Two-time US Women’s Chess Champion Jennifer Shahade hosts the official podcast of US Chess Women, where she interviews female chess champions and leaders.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Yosha Iglesias [Rebroadcast] LK056
Aug 25, 2023
I thought it was a great moment to re-broadcast one of my favorite episodes of Ladies Knight, with French chessplayer, composer and content creator Yosha Iglesias. We originally recorded this episode back in June 2022 but so much has happened since then. First of all, just a month after this podcast originally dropped, the French Federation adopted a inclusive transgender policy in July of 2022 at which point Yosha tweeted:
I can't hold tears as I think how different my life would have been if, as a teenager, I had not believed that this day would never come. But tonight is not a time for regrets but for celebration and gratitude. 2/
Since then, she went on to become vice women’s champion in both the Rapid and Blitz French Women’s Championship. This month, along with other top French female players,Yosha penned an open letterto raise awareness on harassment and abuse in chess. It ended up getting over 100 signatures and making global news headlines.
I was on CNN to discuss this issue, and it’s my opinion that greater care would be taken in making such policies if more people truly understood the difficulties transgender players face in and outside of the game. This is a human issue as much as it is a policy issue.
That’s why I think it’s a great time rebroadcast this one. Enjoy–and be sure to follow Yosha’s progress and activities on her twitter and YouTube feeds.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Ben Johnson on Women’s World Champs LK055
Jul 31, 2023
On a special collaborative episode of Ladies Knight, Jennifer and Ben Johnson, host of the Perpetual Podcast, recap the recently concluded Women’s World Chess Championship, which Ju Wenjun won in spectacular style over her compatriot Grandmaster, Lei Tingjie.
They touch on their favorite moves from the final game, the moment Jennifer realized there may not be a playoff after all, and the impact of Ju Wenjun’s historic victory.
Jennifer also discusses her upcoming book, PLAY LIKE A CHAMPION, which happens to have the exact same tentative release date (Nov 1, 2023) as Ben’s book, PERPETUAL CHESS IMPROVEMENT.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Bernice Wambui Gikandi LK054
Jun 23, 2023
Jennifer welcomes Bernice Wambui Gikandi to Ladies Knight. Bernice, at just 12 years old, is a rising star on and off the board. She’s the Global Youth ambassador for the Gift of Chess, a member of the Kenya Women’s Olympic team and reigning 2022 Kenya National Youth Champion. She also won the Under 12 Open section in Kenya, becoming the first female to do win an overall category in the Kenya Youth Champs.
Jennifer first met Bernice via the Cross-cultural girls program, in partnership with US Chess Women, the Lighthouse Chess Club and Business Meets Kids & Chess. Bernice went on to attend many of the US Chess Women workshops, in addition to Her Move Next programs, despite them being in the middle of night for her in Kenya.
Jennifer and Bernice speak about what first drew her to chess, and why she is so passionate about giving back via her work with the Gift of Chess, where she spreads chess to kids in Kenyan schools. Bernice talks about being the only girl playing in the Kenya Under 12 Open section. She also talks about meeting Grandmaster Pontus Carlsson on a recent visit by Pontus to Kenya, where he brought an important bounty: lots of great chess books, including Bernice’s current favorite, My System.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Yanjaa Wintersoul LK053
May 24, 2023
Jennifer invites a very special guest to Ladies Knight: International Memory Grandmaster, Yanjaa Wintersoul. Yanjaa, the first woman to become a Memory World Champion, talks about how memory tricks apply to games, life and feminism. Yanjaa and Jennifer have a broad-ranging discussion on creative memory, spaced repetition and pattern recognition. They also touch on memory techniques (see Greg Shahade’s referenced article here) and Jeopardy!, a show that Jennifer recently hosted the Chess, Masters category.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Megan Chen LK052
Apr 24, 2023
Jennifer Shahade welcomes Megan Chen to Ladies Knight. Megan, a recent contributor to Chess Life Magazine, is currently on a great American quest to play US rated chess in every state. She’s already ticked off 44, and plans to be the first female player ever to get to all 50.
