The game of chess as we know it today was heavily influenced by Queen Isabella. In 1495, as the most powerful woman in the world at the time, she officially changed the rules. She converted an otherwise slow and unimportant piece to a female image and gave it the freedom to move about the board, thus converting it to the queen piece we still use today. As with all things historical, there is some debate as to whether or not Isabella herself made this change. However, the queen piece is depicted with crown, sword and scepter. Combined with its movement and influence over the chess board, the queen piece effectively represents the influence and leadership that Queen Isabella demonstrated during her reign. The appearance of this piece mirrors the appearance of Queen Isabella in Spain.
The beginning of the 20th century also marked the beginning of feminist movements in Spain. One of these movements was to incorporate women’s teams in sports. One of which being chess. Though it didn’t gain much traction until the 30’s, it helped pave the way for women in competitive sports, including chess.
Gloria Velat was the first woman chess champion in Spain. In 1950, a woman named Gloria Velat won a championship in Madrid, making her the first women’s chess champion in Spain (though she had already won other competitions in Catalonia. The title of first Women International Master was Pepita Ferrer Lucas.