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The ratings gap and gender: Analyzing U.S. Chess Championships (Part II) – Chessbase News

Ratings Gap

For each year between 19722000, the average USCF rating of the overall U.S. Championship was always more than 300 points greater than the average rating of the U.S. Womens Championship.

Although the rating differences are already apparent, Ashley Yan conducted an independent samples t-test to compare the means. The results confirmed a statistically significant difference between the average ratings of overall U.S. Championship participants and U.S. Womens Championship participants. Since the resulting p-value was much less than 0.05, which is the standard threshold for statistical significance, its highly likely that the average rating differences are influenced by an external factor.

Given these results, one might conclude that there is a significant difference in skill between men and women. But other explanations are possible.

Participation Hypothesis

We hypothesize that the difference in ratings between the U.S. Womens Championship and the overall U.S. Championship is expected due to the small numbers of girls and women with USCF memberships. This conclusion remains valid under two assumptions: that women made up 5% of the total USCF membership, and the rating distribution for all female USCF members was relatively the same as the rating distribution for all male USCF members.

Due to the lack of data available to us, the exact percentage of female USCF members between 19722000 remains unknown, and the rating distributions based on gender are also unknown. Given that 5% of USCF players were girls or women in April 2000, as mentioned in part one, one might speculate that the percentage was even lower in the years before 2000. Indeed, for the datapoint of 1993, the percentage was lower (4.65%). Further data points may or may not be available from the US Chess. Requesting a data search would require staff hours and thus an outside funding source to pay for US Chess staff time.

If a funded study were conducted, and data points of girls/women in various years from 1972 to 1993 were uncovered (since we already have the 1993 and 2000 data points), these additional data points might demonstrate a substantial participation gap between men and women.

In addition, assuming the rating distributions for men and women were relatively equal, it is expected that the highest ratings for men would be higher than those for women. More specifically, when comparing two distributions with the same average value and variability, the distribution with the larger sample size will logically have greater representation on both ends of the distribution curve.

Extreme Values

When this logic is applied to the U.S. Championships rating differences, the difference between the average ratings of the overall and womens championships would be expected due to a smaller sample size of total female USCF members. The participants in both championships have ratings in the top percentile for their corresponding gender, so the championships ratings are the highest or most extreme values in the rating distributions of all USCF players. Since there are substantially more male USCF players than female, the male USCF player distribution would not only have a greater magnitude of players in the top percentile, but the highest ratings would also be greater than those for female USCF players. Extreme values explain why the participants in the overall U.S. Championships generally have much higher ratings than those in the U.S. Womens Championships.

Chess Life magazine, March 1996 (from theChess Life and Chess Review Archives)

Graphs and Conclusion

Based on the graph illustrating the average ratings of the U.S. Championships and U.S. Womens Championships, the rating difference has generally decreased over 19722000. Due to the proportion of female USCF members possibly increasing over this period, this trend is statistically expected: The extreme values of the two distributions become more similar as the distributions size difference decreases. That the proportion of female USCF members increased between 19722000, though, is another assumption we make as we do not currently have much gender-based data for those years.

We conclude that the gender participation gap influences the average rating differences between the U.S. Championship players and the U.S. Womens Championship players, and, therefore, the difference would be expected. However, our conclusions and the insight we can draw from the given data are limited. There may or may not be available rating distributions from 19722000, and overall USCF membership during those years perhaps did not include sufficiently accurate gender coding.

Future Research

In 2001, there was no womens tournament. In 2004, there was a seven-player U.S. Womens Championship but no corresponding U.S. Championship. That is, the 2004 U.S. Championship was named the 2005 championship for legal reasons and was a mixed-gender Swiss system. In 2002 (56 players), 2003 (58 players), 2005 (64 players), and 2006 (two 32-player Swiss systems), the women and men played in combined U.S. championships.

The comparison chart found in part one could resume in 2007, with the caution that, for several of those years, the U.S. championships averages would be depressed due to large numbers of players competing in the U.S. Championships.

Starting in 2014, both the U.S. Womens Championship and the U.S. Championship were round robins of smaller sizes. Comparisons would again be possible, as they were for 19722000, the focus of this two-part series. A future article could analyze those more recent years, 20142020, when the percentage of US Chess female members is above 10%, to see if the rating gap is closing between the U.S. Womens and the U.S. Championship fields. Also possible is a second historical article, about the years 1950 to 1972 and the average ratings for those years for the U.S. Womens and U.S. Championships.

