By Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
Chess is one sport where men and women can compete on an equal footing. Or, so goes the perception, because the most obvious factor of difference in physical abilities is not relevant in the game of 64 squares. It’s not that chess doesn’t require attributes like endurance or stamina, but by and large, the contrast in ability caused by gender in other sports is significantly less stark here.
Yet, there is a huge gulf in terms of rankings based on performance. The women’s world No. 1, Hou Yifan of China, has an Elo rating of 2633, which makes her 102nd in the ‘open’ section on the monthly list published by FIDE in May. The ‘open’ section is gender-neutral. Only the events restricted to women are called ‘women’s’. By approximate estimates, there are more than 1800 Grandmasters (GMs) in the world. Only about 40-plus of them are women.
The FIDE awards a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, for which the criteria are lower. Experts have long wondered why there are so few women who are GMs. There is no conclusive explanation, just a towering exception named Judit Polgar. The Hungarian became the youngest-ever human at that time to become a GM in 1991 when she was 15. She was world No. 8 in open rankings at her peak.
Maia Chiburdanidze of Georgia broke into the top 50 and attained a highest ranking of 48. Hou has had some remarkable success and victories competing in the open category. That’s more or less it at the top level, other than stray sparks, as far as women achievers at the elite level of chess are concerned.
Gulf between Indian men and women
This disparity has become even more glaring in the Indian context. The country registered a historic double at last year’s Olympiad by winning gold medals in the open and women’s sections. However, compared to the rapid strides made by D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and a clutch of others, India’s women are still a work in progress despite having a role model.
Koneru Humpy set an example when she became a GM at 15 in 2002. She continues to be an inspiration. Going strong at 38 and mothering a child, she has stayed in the women’s top 10 for many years and also occupied the top spot. Dronavalli Harika became a GM in 2011 and R Vaishali last year. Divya Deshmukh has made fast progress. There are four Indians in the women’s top 20, which is very close to the corresponding figure of five in the open section.
That’s where the similarity ends. Humpy won the Pune leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix and finished second in Monaco. She also won the women’s world rapid title for a second time in 2024. After her and Harika, it’s only last year that the next generation started making a mark. Vaishali came fourth at the Women’s Candidates last year and won bronze at the World Blitz meet. Other than Divya, Vantika Agrawal also played a stellar part in winning the Olympiad gold.
Vaishali, Divya promise better future
The future looks better, considering that Humpy and Harika are still delivering the goods and Vaishali and Divya have started drawing attention. They are getting invitations from top tournaments. Although not spectacular, they are getting used to that level of competition and becoming more consistent. Slowly, the numbers are getting better.
This is, however, not comparable with the success in the open section. After four in the top 20, there are none in the top 50, and just four more Indian women in the top 100. In the open section, there are eight in the top 40. The magnitude of tournaments won or Elo ratings achieved is way above the women’s section. Like at the international level, in India too, the gap between standards is massive.
The Olympiad success coupled with the emergence of Vaishali and Divya promises to change the narrative. The former is ranked 16th among women and the latter 19th. Both are getting exposure in top-tier events and finding their feet at that level. The numbers are not as great as in the open section, but there has been a beginning. Humpy and Harika have found successors. Time will tell at what speed their progress happens.
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