Yosha Iglesius becomes the new French Women’s Champion (Special System)

New Delhi: The south of Russia is a beautiful port-side city named Sochi, a place where the Black Sea meets the mountains covered with snow.For a young teenager named Yosha Iglesius, who arrived there in 2004 with a little greater than the dream value of a chess, the city became his migration, promise, and, for a brief time, for a brief time.Currently cut, Yosha became the first transgender chess player to win the French Women’s Chess Championship recently and only the second transgender woman to win the national title.“I was 16 years old, I already knew that I was, let’s, different,” Yosha told Timesofindia.com in a free-wet chat. “I wanted to stay away from my parents in France as far as possible. And then, Russia was the capital of chess.”At a modest club in Sochi, Yosha trained under the International Master (IM) of an old Soviet-style, who once played legends such as Mikhail Taal. There, she also met former world champion Boris Spasky.“For me, as a young player, it was just amazing,” said 37 -year -old, who also became the first transgender player in the history of chess to earn the title of Woman International Master (WIM) earlier this year.But the talent of Sochi’s mountains could not accept a truth that was focusing on it: Russia, for the grandeur of its chess, was not the country where she could live independently.‘The dark year of my life’After a year, she returned to France and started working as a chess coach. She was barely 18 years old but already trained children and club players. Behind 64 squares, however, life was frightening.“I really wanted to rebally infection,” he said.“But at that time, it seemed impossible to play chess during infection and continue to live as a trainer. The world was rigid. I tried to live as a man, but I couldn’t just do it. I was really sad. I was also struggling with alcohol. Happiness seemed impossible. I was not living, I was alive day by day. ,

Yosha iglessius

He was the year when Yosha tetted the edge of existence. Nevertheless, something small but strong kept it for life: friendship.“All my best friends are female chess players. Since the beginning, they supported me. His love and friendship is the most valuable thing I have. Thanks to him, I managed to live through these dark years, ”he accepted.transition periodIt was not five years ago that Yosha finally adopted his identity. “My real life began when I admitted to who I am already and started my transition in 2020,” he said. “Finally looked and accepted as a woman; it looked amazing.”But his journey in the chess world was far from smooth.The first barrier was being accepted as a woman by the French Chess Federation. Then in 2023, an unpredictable shock came when the world chess body was banned in the body, a ban on transgender women.“I could understand the debate in physical sports. But in chess? It really surprises me,” said Yosha. “To claim that I have a biological advantage on other women players, it feels insulting every woman. It’s sexist and misunderstanding.”

Yosha iglessius

Nevertheless, France stood by him. “During the French Championship, I never felt different. I was just a woman who was playing chess with other women. For ten days, I forgot that I was trans. I was just myself. ,Online hate stingBeyond the social pressures of being a trans woman, she faced online misuse, each victory invited a storm of vitriol.“When I became the first Trans Woman International Master, when I won anything, I received hundreds of insults,” she revealed. “Sometimes thousands. And I kept thinking, how many people in the world have time to insult me? I am just a chess player.”Harassment often hips deeply in bad days: “It still hurts. Not only for me. Young trans people also see it. And it can break them.”Finally, he left Twitter, now X in November 2024. However, last week, she returned with the same position after becoming a French woman champion, thanked those who insulted her.

“I think he had forged my mental strength. Before my infection, I was not a fighter. But I had to learn the feeling of this fight,” Yosha said.Financial struggleEven in France, where parts of the medical infection are supported by the state, costs have heavy weight.“I have already paid around € 20,000,” he explained. “The infection is expensive. And when I was 18 years old, it was probably impossible to earn € 1,000 per month, it seemed impossible.”When Yosha immediately needed the cost of facial feminisation surgery € 5,000, she turned to the chess community with a crowdfunding petition.The response overwhelmed her because she recalled, “within three days, players from all over the world donated. There were some friends, there were some stars from whom I had never met. I felt part of a family. For me, it was evidence that the motto of the Fide, we are a family, can actually come alive. ,Chess and its lessonsYosha first played the game at the age of eight after his elder brother Ianis, who was a “trophy winner”.“I felt that it was jealous to see the trophies coming home. First, he was better. Then he left for the university, and I never left. Now I am stronger than that, but I still think she is more talented,” she laughs.For him, chess has more than a career; This has been a philosophy. “The first lesson teaches chess. You have to focus. You have to be present. If your mind wanders, even thinking what you will eat later, you have to catch yourself and go back to the board.”The second lesson is humility in the community: “Any success depends on so many people. My brother, who inspired me, my Russian instructor, my friends, French Federation, President of my club. Chess shows us that we are all connected. So I am very grateful. ,Buddhist philosophy and a fond follower of a material manufacturerWith chess, Yosha bowed to Buddhist philosophy. “I do not consider myself completely Buddhist, but meditation and yoga helped me. Every struggle became an opportunity to focus on the present moment to become a better person.”Outside the chess, she enjoys reading nonfiction, going to movies and spending time with friends. He also runs a French chess channel on YouTube.“Prior to my infection, I worked mainly as a chess coach in clubs and schools, but I was very afraid to continue due to my students ‘parents’ reactions. I switching on private lessons, then later turned into YouTube. I was waiting until I could introduce myself with my female voice and face.Looking forward, she is preparing for a strong open tournament in Spain, targeting the title of the Women Grandmaster (WGM) and the title of the International Master (IM).At the end of this year, she will undergo another surgery and then return to the spring with a renewed focus. “I am inspired to give my energy to this magnificent game,” he said.‘I was not very close to my parents’Nevertheless, one of the most emotional arcs of his story remains his relationship with his parents.“I was never very close to him. When I was 16 years old, I quit lived with a host family in a well. As an adult, it was not bad, but far away. We saw each other twice a year. When I came out, it was very difficult for them to accept it. It took years.”“Now, they see me more happy than ever. They have never seen me like this. I will go to meet him to give him the championship trophy. In France, it is not a cup but a precious vase from the President. I want them to have. ,He continued, “I think he is proud now. It took time. I am 37 years old, and finally, they accept me. I am happy because they are not young now. It is good that at this point in our life, we can accept each other and love each other as we are really.”From the mountains of the sochi to the Parisian chess hall, from online hatred to the standing ovation, the journey of Yosha Iglesias is a reminder that is about the game of life, like chess, flexibility, patience and courage to move forward, even when pieces stand against you.“My best coach,” he said with a smile, “not only chess masters, but also all those who tried to break me. They made me strong. And now, sitting across the board, nothing scares me.”