar seems to be the best female chess player ever and she has made a very significant contribution in the game. She has inspired many women to take up chess more seriously. However, from what I've personally observed, chess still seems to be a primarily male-dominated game/sport both on amateur and professional levels. Can these trends change and will there come a new warrior who will take the world of chess by storm and happen to be a female? That would definitely be interesting and make the news Worldwide, I think.

I think the world of chess will be a better place if more ladies learned to play the game. I think that would e a pretty good start. Even if on the amateur level the game is appreciated by ladies, the popularity and prestige of the game will grow tremendously. It's useful to remember that women hold a considerable influence in our modern societies (even in the relatively male-dominated ones) and if they see the game in a more favorable light, there will be tremendous benefits for those involved. Nowadays, chess is just a nerdy, unappreciated hobby, reserved for the geeky guys and, to a much smaller degree, to geeky gals. But if these trends change, and the game gets more respect and appeal, there will be more people playing it and more money coming into the game. And as this process becomes a self-sustaining one, more and more talent will be discovered, nurtured and developed. And as the number of chess players grows, so will the number of female chess players. And, who knows, due to an ever-increasing trend, there may emerge ever-stronger talented female chess players who will compete neck-to-neck with the best males for the Title. That would certainly be interesting!!

Sure...why not.

The thread is sure to attract the trolls.

And yeah, I don't think anyone would argue against this. What you will see in this thread as the trolls move in, however, is distortion of the original topic and introduction of more and more controversial issues....

It would certainly be thrilling to see, that's for sure.

Yifan Hou is currently the top female player, and she seems to enjoy duking it out with her male counterparts.

Even the current World Champ, Magnus Carlsen, has admitted that playing against Yifan has, at times, felt "like a struggle to survive."

If she sticks around, maybe we'll see her in a future Candidates! Would be pretty cool.

BlunderLots, I don't think Yifan has a chance. I think there should be a new breed of players. A new generation, where the females will think of themselves very much capable of attaining the title. It seems to be that the present generation of players are pretty stuck in some sort of mental matrix, or a spell, if you will and are unable to make the breakthrough.

But exactly how this breakthrough should come, or if it will ever come, eludes me and I'm not able to conceive such a possibility myself as of yet...

RookSacrifice, the thread is definitely interesting. And there's the problem of trolls, of course. But I think this is still a potentially interesting discussion.

Ever? That's a long time. Near future .. No one is showing the potential as yet. Simple answer really. When a savant comes along... of course. It's a fact that males far out number females as savants, but as more and more savants are being born this is rapidly changing. Maybe a few will choose chess over music or math.

Ok then... Fair point. Let's say in the 21st Century. Do you think it will happen?

End of 21st century , Why not ? Judit Polgar was a savant. Reached #6 was it, but still quite removed from being #1. Men tend to think analytically, woman emotionally. The game of chess lends itself to analytical thought. Woman start at a disadvantage in that there are fewer numbers in this regard, but it in no way excludes their potential. Chess has zero correspondence to intelligence. Woman can be just as analytical as men. It's just human nature though, that not as many are.

Yes, I agree with you DeepFlight ton your assessment. But then, again, the women chess players still had to think analytically to get where they are. The question is what will it take for them to go all the way to the top.

I think Wiki said that Polgar was #8 in 2005 rating list with 2735. And that is quite impressive indeed. But what about staying in the top 10 consistently, and then pushing harder still. Even what Polgar did may not be repeated for quite some time yet. I'm just curious as to what it takes to push that hard. Chess is a merciless game and a sport. Improvement is very, very hard...

Sure, a woman can be world champion, it's just a matter of numbers. Most GMs are men. If the world of chess can recruit a lot more women, chances are there will one day be a proper female genius who can take the throne.

My 3 month old daughter in training, watch out! 

Nigella Short may be a contender.

The day we have a strong female GM that becomes the world's No1, will be the day when all petty, sexist topic/threads about are men better than women at chess etc ENDS! Equality. That day is coming!😉

Dark

THAT won't happen.  maybe a women Will become WCC, but yet and still Chess.com will be full of threads that slam women as weak (at chess) until the day it shuts down.  I'm sure of it...

misogyny, and racism have Never gone out of style and they never will.

You made a strong point there, thegreat_patzer! That's the ugly reality we all live in.