> It is noteworthy that China, one of the two most important countries in the world, has decided to invest heavily in chess. This year Chinese teams won both the men’s and women’s divisions at the Chess Olympiad, a first.
I'm somewhat surprised that chess still has a "men's" and "women's" division. Isn't that anachronistic for a "sport" that has virtually no physical component at all? I don't really understand the ELO system by which players are compared, but I believe that one's score is in relation to the competition they have previously faced. Are top females' lower scores not simply self-perpetuated due to not playing the top males?
I'm somewhat surprised that chess still has a "men's" and "women's" division. Isn't that anachronistic for a "sport" that has virtually no physical component at all? I don't really understand the ELO system by which players are compared, but I believe that one's score is in relation to the competition they have previously faced. Are top females' lower scores not simply self-perpetuated due to not playing the top males?