A passionate adult improver, software engineer and traveler, follow Megan at https://twitter.com/gauss1181, where she often tweets using the hashtag #chesspunks. You can also get a glimpse into her travels—and her rating graph—on MSA.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Isabelle Choko LK051
Mar 29, 2023
Ladies Knight host Jennifer Shahade had the opportunity this Winter to meet an epic guest: Holocaust Survivor and 1956 French Women’s Chess Champion Isabelle Choko. We celebrate this occasion by rebroadcasting the episode and presenting two chess.com videos that Jennifer filmed in Paris, as well as a carousel of photos from Jennifer’s game against Madame Choko herself.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Kalanithi “Kala” Kanapathy-Bagley LK050
Jan 17, 2023
Our 50th Ladies Knight guest is Kalanithi “Kala” Kanapathy-Bagley, the founder of the Discovery Chess Academy and a member of US Chess Women’s committee, and popular and friendly face at our National Girls Clubs. She organizes the Ohio Chess Girls Championships and is a vocal proponent for bringing the benefits of chess to everyone. One of her most recent projects brings chess to the Indian River juvenile center, where she invited US Chess ED Carol Meyer.
Jennifer and Kala talk about Kala’s first memories of chess, as a child in Malaysia, how becoming a chess parent changed her perspective and why it’s important to her to bring chess into juvenile detention centers and prisons.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Devina Devagharan LK049
Dec 28, 2022
Jennifer Shahade speaks to WFM Devina aka “Simply Devina” Devagharan about her streaming career, and her strong advocacy for mental health in the chess world and beyond. They discuss the psychological challenges and benefits of the game and Devina’s positive approach to streaming and content.
Devina was a guest at our virtual girls club room, and our K-12 National Chess Championships in Memphis.
This episode touches on anxiety and depression. Please text, call or chat 988 to reach the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing depression.
At the K-12 Chess Championships: Karen Boyd, Luciana Morales, Jen Shahade, Epiphany Peters and Devina Devagharan, Photo by Caroline King
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Maya Myers LK048
Nov 16, 2022
Jennifer Shahade brings Senior Tournament Director and four-time All Girls Nationals Team champ Maya Myers to Ladies Knight. In 2022, Myers became the first African American woman to earn the International Arbiter title.
Maya and Jennifer discuss her role and reaction to Brooklyn Castle, the acclaimed documentary film about IS 318, which she attended with her twin
sister Mariah McGreen. Maya also tells us which tournament rules she would change if she could, and her first and most recent encounters with Grandmaster Maurice Ashley. She also speaks about the influence of IA Sophia Rohde, who made her shoot for the highest titles possible.
Maya is now a coach and TD at the Charlotte Chess Center, and also works as a repair technician at Apple.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Laurel Aronian LK047
Oct 20, 2022
Jennifer Shahade welcomes high-school sophomore Laurel Aronian to Ladies Knight. Laurel is a president of her high school chess team, St. Luke’s, and talks to Jennifer about how she maintains her interest in the game while juggling a busy high school academic and extracurricular schedule.
Laurel talks to Jennifer about keeping more girls in the game, homework, plateaus and the importance of pizzas.
Laurel is an active member of our US Chess Women girls club, and also a teen ambassador for our program, where she spearheads activities at our girls club like the teen pizza party. Laurel is also the founder of chessin1day, where she has taught over 100 kids chess. She maintains a blog on chess.com and has contributed to several chess magazines, including a story on the Girls Club game against Judit Polgar for Chess Life Kids.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Luciana Morales LK046
Sep 27, 2022
Jennifer welcomes Women’s International Master Luciana Morales to Ladies Knight. Luciana is a three-time Continental Champion, the first Peruvian woman to qualify for the Women’s World Champs and an Olympian captain and player.
Now hailing from Brownsville, Texas, Luciana works for chessable, where she was recently promoted to Classroom Manager. She goes by “Mom’s Gambit” on social media, where she explores balancing her passion for chess for her new role as a mother.
Jennifer and Luciana talk about her origin story in chess, and what it was like to be the first girl to win the absolute section in the Lima city Youth Championships. She also compares her college experience in Texas vs. Peru and the new chessable course she is working on about the games of the first five Women’s World Champions.
