'In Bumble, Women are White'. But not in a sexist way

Send us Fan Mail'In Bumble, Women are White'.I Came across this cryptic remark in an account reported in in the rather serious online forum Quora. To even to start to understand what seems like a provocative racially loaded statement you need to know that Bumble is an online dating site. Profiles of potential matches are displayed to users, who can "swipe left" to reject a candidate or "swipe right" to indicate interest.The author was discussing how chess players have a way of looking at life that differs from non chess-players. This is how the discussion was reported:I was talking to a friend. He's in his mid 30s at the time of this story.He was describing the online dating scene. He mentioned Tinder, which I had heard of, and Bumble, which I had not. I asked what Bumble was. “It's Tinder, except the women are white.” He said. This took me by surprise. I didn't consider him to be racist or even racially sensitive. His last girlfriend wasn't white. (I figured maybe he was looking for a change…)It finally hit me after that my friend is a strong chess player, and has virtually dedicated his entire adult life to chess. In chess the player with the White pieces makes the first move. So, when he said that on the dating site  “the women are white” he means that women make the first move; i. e., they initiate contact with the men.I laughed when I realized this. I’ve  pointed out to him that his phrasing might have been misunderstood. He seemed to think it was perfectly clear what he meant.But another way of looking at it is considering the assimilation of chess into poetry, books, and films ...Stay up-to-date with all of Tudor's podcasts, blogs and current affairs commentary by signing up to our newsletter! Email [email protected] to sign up!Follow Tudor on Twitter @TudortweetFollow Tudor's blogs:everydaycreativity.ukleaderswedeserve.wordpress.com