Why do so few girls play chess?
There are several reasons. Firstly, society sees chess as a game for boys/men. In my experience of school chess clubs, a new intake would typically be 40% girls and 60% boys, but I usually find that most of the boys are already playing at home whereas the girls are totally new to the game. It is hardly surprising that the boys tend to stick with the club while the girls drop out. Secondly, boys are more likely to be attracted to chess than girls. Stereotypically, boys tend to be competitive while girls tend to be collaborative, (although we’ve all met highly competitive girls and non-competitive boys). And chess is, by its very nature, competitive. Thirdly, if there are only a few girls in a school club they will find it difficult to continue. My experience is that girls do much better at chess – and are much likely to retain an interest – in single-sex schools. But they can also do well in mixed clubs if there is a large enough group of the same age who are all interested. Finally, su
