ICCF 2015-001: Eliminate Ladies Titles of LIM and LGM
Michael Millstone, General Secretary
Effective, January 1, 2016, ICCF should no longer offer women opportunities to earn Lady International Master (LIM) or Lady Grandmaster (LGM) titles.
Proposal
Effective, January 1, 2016, ICCF should no longer offer women opportunities to earn Lady International Master (LIM) or Lady Grandmaster (LGM) titles.
Rationale
Correspondence chess is a game of mental ability – there is no need for a physical or psychological advantage that would offer a man an advantage. Therefore, to offer a much lower qualification path to international ICCF titles denigrates an entire class of players.
Other Comments/Considerations
In researching this practice by reviewing past ICCF documentation and conversations with long-time ICCF officials, only two explanations of why this disparity exists were offered:
- Alignment with FIDE. This is no longer a realistic or valid excuse as ICCF has already set precedence of deviating from FIDE’s rules, policies, and procedures when appropriate.
- Because correspondence chess is predominately a male sport, offering lower qualifications to titles would encourage more women to join ICCF. An ICCF database query revealed the following:
| Year |
Active Women |
| 1993 |
107 |
| 1994 |
120 |
| 1995 |
139 |
| 1996 |
145 |
| 1997 |
135 |
| 1998 |
134 |
| 1999 |
131 |
| 2000 |
191 |
| 2001 |
207 |
| 2002 |
212 |
| 2003 |
223 |
| 2004 |
233 |
| 2005 |
246 |
| 2006 |
136 |
| 2007 |
128 |
| 2008 |
129 |
| 2009 |
128 |
| 2010 |
136 |
| 2011 |
112 |
| 2012 |
126 |
| 2013 |
133 |
| 2014 |
144 |
This table indicates that for the past 19-years, award of diminished titles with diminished qualifications for women (as compared to men) has not resulted in any increase in female membership.
Implementing this proposal would not be retroactive. Ladies titles earned will be retained forever. This also does not preclude separate women events; however, the same rating and title specifications in place for men should be adopted across the board for all players, regardless of age, disability, language, political or other opinions, property, birth origin, genetic information, national origin, race, color, religion, or gender.
Relevant Documentation
ICCF Statutes (Article 10) – (information only) – “ICCF is a democratic association and does not discriminate based on race, skin colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth origin or any other status. ICCF observes strict neutrality with respect to the internal affairs of member federations and affiliated organizations.
Tournament Rules (1.0.7) – remove the following: “The Ladies Grandmaster and Ladies International Master titles do not entitle their holders to participate in the World Championship Semi-Finals or Candidates’ Tournament.”
Tournament Rules (9.1) – (information only) – “It is the sincere wish of the ICCF to award equivalent titles for equivalent achievement.”
Tournament Rules (10.1) – remove the following: “(f) Correspondence Chess Ladies Grandmaster, (g) International Correspondence Chess Ladies’ Master”.
Tournament Rules (10.7 and 10.8) – remove these sections completely.
