Divya Deshmukh
Divya Deshmukh: She has accomplished a lot and is currently regarded as one of India’s most gifted young female chess players at the age of 18. Divya Deshmukh recently uploaded a post on Instagram following the completion of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in the seaside city of Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. She described herself as an adolescent in that post and talked about constantly encountering sexism, “judgment,” and “hatred” in the game
In response to the sexist remarks directed at Divya Deshmukh, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament organizers issued a statement on Tuesday endorsing her.
“I felt proud of some of the games I played that I truly enjoyed. People told me that the crowd had no trouble watching the game, but they were fixated on everything that could be found wrong, including my hair, attire, speech, and other unimportant details. When I heard this, I became quite angry. The International Master stated on Instagram, “The sad reality is that when women play chess, they overlook how good they are, what their game and strengths are, and focus on irrelevant things.”
This is a regrettable but not shocking discovery. Misogyny and gender bias are issues that women in chess must deal with. The Tata Steel Chess Tournament organizers referenced the gendered remarks directed towards Divya Deshmukh in a statement they released on Tuesday.
“Participation in the tournament is open to individuals of all genders, fostering a competitive environment where both men and women actively engage in the competition.”
. While it makes perfect sense to us, it might not make sense to others. The statement said, “As a premier event, we are dedicated to encouraging women in chess and providing a secure and fair playing environment.” Go here to read it.
Divya Deshmukh achieved a final score of 4.5/13 in Wijk aan Zee, and she won one match against a player rated 2615, which is around 200 Elo points higher. She was a last-minute replacement in the Tata Steel Tournament in September of last year, and she had an incredible performance. Despite having the lowest rating, she won multiple quick events and defeated Ju Wenjun, the current Women’s World Champion.
Divya Deshmukh clarified on Instagram that the people referred to as the “audience” in her article did not include the fans at the Wijk aan Zee event. “I was talking about YouTube comments on my tipping point videos,” the woman said to Hindustan Times. It might not appear like a significant concern when viewed from a distance. However, this has been going on for a while. Although I dislike focusing on such things, there are instances when they become out of control and beyond my threshold of tolerance.”
The Wijk aan Zee tournament organizers appear to have removed a number of disparaging YouTube comments, although some of them contained sexually suggestive remarks regarding her height, appearance, dental braces, and pronunciation. In response to Divya Deshmukh’s tweet, Grandmaster and former Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar stated that she made the decision to appear ‘deliberately ugly, plain, and unappealing’ as a young player in order to deter guys from approaching her. Divya Deshmukh has thought of this idea multiple times. “But then it occurred to me: why should I modify my attire in response to offensive remarks or unpleasant people? That authority and their attempts to control me don’t seem appropriate to me.”
Divya Deshmukh is a member of a generation that has seen cyberbullying and grown up playing chess online. Unwanted remarks are nearly always made. This is the last thing an eighteen-year-old girl who plays her favorite game should have to cope with. “It all began when I was between the ages of 13 and 14. Even if I’ve chosen to block everything and act indifferent during the tournament, nothing has changed.”
Aside from anonymous, faceless internet trolls, Divya claims that she is frequently approached by people who criticize her appearance. “They even spoke poorly about my behavior and appearance to my parents. Sadly, the majority of these folks were the parents of other athletes.
Women make up a small minority in chess: only 2% of Grandmasters and 11% of all FIDE-rated players are female. Social and cultural hurdles are generally to blame for the unequal starting pool, and gender bias may be one of the reasons why women drop out of chess at a higher rate than males. “A lot of people act haughty when I lose, just because I’m a girl,” Divya remarked. Boys, in my opinion, have a difficult time accepting defeat by girls, and they can’t even put up with being drawn against. Not all boys, of course, but the majority that I have witnessed.”
The Indian prodigy feels that it’s important to speak up now because she was subjected to inappropriate remarks at an early age. “Before me, a lot of female players dealt with this and brought it up. My goal is to make sure that the following generation is spared from experiencing similar things.”
Gender conservatism lies at the heart of this problem, and the threat of cyber-hatred and online trolling is so ubiquitous that it seems difficult to eradicate completely in a single day. But it’s never hurt to speak another opinion in opposition.
Nice one