She Plays to Win Lionesses A Team achieved promotion to the first division of the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL), earning the advancement through competition in the second division. However, the promotion comes with a requirement that conflicts with the team’s identity and mission.
The 4NCL’s first division rule mandates that all teams include at least one player of each gender on their roster. This requirement means the all-female team must remove one of their eight top-level players to accommodate a male player. The team members argue this change would undermine the camaraderie and supportive environment they have cultivated, while also potentially discouraging female participation in chess more broadly.
She Plays to Win was founded during the Covid pandemic with the explicit goal of creating a female-focused community in chess, a sport where women represent only about 11% of top-rated players. Players including Alisha Vyas, 19, and Emily Maton, 18, have described the team as providing a sense of belonging they did not experience in mixed squads, where they sometimes felt they were filling quota positions rather than competing on equal footing.
Mike Truran of the 4NCL defended the gender-mixing requirement, stating it has been part of the top division structure since 1994 and exists specifically to encourage female participation. He noted that a survey of team captains during the 2025/2026 season showed no significant appetite for changing the rule. League officials contend that requiring mixed teams actively promotes women’s involvement in chess and that removing such a requirement could discourage female participation.
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