{{Title text: When Vera Menchik entered a 1929 tournament, a male competitor mocked her by suggesting that a special 'Vera Menchik Club' would be created for any player who lost to her. When the tournament began, he promptly became the first member of said club, and over the years it accumulated a large and illustrious roster.}}

Dominant Players over time

[[Graph of Basketball (NBA
ABA) Player Efficiency Rating from 1950 to 2014]]

[[Chess Elo Rating from 1950 to 2014]]
Modern Elo rating system dates back to about 1970.
Computer analysis (like Kenneth Regan's) lets us rate historical players,but this has only been done rigorously for a few tournaments.  Dashed lines are rough estimates only.

[[Chess Elo rating for women from 1950 to 2014]]
For a long time, sexism, a lack of role models, and institutional hostility largely kept women from pursuing serious chess careers.
With the expansion of women's tournaments and prizes starting in the 1970s, this has begun to change.