Women in Chess – a matter of opinion

“Women can never play like men simply because they are women. It is something innate. Have you ever seen women doing any better than men at anything?” Rauf said half seriously and half jokingly.

“Well, what about Judit? She is one of the best 20 in the world,” I asked.

“She is just an exception.”

“Don’t you think that such exceptions might emerge in the future and we may have at least three or four ladies in top ten,” I asked.

“No. I do not think so. That will never happen,” Azerbaijan’s young male talent said resolutely.

“What do you think about the moves? Do you find them inferior?” I asked him.

“No, why? Some moves are great,” he said.

“Which part of the game do female players play worse than men – the opening, the middlegame or the endgame?”

“I think they fail in endgames,” he replied.

“What about openings? I heard female players have also problems in memorizing lots of moves,” I asked.

“I think they play the opening better than us,” he said and smiled.

L.J. When preparing for special events or tournaments I spend seven hours on chess every day, but on normal days my preparation does not exceed four hours.

Z.A. Why do you think women perform poorer than men in chess?

L.J. I think it is linked with their physical power?

Z.A. Physical power? But chess is about thinking?

L.J. Right, but female players become exhausted more quickly than men because they are weaker. That is why they may fail by the end of the game. Physical power may be decisive in many games. Take any game you want. For instance, in tennis women can never compete with men…

Z.A. You well might be right. However, there might be other reasons. Do you think that women perform poorer than men because historically they had more distractions than men, like chores at home? Even today, in our cultures women cannot spare time for chess like men, because they have lots of work at home. Is this the case with you?

L.J. No, I do not think that that is the reason. I do not have a brother to compare but I think even if I had one I still would find more time than him to devote to chess. Actually, it is my mother and sister who do the housework, not me. Therefore, I can find sufficient time for chess every day.

Z.A. Then what do you think about the future of women’s chess? Do you think women will be able to play like men?

L.J. I really don’t know. It is too difficult to answer.

Z.A. Do you spend much time on chess?

F.V. Actually, I have spent no time on chess recently. To be more precise, I have not spent sufficient time on chess for the past year. I gave birth to my third child a month ago, so I did not have time to prepare. But I simply could not turn down the offer to take part at this tournament.

Z.A. May I ask you why men play better than women?

F.V. This has already been proved that women can play like men…

Z.A. How? Women can hardly make it to 2600, while only Judit is over 2700. The difference between her and her closest female follower is 135 points? Yet even Judit is not in top ten today…

F.V. Well, first I should say that Judit is a phenomenal lady. Second, the problem is that unlike men most women cannot devote their lives to chess. Personally, for me chess is not the most important thing in my life, my family is.

Z.A. Ainur Sofieva and you were strongest players of Azerbaijan about 15 or 20 years ago, but today many young males make GM norms in this country, easily exceeding your highest ratings. Meanwhile, Azeri female players are not among the best 50 female players in the world…

F.V. Ainur made a career for herself and did not devote herself to chess. I started spending my time with my family. As for the young generation of Azeri female players, I think they have always received less attention than boys in this country. Things are changing with the election of the new management of the chess federation. I hope more money will be spent for women chess in Azerbaijan in the future.