Female Player Rule

[Alex Holowczak]

Nice idea. Mind you, I'm having enough trouble winning games in the Birmingham League Division 2

I wasn't going to mention that...

My match-winning swindle lost all significance when you lost to Simon Smith.

Ah, was that the Rc1-h1 perpetual? Very neat defence if I've remembered the right game.

That's the one. I guess it made up for losing to Moin in the Dudley League game against West Bromwich a few weeks earlier (costing WQ the match win), despite being two pawns up and positionally better...

[HLang]

To increase female participation later on you need to have a lot more girls introduced to chess initially. Nothing short of chess being a compulsory school subject is likely to change the situation.

Running a chess club in a girls' junior school can help:

http://grading.bcfservices.org.uk/getcl ... ool&sort=3

Though in my experience they usually need to get involved in an adult club that will invite them to play evening league chess by Y7 if they're going to stick with it:

http://grading.bcfservices.org.uk/getcl ... ley&sort=2

Generally, they reach senior school, can't keep up all their activities, and cut out the ones they're least involved in. If they've only played at school / in tournaments against other juniors, chess is usually one of the activities that goes, as they concentrate on sport or music (true for both boys and girls). I remember one child (who had always played on a high board in the mixed County team and had won various national girls' events) explaining to me: "I've realised how much time I would have to put into chess to stay good* and that's fine if chess is your main thing, but I just can't manage that when I'm doing music and hockey."

* the context was good for her age group

I also reckon that the secondary-aged children who would previously have taken up and become absorbed in chess as teenagers are now becoming absorbed in World of Warcraft etc. instead. But that's probably another thread.

[Michele Clack]

The school I volunteer in is a First School with years 2,3 and 4 eligible for after school clubs. I usually have 2 or 3 girls in a group of 8 to 16 depending what other clubs are on etc. This year none. We put an appeal in the school newsletter and one of the teachers suggested they might enjoy chess to some of the girls in her class. All to no avail so we're not even getting off the starting blocks! All the state schools in this area are co-ed.

I agree with you on the computer games. My involvement with school chess started with my nephew wanting to play. He really enjoyed it but unfortunately his middle school doesn't play chess. He's mad on those historical war games I think the latest one is the Napoleonic Wars. I'm sure if it wasn't for that he would have been asking us to take him to chess club with us and I think he has the ability to be a good player.

The upside of computers is that they can be a useful tool for the keen. One boy has suddenly come on leaps and bounds and he said someone gave him a chess programme that he is using every day.

[Ben Purton]

In my school, I have only 4 Year 2's who are girls out of 13 total.

amazingly however 13/13 Year3-6 are all girls in my school

Leaving me with a group of 17/26 girls

I dont think the game is in any form of decline at grass roots level, in fact the girls appear to enjoy it more.

Ben

[Rob Thompson]

In my school, I have only 4 Year 2's who are girls out of 13 total.

amazingly however 13/13 Year3-6 are all girls in my school

Leaving me with a group of 17/26 girls

I dont think the game is in any form of decline at grass roots level, in fact the girls appear to enjoy it more.

Ben

Nice sample size to overturn all other opinions, btw

[Neill Cooper]

Generally, they reach senior school, can't keep up all their activities, and cut out the ones they're least involved in. If they've only played at school / in tournaments against other juniors, chess is usually one of the activities that goes, as they concentrate on sport or music (true for both boys and girls).

That is particularly the case if the school does not have a chess team. Here in Surrey 16 secondary schools play in the schools league. 10 Are all boys, 6 are mixed, and none are all girl. Of the mixed schools only one that I can think of has girls playing in the team. My son is still playing chess because he plays in a school team, and is now playing inter-club and adult county chess, whilst my daughter does not play any more partly because there is not a school chess team, nor club.

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

IMHO The female/junior player rule should be transferred from div1 to div 3.

The standard of female player is consistent with the standard of play in div 3. There would be fair matches for all. There would be less pressure to pay for a 'strong' female as a 'moderate' female would do the job and it would encourage female participation as they'd feel they have a chance of actually winning a game and helping their team rather than filling a forced space.

This would also free up div 1 for the more serious players to enjoy their chess, this would not exclude female players who are good enough to be there on merit.

In short, by transferring the rule to div 3, we would continue to encourage female chess without the headache they currently cause.

(Forgive me if this idea has been brought up before, I'm new to the forum and reading the last 9 pages was bad enough, I didn’t want to delve further into the 4NCL annuls)

[Sean Hewitt]

Welcome Gareth!

I believe the matter was voted on by 4NCL captains and they decided to leave the rule as it is.

[Gareth Harley-Yeo]

Welcome Gareth!

I believe the matter was voted on by 4NCL captains and they decided to leave the rule as it is.

Ah that sucks, I'll blame ben