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January 11, 2006
Battle of the SeXXes: Famous Women Chess Players
When we think of famous women chess players we immediately think of trailblazers Vera Menchik of Russia or Judit Polgar of Hungary. Considering that chess is a male-dominated game, every generation produces a chess talent with XX-chromosomes. It's an interesting quandary. So without further ado I give you famous women chess players from around the globe (birth year in parenthesis):
Akhmilovskaya, Elena - Russia (1957)
Alexandria, Nana - Georgia (1949)
Bikova, Elizaveta - Russia (1913)
Chiburdanidze, Maia - Georgia (1961)
Galliamova, Alisa - Russia (1972)
Gaprindashvili, Nona - Georgia (1941)
Graf-Stevenson, Sonja - Germany/USA (1914)
Ioseliani, Nana - Georgia (1962)
Kosteniuk, Alexandra - Russia (1984)
Kushnir, Alla Russia - (1941)
Levitina, Irina - Russia (1954)
Menchik, Vera - Russia (1906)
Polgar, Judit - Hungary (1976)
Qin Kanying - China (1974)
Rubtsova, Olga - Russia (1909)
Rudenko, Liudmila - Russia (1904)
Xie Jun - China (1970)
Zhu Chen - China (1976)
Zvorikina, Kira - Russia (1919)
QUESTIONS to think about:
+ Why have women players not been able to achieve the same results as men?
+ Should there be separate competitions for women?
If you're a woman and reading this blog, please provide your thoughts or questions to this conundrum. If you're a man and reading this blog, please provide your own thoughts or questions to this conundrum.
Posted by rene on January 11, 2006 10:26 AM
Comments
I think there is a gender discrimation in chess tournaments, as women are getting a small percentage of men's prizes. If tennis matchs offer equal money for men and women, why not chess? Apparently, ratings do not increase earning potential. Could it be that chess is firmly controlled by men's egos without allowing women's chess to flourish?
Posted by: YEA at January 11, 2006 1:37 PM
René
Your writing is exciting and 'medically' sound. I suggest you look at:
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/c/cassell-barbie.html
Posted by: GRC at January 16, 2006 10:45 AM
Hey, Rene - I guess I included too much info by linking to the NYTimes article. My reference point is the first two paragraphs.
Posted by: GRC at January 17, 2006 12:11 PM
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