The ratings gap and gender: Analyzing U.S. Chess Championships (Part I)

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The ratings gap and gender: Analyzing U.S. Chess Championships (Part II) - Chessbase News

Chess.com’s New Events Feature, The Perfect Platform To Follow The Candidates – Chess.com

Chess.com is proud to unveil Chess.com/events. We welcome you to test out the ultimate chess event viewing platformthe perfect place to follow all live tournaments, watch active games, see the results, easily follow your favorite player live, and much more. It has everything you need to experience a tournament in a fresh and novel way.

Chess.com's Event feature has all of the information you need to enjoy an event, including the current tournament standings, the ability to view previous rounds, a global search function to find specific players, a chat feature, live evaluation bars, analysis for every game, and the ability to download and share games all from one place. Check out the new events feature now and enjoy chess events like never before!

From the main events page, you can see all ongoing tournaments.

Scroll through the list of current tournaments to find an event that you are interested in. You can easily see the name of the event, the dates of the event, and the current round of the tournament. You can also navigate to upcoming events and past events from this page.

Once you've selected the tournament that you are interested in, you will see all of the active games with an evaluation bar with multiple viewing options. You can also easily see the participants and standings at a glance.

On this page, you can also select which round to view, check the schedule, find out results, and you can easily access all live and completed games by simply clicking on them. Another great feature is the search functionjust type a player's name and you'll see all of their games from the event that you are in!

When you select a game, you will have a lot of great options! You can instantly see the remaining time for each player, have access to the engine evaluation, get information about either player, and more...

From the game page you can also do a deep dive with analysis, connect to opening explorer, share the game, or download the game easily. All of these features are directly and seamlessly integrated with the existing Chess.com tools that you already use and love!

Events also integrate with the Chess.com/players project. You can also click on any player's avatar and get more information on them, including their ratings and their player profile.

Chess.com/events is also optimized for mobile browsers, providing a seamless experience on any web device. Watch for it on Android and iOS soon.

For tournament organizers who would like their events featured, please contact us via events@chess.com with the event title, description, schedule, PGN feed, and any media assets which should be included for the event.

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Chess.com's New Events Feature, The Perfect Platform To Follow The Candidates - Chess.com

UGA, Chess and Community form new partnership – WGAU

The University of Georgia and the local nonprofit Chess & Community have launched a new partnership that uses robotics to enhance STEM education opportunities for promising Clarke County students.

Over the next three years, the university will provide financial assistance and on-campus space to supportPawn Accelerator a community-centered robotics and chess program that educates students about the foundations of technology and innovation, nurturing skills that they will need for future careers in STEM fields, including literacy in robotics and engineering.

The Pawn Accelerator program helps Clarke County students develop a wide range of essential skills, said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. This new partnership will further strengthen our relationship with our community partners across Athens-Clarke County and expand the impact of STEM education in our local community.

The next technological innovation to transform this community and the world could be buried in the mind of one of these kids, but well never know if we dont at the very least expose them to available resources, said Lemuel Life LaRoche, executive director ofChess & Community, which piloted the program in fall 2020. This is what Pawn Accelerator does. It allows youth to interface with the latest technology and challenges them to reimagine the world.

The program has three progressive tiers that ultimately promote design thinking and innovation. These tiers are:

As part of the partnership, the university will make space available for students in locations dedicated to sparking innovation such as the new Innovation Hub and Studio 225, the home of the UGA Entrepreneurship Program.

Founded in Athens, Chess & Community is dedicated to empowering young leaders in Northeast Georgia. It provides real-world knowledge through positive youth engagement in critical thinking, civic engagement, peer learning and cultural experiences.

The new initiative joins nearly 50 existing UGA programs and partnerships launched in recent years that support the Clarke County School District. Others include:

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UGA, Chess and Community form new partnership - WGAU

Watch Your Chess Ranking Skyrocket With This $30 Boot Camp – PCMag.com

Thanks to the hitNetflixseries, many casual viewers are just learning about The Queen's Gambit, but they're just catching up to what chess aficionados have known for centuries. Before it was the title of a spellbinding drama series, the Queen's Gambit was the name for a common opening strategy in chess.

