Chess player Divya Deshmukh recalls facing sexism at international event

Divya Deshmukh, 18, detailed her unpleasant experience in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands and spoke about how women players are taken for granted by the spectators

Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh, on Monday, alleged encountering sexism at the recently-concluded Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.

Deshmukh, 18, detailed her unpleasant experience in Wijk Aan Zee and spoke about how women players are taken for granted by the spectators.

"I have been wanting to address this for a while but was waiting for my tournament to be over. I got told and also myself noticed how women in chess are often just taken for granted by spectators," Deshmukh said in an Instagram post.

"Most recent example of this on a personal level would be in this tournament. I played a few games which I felt were quite good and I was proud of them," she added.

 

'Audience focussed on hair, clothes over game'

However, according to Deshmusk's account, people told her that the audience was more focused on irrelevant things such as her hair, clothes, and accent rather than her game.

Deshmukh finished 12th in the Challengers section with a score of 4.5 at the Tata Steel Masters. The tournament began on January 12 and concluded on Sunday.

"I was quite upset to hear this and I think it is the sad truth that when women play chess they often overlook how good they actually are, the games they play and their strength," she said.

"I was quite disappointed to see how everything was discussed in my interviews (by the audience) except my games, very few people paid attention to it and it is quite a sad thing.

"I felt it was unfair in a way because if I go to any guy's interview, there would be way less judgement on a personal level, actual compliments about the game and the player," she asserted.

Women-player are underestimated

Deshmukh also pointed to how women players are often underestimated in games like chess and endure hatred on account of their gender.

"….I think women face this on a daily basis and I'm barely 18...I have faced so much judgement including hatred over the years for things that don't even matter. I think women should start getting equal respect," she added.

Deshmukh's post received over 10,000 likes and garnered more than 260 comments as the public rallied in support on the issue. Many people expressed their solidarity with her, emphasising the importance of raising such issues to fight the ingrained misogyny often observed in women's sports.