Kazakh Women Succeed in Chess
2020-03-16
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1Kazakhstan has become a rising power in the world of chess.
2A group of young Kazakh women have had a lot of success playing chess in recent years.
3Their success comes at a time when the game is growing in popularity in Kazakhstan.
4FIDE is an international chess organization.
5It releases rankings of chess players and countries.
6One of the rankings is the average rating of a country's top 10 female players.
7Kazakhstan is currently number 9 in the world. Ten years ago, the country was number 28.
8Some players, such as Dinara Saduakassova, are gaining wider recognition outside of the game.
9The 23-year-old Saduakassova is the highest-ranked Kazakh woman.
10Kazakhstan is also among the world's top 20 countries for female participation in chess.
11That information comes from a study by David Smerdon, a chess grandmaster from Australia.
12Smerdon believes that women may be more likely to play chess in gender-unequal countries because chess games are judged without discrimination.
13Over the past three years, the number of chess schools in Kazakhstan's two biggest cities, Almaty and Nur-Sultan, has increased tenfold.
14That information comes from a Kazakh chess federation.
15It added that some 200,000 children and teenagers are involved in organized play.
16Chess is also taught in more than 200 schools across the country.
17Saduakassova has opened a number of chess schools that teach around 600 children.
18She has even become a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Children's Fund.
19She said, "I see so many chess centers being opened, chess being introduced at schools and I realize I have contributed to it, to making chess popular, to encouraging parents to enroll their children in chess clubs."
20Sadukassova said she does not seek profit from her schools, which were opened with a state loan for small businesses.
21She noted they are free for children from poor families and those with disabilities.
22"It is great because chess... is very helpful in life," she added.
23The reasons for the success of female chess players in Kazakhstan are unclear.
24But being a part of the Soviet Union, which dominated the sport until its collapse in 1991, might have helped.
25Kazakh women outperformed men as early as the 1980s, notes Saule Kaldybayeva, who played for the Kazakh national chess team at the time.
26"There must be something about Kazakh women," said Kaldybayeva.
27Saduakassova said that she believes the word feminism has a bad or unwanted meaning in former Soviet countries.
28"I'd like to say that feminism is not about just fighting for women's rights," she said. It is also about fighting major issues such as child marriage or kidnapping women and forcing them into marriage, she said.
29Saduakassova added, "I stand for every person's rights to be fully respected."
30I'm John Russell.
1Kazakhstan has become a rising power in the world of chess. A group of young Kazakh women have had a lot of success playing chess in recent years. Their success comes at a time when the game is growing in popularity in Kazakhstan. 2FIDE is an international chess organization. It releases rankings of chess players and countries. 3One of the rankings is the average rating of a country's top 10 female players. Kazakhstan is currently number 9 in the world. Ten years ago, the country was number 28. 4Some players, such as Dinara Saduakassova, are gaining wider recognition outside of the game. The 23-year-old Saduakassova is the highest-ranked Kazakh woman. 5Kazakhstan is also among the world's top 20 countries for female participation in chess. That information comes from a study by David Smerdon, a chess grandmaster from Australia. 6Smerdon believes that women may be more likely to play chess in gender-unequal countries because chess games are judged without discrimination. 7Over the past three years, the number of chess schools in Kazakhstan's two biggest cities, Almaty and Nur-Sultan, has increased tenfold. That information comes from a Kazakh chess federation. It added that some 200,000 children and teenagers are involved in organized play. 8Chess is also taught in more than 200 schools across the country. 9Saduakassova has opened a number of chess schools that teach around 600 children. She has even become a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Children's Fund. 10She said, "I see so many chess centers being opened, chess being introduced at schools and I realize I have contributed to it, to making chess popular, to encouraging parents to enroll their children in chess clubs." 11Sadukassova said she does not seek profit from her schools, which were opened with a state loan for small businesses. She noted they are free for children from poor families and those with disabilities. 12"It is great because chess... is very helpful in life," she added. 13The reasons for the success of female chess players in Kazakhstan are unclear. But being a part of the Soviet Union, which dominated the sport until its collapse in 1991, might have helped. 14Kazakh women outperformed men as early as the 1980s, notes Saule Kaldybayeva, who played for the Kazakh national chess team at the time. 15"There must be something about Kazakh women," said Kaldybayeva. 16Saduakassova said that she believes the word feminism has a bad or unwanted meaning in former Soviet countries. "I'd like to say that feminism is not about just fighting for women's rights," she said. It is also about fighting major issues such as child marriage or kidnapping women and forcing them into marriage, she said. 17Saduakassova added, "I stand for every person's rights to be fully respected." 18I'm John Russell. 19Tamara Vaal reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted the report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 20______________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22ranking - n. a list of people or things that are ordered based on their quality, ability or size. 23participation - n. the act of taking part in an activity or event with others 24grandmaster - n. an expert in the game of chess 25gender - n. either of the two sexes; the behavioral or culture qualities often linked to one sex 26tenfold - adj. ten times as much or as many 27federation - n. an organization or group made up of smaller states or groups 28contribute - v. to give or donate something 29enroll - v. to register as a student or a member of an organization 30feminism - n. the support of women's rights based on equality of the sexes 31We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.