The opening was and is popular for a reason. Once you've successfully made that first pawn sacrifice, you've opened the door to an arsenal of moves that can have your opponent on the ropes within minutes. And if you're on the receiving end of the gambit? Let's just say you'd better be familiar with your options, as they tend to narrow quickly if you don't act.

That's why learning the Queen's Gambit is one of the most essential keys to mastering the game of chess. And there's no quicker way to learn it than with the Learn to Master the Queen's Gambit Course Bundle, which boasts some of the best advice on the strategy from chess masters worldwide.

Whether you're playing white or black, you'll find a wealth of knowledge in these three comprehensive courses. Start by takingGrandmaster Marian Petrov's insightful breakdown of tactics following the Gambit (otherwise known as 1.d4). His walkthrough includes options for the Gambit's acceptance or decline, incorporating popular defenses such as the Slav, Benoni, or King's Indian. Then move on to a mastermind course with IM Milovan Ratkovic, who tells you how to counter this ancient strategy with some very modern moves.

You'll even go beyond the Gambit, thanks to Ratkovic's bonus course on the Slav Defense. Taken all together, you'll have the benefit of decades of chess experience, all distilled into a bundle you can finish in just over a day.

Want to start moving up the ranks today? PCMag readers can get theLearn to Master the Queen's Gambit Course Bundle for $29.9990% off the $327 MSRP.

Prices are subject to change.

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Watch Your Chess Ranking Skyrocket With This $30 Boot Camp - PCMag.com

What America Taught The World About Chess – Chess.com

Generations of American players have contributed significantly to the game of chess. As they have inspired schools of thought, developed creative approaches for all phases of the game, and achieved brilliant wins while enduring difficult losses, they have influenced players around the world.

Looking at the body of work that U.S. players have created, its important to recognize how their gifts to the game of chess have enriched us all:

A foremost gift to the world chess scene is the play of Paul Morphy, who contributed significantly to the Romantic School, which emphasized quick, tactical moves. With his dazzling tactical and offensive play, Morphy is considered the first modern player. Named after him, the Morphy Defense of the Ruy Lopez continues to be the most popular variant of that opening. Considered by many to be an unofficial world champion, he played quickly and was hard to beat.

In the book My Great Predecessors, GM Garry Kasparov describes Morphy as the "forefather of modern chess" because his play was the next, more mature stage in the development of chess. The Opera Game, which Morphy played in 1858, is illustrative of his attacking genius.

His play was the next, more mature stage in the development of chess.GM Garry Kasparov, about Morphy

Several years after Morphy had played the Opera Game, a new generation of players began to reject the Romantic concept that attack was more worthy than defense. Although positional play was not a new notion, it did not become widely accepted until advanced by the Classical School with their ideas of defense-based chess. During this era, Harry Pillsbury and Frank Marshall rose to the top of world chess.

Pillsbury won the star-studded 1895 Hastings tournament. His superior performance at Hastings (+15 -3 =3) helped to popularize the Queens Gambit, which he played against Siegbert Tarrasch, a world-class player known for his defense against that opening. Pillsburys win is characteristic of Classical thinking.

Equally noted for his Classical style, Marshall is one of several American players who advanced opening theory considerably. Several opening variations, such as the Marshall Defense to the Queens Gambit, are named after him as a result. Prominent among them is the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez that he had played before 1918, but that year was when his well-known game with Jose Capablanca was played. Although Capablancas defensive genius guided him to a win, Marshalls opening became extremely popular.

Other openings named for Americans are just as significant, including these examples:

King's Gambit Accepted, Fischer's Defense.

Gambits, special openings in which players sacrifice material to achieve advantages later, also have been inspired by American players and have been named after them as this brief list illustrates:

In addition to the players who contributed to the facets of the game just discussed, GM Rueben Fine was particularly instrumental in advancing chess theory. Inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 1986, the charter class, Fine was one of the 17 players first awarded the grandmaster title by FIDE in 1950.

A prolific author, his books on the opening, middlegame, and endgame of chess are unsurpassed by any others. He was the first world-class player to edit the definitive Modern Chess Openings when he edited the sixth edition. One of the strongest players in the world from the mid-1930s until he retired from competitions in 1951, Fine continued his successful career writing about chess theory for many more years.

A brilliant chess tactician, GM Samuel Reshevsky was a remarkable player who was also superb at positional play and defeated seven world champions. He was a serious contender for the world championship from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960. (Read about Reshevskys prime years here.)

