Men and women should compete without segregation in chess
Chess player Stanley Omondi who was busted camouflaged in a hijab to compete in the Ladies section as Millicent Awuor in the ongoing Kenya Open Chess Championship at Sarit Expo Centre in Nairobi on April 7, 2023.
As he was putting on the niqab to conceal his identity, Stanley was obviously consumed by the innate beliefs that surrounds male dominance in chess, and indeed, in all sports disciplines
In my opinion, such rules and beliefs encourage the dwindling of female numbers in chess, leaving a smaller pool of female chess players
The female body, in all its wondrous complexities, has for long been the object of shame, ridicule and degradation. A woman is expected to act, speak and move in a certain way. If she doesn’t, she is automatically labelled — or at least questioned — about her mannerisms.
Which is why I found it wondrous when University of Nairobi chess star Stanley Omondi camouflaged in a hijab as Millicent Owuor, in order to compete in the women’s section of the 2023 Kenya Open Chess Championship last Friday.
