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Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the French Chess Federation is not as easy as it seems, but it is. When the association that fights against sexual harassment and violence, Colosses aux pieds d'argile, contacted the federation's new leadership in February 2022, it was stunned: 'On the face of it, this is not a federation where the body as an instrument of performance tempts abuse,' explains Simon Latournerie, the association's deputy director, before adding: "But in chess, despite everything, there is a strong sense of proximity, with two opponents separated by only one table, mixed gender and a face-to-face game where nothing prevents the exchange of glances, verbal destabilisation, sexist remarks or even seduction. In fact, it is also a breeding ground for predators".
Despite the free speech movement, it seems to "not exist" in chess.
Over the summer, a number of French female chess players spoke out against sexist and sexual violence following two cases of underage girls being abused by their coach. On 3 August, Nous, joueuses d'échecs (We, the chess players), a group of 14 French female players, published an open letter on the X server (formerly Twitter) denouncing the violence they are subjected to in their sport.
They called for increased awareness and not just a dead letter. "It was really an expression of general frustration. And that despite everything that has happened in society, all the movements to liberate the voices of victims of sexual and gender-based violence, the game of chess has remained immune to all of that. It's as if it didn't exist," explained player and coach Yosha Iglesias, who wrote the letter together with Mathilde Choisy, former national technical director of the French Chess Federation.
At the last French championship we expelled a player for making inappropriate, rude and sexist remarks about a female player. In the end, the X letter did not surprise us," explains Jean-Baptiste Mullon, vice-president of the federation, "because it is a subject close to our hearts. But we definitely needed to move on. This letter will allow us to raise the issue with the clubs and get them to face it.
New charter, network of advisors and promotional campaigns
In collaboration with the Colosse aux pieds d'Argile, an organization that works with more than 50 federations in France, it was decided to strengthen the existing but outdated charter in a discipline where men have the majority ("80 % men to 20 % women", says the vice-president).
The Federation has drawn up a new disciplinary code to eradicate these abuses. These specify procedures for "preventive suspension" and referral to the competent authorities. Educators, coaches and referees will also have to complete a module raising awareness of sexist and sexual violence in order to obtain or maintain their qualifications.
Communication campaigns within clubs and French teams are also planned. The Federation also plans to create a "network of club officers" and to distribute manuals for minors, parents and leaders, which have been produced in collaboration with the Colosse aux pieds d'argile.
This is excellent news for Jean-Baptiste Mullon, who now places France among the leading chess federations in terms of preventing not only SGBV but also racism and homophobia: "Not all European countries necessarily perceive these serious problems in the same way.
In the United States, it took the recent revelations of two-time champion Jennifer Shahade, who was attacked twice by Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez about a decade ago, for the American media to take up the case and confirm his actions. He has since been suspended by his federation.
(Humanité/RoZ)
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