Judit Polgar (Wikipidea)

Hou YIfan (Wiikipedia)

It's true there are NO women in FIDE's top 100 list today. All are men. But of course it has not always been like that. Judit Polgar once reached number 8 in the world. But that has been decades ago and now stuff of legends. Only 3 women has ever reached top 100 in the world. Besides Judit, it's Maya Chibudanidze and Hou YIfan. In recent times, only Hou Yifan has consistently cross over to the top 100.

The gender imbalance in top-level chess, particularly the lack of women in the top 100 rankings, is a complex issue with multiple factors at play. Personally, I think it's for the following reasons:

1. Participation Gap:

   • Historically, there have been fewer female chess players compared to male players. The smaller pool of female players means that statistically, fewer women reach the highest levels of the game.
   • While the participation gap has been narrowing, it still persists. Efforts to encourage more girls and women to take up chess are ongoing.

2. Nature vs. Nurture Debate:

   • Some argue that men are “hardwired” to play chess due to biological differences. For example, men may exhibit higher risk aversion and lower competitiveness, possibly influenced by testosterone levels. I personally don't believe in this. In other sports like football, tennis, basketball etc it is true. Men possess physical attributes that can be advantageous over Women but I don't think that applies in chess.
   • It's definitely nurture or lack of it comparatively.

3. Societal and Cultural Factors:

   • Societal and cultural pressures play a significant role. Stereotypes about female chess players persist, affecting confidence and performance. 
   • Judit Polgár, considered the strongest female player of all time, emphasized that capability is not a matter of gender but of intelligence and effort a fact that many won't disagree with today.

4. Historical Bias and Representation:

   • Chess has a long history of male dominance, and this historical bias can perpetuate itself.
   • Lack of representation at the top levels can discourage young female players from pursuing chess seriously. Recent successes like Vaishali Rameshbabu are far and between so it's quite significant.
     
     
     
     
     
     

5. Encouraging Role Models:

• Having successful female role models like Judit Polgár is crucial. Her achievements demonstrate that women can compete at the highest levels. But again, those successes were decades ago and the stuff of history.
• Encouraging more women to become grandmasters and participate in elite tournaments will help address the imbalance of course but it's probably happening too slowly.