About a loss to Reshevsky in the 14th round of the 1948 World Chess Championship, a quintuple round-robin, eventual winner GM Mikhail Botvinnik writes in his book Achieving the Aim: An unpleasant defeatI had just been arguing that Reshevsky was not dangerous and now this. Reshevsky may become world champion, I said, but this would indicate that nowadays there are not strong players in the world."

Reshevsky may become world champion, but this would indicate that nowadays there are not strong players in the world.

GM Mikhail Botvinnik

Several years later, in the 1955 U.S.S.R. vs. U.S. team match, Reshevsky again faced Botvinnik, still the reigning world champion, four times. They drew three gamesand Reshevsky won the fourth (game below) for a positive score, which must have given him sweet satisfaction.

Beth Harmon in the miniseries The Queens Gambit remarked: Chess isnt always competitive. Chess can also be beautiful. However, during the Cold War, beauty was not always on display at a tournament. During the global competition between the West and the Eastern Bloc, the rivalrynot limited to weaponry and military alliancesextended to chess as well. As Benko once remarked: In the Soviets' view, chess was not merely an art or a science or even a sport; it was what it had been invented to simulate: war.

In the Soviets' view, chess was not merely an art or a science or even a sport; it was what it had been invented to simulate: war.GM Pal Benko

No one was as indispensable as Fischer, who also made numerous contributions to opening theory, for ending the Soviet grasp on world chess championships. When Botvinnik won the 1948 championship, his reign began the era of Soviet domination of world chess that lasted more than 20 years without interruption. For that championship, the U.S. delegation consisted of one personReshevsky (at the last moment, IM Lodewijk Prins, later a Dutch champion and an honorary GM, was permitted as Reshevskys second). In contrast, the Soviets had a contingent of about 21 that included players, their seconds, family members, chess officials, and a physician.

The rise of Fischer to become the 11th world chess champion was more than inspirational. The Game of The Century, which he played when just 13, is unsurpassed in instructional value for how it shows the power of harmonious pieces in materially imbalanced positions. As the youngest GM (at that time) and the youngest candidate for the world championship, the world knew that he would achieve great results.

In the 1972 championship match publicized as a Cold War confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, Fischer succeeded in defeating GM Boris Spassky. Fischers victory did more than end Soviet domination; it launched a chess craze unrivaled until the chess boom spawned by The Queen's Gambit.In addition to his remarkable games, his other eternal gifts include his books and other contributions to chess literature, the process to add time increments after each move (that he patented in 1989), and inventing the variant of Fischer Random Chess (also known as Chess960).

Following in the footsteps of their predecessors, a new generation of Americans is now inspiring chess players at home and abroad. The 2016 and 2018 U.S. Olympiad teams finished first and tied for first respectively. Of the top-10 players in the world, two are Americans. (GM Fabiano Caruana, playing in the soon-to-be-resumed 2020-21 FIDE Candidates, is number two, and GM Wesley So is number eight.) Two others (GMs Leinier Dominguez Perez and Hikaru Nakamura) are in the top 20. Their play has increased the interest in time controls of bullet, blitz, and rapid as well as in variants such as Chess960.

American players are also propelling the worldwide boom in chess with their entertaining streaming channels, participation in events such as Pogchamps, and affiliations with esports organizations. Leading the way is Nakamura who has more than 1 million followers on Twitch and over 900,000 on YouTube(as of April 2021). In addition to promoting chess, his streaming channel has raised more than $1 million for the humanitarian agency CARE.

Nakamura has also coached players competing in Pogchamps and provided commentary during the games. About this series of Chess.com tournaments featuring streaming personalities, he said: Pogchamps is doing a tremendous job of promoting chess (Pogchamps 3 drew over 375,000 concurrent viewers at its peak). Nakamura, GM Andrew Tang, and the Botez sisters (WFM Alexandra and Andrea)signed by TSM, Cloud9, and Envy Gaming respectively, all elite esports organizationsare also early leaders in showing how to broaden the appeal of chess through these activities.

Pogchamps is doing a tremendous job of promoting chess.GM Hikaru Nakamura

The continuous contributions by successive generations of preeminent American chess players have significantly shaped how we understand and play the game today, and their gifts have enriched the world chess community. They leave a remarkable legacy that will continue to inspire us.

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What America Taught The World About Chess - Chess.com