Sex differences in chess performance: Analyzing participation rates, age, and practice in chess tournaments

• Sex differences in Elo chess ratings were analyzed from tournament data.
• Different participation rates did not fully explain sex differences.
• Age and practice predicted sex differences in Elo chess ratings.

This study analyzed sex differences in chess Elo ratings with chess tournament data. We evaluated whether sex differences were due to differential participation rates of males and females, and whether age and practice were able to predict differences in chess ability. There were meaningful sex differences in Elo ratings unrelated to different participation rates. Age and practice predicted sex differences in Elo chess ratings for females, but not for males. The findings paralleled those concerning sex differences in cognitive ability research, and supported that biosocial factors (i.e., age and practice) rather than divergences in participation rates of males and females in the domain influenced the extreme sex differences in Elo ratings.