Support Women's Chess & Victims of Sexual Abuse

Women in chess have been continually silenced about the sexual assault, misogyny and sexism that happens as a regular occurrence.

This has been going on for decades and the perpetrators have seen absolutely no sanctions against them.

There are not enough safeguarding measures, nor are there enough people in power who care enough to do anything.

We want to create a fund to help keep our women safe.

Background

The ratio of men:women in chess is about 16:1 according to data from FIDE.

It has not always been this high.

At grassroots chess, there are many girls who play chess. However, over the years, they drop out for several reasons.

After speaking with many women, it comes down to how they were treated.

Specific Stories

Eight women have come forward about sexual assault from Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez already, three of which are under age.

Women’s International Master Sabrina Chevannes has been sharing stories on Twitter about her experiences during her chess career. They include stories from as young as 11 and include rape and racism.

FIDE Master Yosha Iglesias shares the bigotry and torment she’s received as a trans woman, but is now even more devastated as the FIDE Chess Federation just banned trans women from playing in women’s tournaments.

Women are being silenced

After Sabrina Chevannes shared her stories on Twitter, she received a letter from a law firm representing a chess player, claiming defamation, even though Sabrina did not mention any names.

The letter demanded that she take down the tweets and never mention stories about their client again online.

This has been the strategy of perpetrators for years – using threats and deep pockets to silence the victims.

We want this to STOP.

Our women are suffering in silence

Since these stories have come out, many other women have come forward privately to explain their traumatic experiences.

They have been suffering in silence for years and some have talked about the need for therapy.

Sexual assault is extremely traumatic and can be so damaging. We need to get these women the mental health support they require to get through this.

What this raise will help with

We would like to raise money to support women in chess.

This money will help with:

- Legal fees to support any case they have regarding chess matters

- Therapy to protect their mental wellbeing

- General support to women in chess

We also intend to create a non-profit to support women long-term. But this fund is just for the immediate needs to help support those who need it most right now.