Men, Women, and Chess.

I've always wondered why "statistically" men are better at chess than women.  I'm not making this as a sexist comment, but rather as a commentary on the fact that at the highest level women just can't seem to compete with men.  Is it just because there are more men who get into the game at a young age?  Are boys encouraged to play more than girls?  Is there some difference between the male and female brain that gives men an advantage in chess?  I'm sure I'll get a lot of flak for even posing the question, but the question still remains.  Are there women who excell at chess and play at a VERY high level?  Of course there are, but why are there no women who can compete with men on the very highest level? 

I look forward to some heated conversations on this topic.

I predict that there will be an accepted International female chess

champion by 2018.

statistically there are more men playing, so there are more men with higher ratings... eventually though someone will breakthough and be an undisputed world female champion... and someone will say something stupid like well it was bound to happen or its only one so statisically there are still way more male champions so men are still better right? Oh, of course no question!... *sigh*

My apologies tonydal. 

The above was directed toward my ten year old daughter.

I don't remember specifics, but I do remember a while back hearing about some studies that have been done, indicating that men, in general, tend to be able think more in spatial terms.  I am probably not saying that right.  But from what I remember hearing a long time back, studies were conducted indicating men were generally better able to analyze geometric shapes and puzzles, and be able to figure them out; such as take a three dimensional object, and if it was opened up and flattened out, how it would be shaped.

I think I would have to do some research to find sources to cite on this; but that is what I bascially seem to recall of this general issue.

I would guess being able to think better in that way may help to analyze board positions better?  Who knows?

& here we go again!

why do more men want to be women than women want to be men...

am I in the right forum?

I think that the reason there are more men than women is because of the basic nature of the game.  It does not appeal to women in general as it does to men.  It has to do with the basic nature of men and women.  Women are in general are more relationally based than men.  Women chose on purpose to interact with others generally.  As men play chess generally they can many times play a entire game without hardly more than a hi, or a handshake, and focus more on just the game.  It is because of this difference that probably more men in general are drawn to playing the game.  Please understand that this is only generally true, but does not always does it hold true for each individual person.  It is just the way that God made women and men.

I warned yous!

Just chucking ideas out here...

Could it have anything to do with fitness? Since many top-level games can go for hours, being able to think at a higher level than the opponent over that long period of time is going to give the person with simply the best physical endurance an advantage. I expect to be crucified for this, but I will contest that, without exception, men tend to do better in physical endurance challanges than women. This may give men an advantage in chess at the top level. Let the barrage of abuse begin...

drop this subject, its puerile.

I just think it's an interesting topic for discussion.  I'm really not in one camp or the other.  It wouldn't surprise me if a woman rose to the top and dominated all comers.  I would also be willing to look at good studies that document the biological differences between men and women and how that might relate to chess.  I especially like gramos9956's take on it. 

My wife is about to have our second child, and if it's a girl I predict that my daughter will dethrone your daughter!  ;)

Thanks for pointing her out to me.  I actually hadn't heard of her and just checked out her Wikipedia bio; pretty awesome player.

 I wasn't ruling out the possibility.  I just wanted to pose the question.  1 example hardly proves anything however.

To answer the OP:

As a neurobiologist, I offer you my professional opinion that there is no reason to believe that male physiology is more suited than female physiology is to playing chess on the highest human level.

There is, however, reason to believe that many players of lower levels would see more women they know playing at a lower level than the men they know.

This is because a) there are fewer women in chess and b) before women came to participate in chess, it was traditionally considered a mens' activity. So as those few girls/women who come to chess progressed, they saw that around them there are fewer and fewer women competing on higher and higher levels.  Many women then became content with second-rate performance.  The view that women as a population are worse at chess thus continues to be a self-fulfilling reality.  It comes as no surprise that the women who do make it to the top of the world ladder are ones who successfully disregard (or are simply oblivious to) the existing current of sexist thought.

As you face higher and higher levels of opposition, it becomes clear anyway that the entity across the board really does not matter; it is their chess that matters.  An unsound move is unsound whether or not a man or a woman plays it.

Besides, a computer running any moderately advanced chess engine will beat any human chosen from the self-described population of chess players 95% of the time, so there's really no point in this whole debate.  If playing chess were an indicator of anything external, then computers (or people who program computers) would be ruling the world already.

I wish I was smart!  Thanks for that Kalirren.  I would, however, disagree with your final point that playing chess is not an indicator of anything external.  Perhaps you only meant that it is not an indicator of any external gender differences.  I think that the fact that a person (of either gender) plays chess, and tries to play it well indicates a number of things.  Maybe this would be a good topic for another post.

I want to know if women that play chess prefer to be on top?

If you consider culture relatively unbaised in terms of chess development now... then in 20 years we should have at least one female champ if gender has no biological consequence.  The statistics are beyond overwhelming as of now, however.  I also thought russia promoted female and male chess development... didn't think they discouraged women from being the best they can be.

maybe