A trans teenager has become the centre of anti-trans rhetoric after winning a chess tournament.

17-year-old Nora Heidemann became embroiled in a heated debate over trans people’s right to participate in chess matches after she won an under-18 girls’ chess championship in Germany in June.

The North Rhine-Westphalia player scored 7.5 out of nine points, outperforming her 27 opponents to win the championship.

The player’s triumphant victory has since become the pillar of a debate over trans participation in sports after an article in The Times claimed cisgender competitors had considered quitting over fears of “unfair competition.”

Nadja Hussupow, the 55-year-old head of the German commission for women’s chess, told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag that the 17-year-old competitor didn’t deserve to participate because “they haven’t undergone treatment or anything.”

She claimed that there was an innate difference between male and female chess players, saying: “The men’s national team, for example, plays two classes higher than the women’s team.”

“Maybe it’s because puberty starts earlier in girls. Or because girls – unlike many chess-loving boys – don’t just have chess on their minds, but are more focused on school. But these are all just theories.”

There is no evidence backing up these claims, nor is there any suggestion that these “theories” have any merit whatsoever.

Jussupow then went on to claim that she believed men have an inherent advantage in chess because testosterone would allow them to have more stamina, which she said would help them in long chess matches.

Despite the 55-year-old’s opposition to trans women competing in chess matches, the German Chess Federation rejected the notion of a ban, saying it aimed to create a “diverse and inclusive” tournament environment for all players.

In 2023, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced plans to ban trans women from competitive chess tournaments for two years.

The chess regulator claimed trans women have “no right” to participate in official FIDE events until a final decision was made.

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