The International Chess Federation (FIDE) runs “Open” and “Women’s” events. FIDE doesn’t use “Men’s” when it names events. Yet some people state that “Women’s” events or teams correspond to “Men’s” events or teams.
The World Senior Team Championship concluded February 26 in Prague. Photos in this article are from that event. The Varsity Chess Match is in London on March 8. International Women’s Day is observed each year on March 8, making this a good time to discuss gendered terminology.
World Senior Team Championship
At the 2025 World Senior Team Chess Championship, in the Open 50+ category, 54 teams played including five women’s teams. In the Open 65+ category, 54 teams played including three women’s teams. Although some women played on women’s teams, others played on teams which included men and women.
Scotland 3, in the Open 50+ category, had two women on its team. Glynis Grant played Board 4 and Karen Howie was the alternate. Men played on the team’s first three boards: Keith Emery (Board 1), Ian Aird (Board 2), and Douglas S. Heatlie (Board 3). For more on the performance of Scotland’s four teams at the World Senior Team Chess Championship, visit the Chess Scotland website.
After the awards ceremony for the World Senior Team Chess Championship, a man asked me, “When is the U.S. going to have a men’s team in the 65+ category?” I replied, “You mean an open team?” He said, “A men’s team.” I replied, “There are no men’s teams, but there are open teams.” He walked away.
I understood what the man meant. A USA team could challenge the England 1 team, which has taken gold medals two years in a row (2024, 2025) in the 65+ category. And the strongest 65+ players in the United States happen to be men. But I wasn’t going to change FIDE’s terminology to suit him. Players like Glynis Grant and Karen Howie show that open teams are not the same as men’s teams. Women may play on open teams.
Varsity Chess Match
For part of the ride from the World Senior Team Chess Championship to the airport, I talked with WIM Natasha Regan. Regan played Board 2 for the England Women 50+ team, achieving a performance rating of FIDE 2195.
After I told Regan about the man asking me about “men’s” teams, she shared the history of the Varsity Chess Match. This annual contest between Oxford University and Cambridge University began in 1873. At first, no boards were reserved for women. Then, in 1978, an eighth board reserved for women was added. In 1992, Regan was the first woman to play on Board 7, which was open to both men and women.
Since 1982, the rule is for each team to have at least one woman. The board ranking is determined by playing strength, not by gender. In 2000, women led both teams. WGM Ruth Sheldon was Board 1 for Oxford and IM Harriet Hunt was Board 1 for Cambridge. GM and Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan was Board 1 for Oxford in 2019.
For the 2025 Varsity Chess Match, on March 8, Regan is one of the commentators. Match commentary is in person at the playing site, Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall clubhouse, London. Streaming is on Chess.com.
Zwischenzug
Regan is the author of print books and courses. One of her Chessable courses, co-authored with Matt Ball, is Zwischenzug! A Comprehensive Guide to Intermediate Moves. In an introduction to the course, Regan and Ball show an intermediate move that could have been played in Game 6 of the 2014 Carlsen versus Anand World Chess Championship.
