“Because sexism” is correct, but for entirely the opposite reason of what you seem to be suggesting.
There’s no men’s league, only a women’s and an open. The women’s doesn’t exist because women can’t compete against the men, but because very many of them don’t want to. The women’s division is about providing a safer space for women to compete comfortably, to encourage more women into playing chess.
I should probably add, this is also exactly why it’s so absurd to ban trans women from competing in this division.
I do HEMA, a combat sport where physical differences actually do matter to some extent, very much unlike chess. But here in Australia, most tournaments don’t have a women’s division. They have an open division and an “under-represented genders” division. They don’t just “allow” trans women to compete, they openly encourage trans women, trans men, and enbies to participate. Anyone other than cis men. And the case for doing that in chess is so much stronger.
“Because sexism” is correct, but for entirely the opposite reason of what you seem to be suggesting.
There’s no men’s league, only a women’s and an open. The women’s doesn’t exist because women can’t compete against the men, but because very many of them don’t want to. The women’s division is about providing a safer space for women to compete comfortably, to encourage more women into playing chess.
I should probably add, this is also exactly why it’s so absurd to ban trans women from competing in this division.
I do HEMA, a combat sport where physical differences actually do matter to some extent, very much unlike chess. But here in Australia, most tournaments don’t have a women’s division. They have an open division and an “under-represented genders” division. They don’t just “allow” trans women to compete, they openly encourage trans women, trans men, and enbies to participate. Anyone other than cis men. And the case for doing that in chess is so much stronger.