[ExI] et tu chess?

[Dylan Distasio]

I don't know whether it is actually silly if we dig down on it.   Out of
curiosity, are you in favor of banning biological men from women's sports?
 I would guess you probably are due to the very obvious physical advantages
that biological men have over women.   For the record, I am completely
against transwomen competing in women's sports for these biological
reasons, particularly in things like UFC/MMA, swimming, track&field,
powerlifting, etc.

So back to chess...Although I don't think there is enough real data to be
sure, an argument can be made on the biological front there as well as to
why biological men/transwomen should not be allowed to compete in women's
chess.    Men may hold a biological advantage there as well in terms of
brain differences, and the effects of testosterone on risk taking.

You could also make the argument that even if the perceived superiority of
men in playing chess is due purely to cultural issues and the sheer numbers
of men who play chess compared to women that allowing biological
men/transwomen to compete there would put women at a disadvantage overall.

All that said, since noone is going to get injured playing chess, I am more
inclined to say allow transwomen to compete there and see what the outcomes
are as I don't think we have enough data to know for sure that men have an
innate advantage over women in the chess arena.

While I agree with you that it seems silly on its face compared to the more
clear cut case of physical sports, I don't think the ban is entirely
without merit and shouldn't be immediately laughed off.   Like I said
though, the consequences of allowing them to compete in chess pale in
comparison to physical sports, so maybe we should just see what happens and
collect more data before enacting a ban prematurely.

On Thu, Aug 17, 2023 at 11:56 AM spike jones via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

>
>
> I just heard that the International Chess Federation (FIDE) is banning
> transgender women from competing in women’s chess.  Scandal!
>
>
>
> Just when I think this old world has achieved peak silliness, we seem to
> discover new pinnacles of silliness.
>
>
>
> This might have a downside however.
>
>
>
> spike
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