An all-female chess team, She Plays to Win Lionesses A, faces having to replace one of its players with a male team member. This is due to current Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) rules after the team secured promotion to the top flight.
The team were crowned champions of the 4NCL's second division. They are set to be the first all-female team to compete in the top division of the UK's national chess league.
A rule, introduced to boost female participation, requires teams in the top division to field at least one player of each sex. The 4NCL stated that a survey of team captains during the 2025/2026 season showed "no significant appetite" to change this rule.
Emily Maton, 18, a team member and Oxford University student, expressed frustration that the rule could lead to changes. She suggested the team may have to include a "token man". Lorin D'Costa, who founded the charity She Plays to Win six years ago, believes the team should still be allowed to field an all-female team when the league starts in October.