She’s an international master of chess. She’s also a trans woman.

French player Yosha Iglesias has achieved a remarkable milestone in her sport. She is the first transgender woman to become an International Master – the second-highest title in the game.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) recently announced restrictions on transgender players’ ability to participate in the strategy game, citing “physical endurance” and “hormone levels” as the motivation, saying trans women have “no right to participate.”

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“For me, it’s a life achievement. And it turned out that I had underestimated the impact on trans players and also trans non-players. I’ve received so many lovely messages. One of the most moving was from a trans player who told me she had quit chess to transition but that my story inspired her to return to competition,” Iglesias told Erin in the Morning.

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The prestigious Woman International Master title is only held by 17 other women in France. There are 846 title-holders actively playing the game worldwide.

After intense lobbying by American and European anti-transgender activists, the international body’s stance is at odds with several countries’ non-discrimination policies.

Malcolm Pein, director of international chess at the English Chess Federation, said, “Transgender people have been competing very quietly, very happily for a long time with no issues. And we regard the latest developments as unwelcome,” the AP reported.

Pein said that over half a century’s worth of research into the attributes that make skilled chess players have shown that “the biological differences don’t account for very much.”

The German Chess Federation noted that the FIDE’s policy conflicts with its, France’s, and other countries’ trans-inclusive player policies.

FIDE has given itself up to two years for “further analysis” on the matter. Until then, trans women will be relegated to play in an open category for official events.

The policy makes clear it is specifically trans women who cannot compete as women, but it does not say the same for trans men competing in men’s categories. It does, however, say it will strip trans men of any titles they earned in the women’s category before their transition.

“There may be, you know, tiny differences to do with stamina maybe, and maybe there’s some suggestion of a difference in competitiveness at an early age,” he said. “But genuinely, we think that the disparity in playing strength and level between male and female players is due to the participation levels,” which historically have been predominantly male.

Noting the outpouring of support and celebration from other trans women worldwide, Iglesias poignantly emphasized their shared sense of community.

“In general, we trans women share such a strong sense of sisterhood that the pain of one is sorrow for all of us, and the happiness of one of us is joy for all of us. My greatest reward was seeing the trans community as a whole cheering my success. I’m forever grateful.”