Following the recent death of Lisa Lane, it may be appropriate to pause to consider former attitudes as reported in Edward Winter's "From Former Times (Chess)" :
https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/ext ... times.html
and Bobby Fischer's alleged statements in "Chess and Women":
https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/women.html
Chess and Women
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Ingrid Ives
- Posts: 107
- Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2020 2:38 pm
- Location: London
Re: Chess and Women
John, thanks for sharing these. As you know, my mother was playing in congresses in the 1950s so this is a topic of particular interest to me. Only yesterday I posted on the thread John Saunders started about my father, regarding a column heading about my mother in the Bradford Observer which read: "Dutch Woman Loses at Yorks Chess Congress". Reading some of the examples you've posted makes this headline sound quite tame! They're not only horribly sexist but horribly racist. It doesn't take a genius to transfer the black and white colours from a chess board into a racist joke and one can only feel sorry for those who thought this was clever. I wonder how many men and women of colour played chess in those days? I suspect not many and they would hardly be encouraged to, with attitudes like this.
It's easy to forget how even in our lifetime, attitudes were so bigoted. Society has thankfully moved on from this pit. It does make me think about how things must have been for Mum on the chess circuit in those days though. I think it would have helped that she always had my Dad with her to offer 'protection'; this is certainly the impression I formed when talking to her about her experiences. A woman on her own might have been considered 'fair game' to make a pass at; some of the cartoons definitely give that impression.
It's easy to forget how even in our lifetime, attitudes were so bigoted. Society has thankfully moved on from this pit. It does make me think about how things must have been for Mum on the chess circuit in those days though. I think it would have helped that she always had my Dad with her to offer 'protection'; this is certainly the impression I formed when talking to her about her experiences. A woman on her own might have been considered 'fair game' to make a pass at; some of the cartoons definitely give that impression.