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If a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) transitions to a man, does he retain the WGM title?

Related, but not part of this question: Are there any rules for transgender players in chess? which establishes that if a male GM transitions to a woman, she does not instantly acquire the WGM title, but says nothing about the reverse situation.

PhishMaster
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Allure
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2 Answers2

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FIDE has not ruled on that possibility yet. No national federation is known to have ruled on that yet.

A related case is going to the US Supreme court that might influence how others do eventually rule should such an event ever actually happen.

edwina oliver
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According to a FIDE regulation published(pdf) in August 2023, the answer to this question is 'no', but they might qualify for a separate title.

If a player holds any of the women titles, but the gender has been changed to a man, the women titles are to be abolished. Those can be renewed if the person changes the gender back to a woman and can prove the ownership of the respective FIDE ID that holds the title. The abolished women title may be transferred into a general title of the same or lower level (e.g., WGM may be transferred into FM, WIM into CM, etc.).

Evargalo
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Allure
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  • Since this is a substantiated answer, I suppose it can be accepted as the definitive answer even when the source was unavailable at the time of the question? – IT M Aug 22 '23 at 06:29
  • I think this answer should precise: 1. That this regulation was passed in July or August 2023 2. That it is presented as provosiroy, an ad hoc committee being asked to work on the question in order to reach a new (and supposedly definitive) regulation within two years. – Evargalo Aug 22 '23 at 06:43
  • @Evargalo That's a fair point, but I don't have time to check the background in detail right now unfortunately. If you already have, feel free to edit the answer, or post one of your own. – Allure Aug 22 '23 at 06:51
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    After checking the source, I have to step back from my previous comment. While the decision to ban trans women from women events stands "until further FIDE’s decision is made. Such decision should be based on further analysis and shall be taken by the FIDE Council at the earliest possible time, but not longer than within 2 (two) years period.", this is not the case for the chapter "Transfer of rights and liabilities" which is quoted in your answer. – Evargalo Aug 22 '23 at 07:38