Luciana is a passionate advocate for empowering youth and bringing more girls and women into the game. Bringing this vision to life has taken her all over the World from Mexico to Spain to the US Chess Girls Club in Memphis, TN.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Tatia Skhirtladze LK045
Aug 19, 2022
Jennifer welcomes Tatia Skhirtladze to Ladies Knight. Skhirtladze is the director and producer of “Glory to the Queen”, a documentary film exploring the outstanding success of Georgian women in chess, focused on four legends of the game: Nona Gaprindashvili, Maia Chiburdanidze, Nana Ioselaini and Nana Alexandria.
Jennifer and Tatia speak about highlights from her film, Tatia’s own first encounter with Chiburdanidze, and the impact of the Queen’s Gambit.
Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Tatia now teaches video art at the University of Appiled Arts in Vienna. She will be in the USA in September, and we’ll update this article with any confirmed appearances, which now include a lecture at Harvard University.
You can purchase and watch the movie on numerous venues, including Apple, amazon and vimeo.
Ladies Knight Q&A with Jen Shahade LK044
Jul 22, 2022
In a special episode of Ladies Knight, Jennifer Shahade takes on listener questions, ranging from a member of her girls chess club who struggles with closing winning positions, to previous guest Laura Smith on how Jennifer would approach a return to professional chess. She also answers a question from podcaster Daniel Lona who asks about some of her favorite interactions inspired by CHESS QUEENS, and a number of questions that emerged from her social media channels.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Yosha Iglesias LK043
Jun 22, 2022
Jennifer is joined by Yosha Iglesias, a multi-talented chess professional: a FIDE Master, composer, coach and YouTuber. She also works for chess24, and is among the top ten female players in France, (ranked #9 in June 2022).
Jennifer and Yosha speak about how the Eureka moment of solving a chess problem can be similar to a Eureka moment in life—and how this manifested for Yosha in finding her gender identity.
They also discuss Yosha’s own chess compositions, including this surprisingly difficult mate in one:
On her blog, Iglesias writes about why it’s important for chess organizations to have trans inclusive policies. (See US Chess’s policy here.) A deep thinker about gender, theory and the game, Yosha points out that, “If men and women have equal abilities for the game of chess, the so-called female category is justified by the numerous additional difficulties and discriminations that the players underdog because of their gender. And believe me, trans players are no more spared than other players.”
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Jessica Era Martin LK042
May 18, 2022
Jennifer interviews author, chess coach as well as a longtime friend of Jen’s, Jessica Era Martin, to Ladies Knight. Jessica is the founder of Over the ChessBoard, a coaching organization dedicated to bringing chess everyone. A published poet and frequent contributor to chesskid, she’s also the author of several books, including two 2022 titles, Chess Strategy for Beginners (out now!) and Chess Openings for Beginners (June).
Jennifer and Jessica discuss the origin of her middle name ERA, the importance of inclusion in chess books, and favorite openings. They also touch on how to bring and keep more girls into the game, and the importance of creating a safe and welcoming environment for girls, women and the LGTBQ+ community.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade on the Road, ft. CHESS QUEENS LK041
Apr 19, 2022
In this special episode of Ladies Knight, host Jennifer Shahade invites you to join her on the road, starting with her Chess Queens book launch in London, where she visited a girls school called Sarah Bonnell, a women’s group called the “Trouble Club”, and our friends at the London Chess & Bridge Shop. She moves on to an historic simultaneous match conducted by the top female player of all time, Judit Polgar, where Jennifer was captain of the girls club. Then Jennifer takes us down to Memphis for the High School National Championships, where she hosted the US Chess girls club, along with a bevy of inspiring guests. She concludes the episode with a visit to the World Chess Hall of Fame, where she and her husband Daniel Meirom, showed two of their feminist chess art pieces in the current show, Mind, Art and Experience, which celebrates the tenth anniversary of the HOF’s move from Miami to Saint Louis.
PHOTO COURTESY LONDON CHESS & BRIDGE SHOPSARAH BONNELL SCHOOLPHOTO BY CAROLINE KING FOR USCHESSJEN AT THE TROUBLE CLUBSARAH BONNELL SCHOOLPHOTO BY CAROLINE KING FOR USCHESSJEN AT THE WORLD CHESS HOFPHOTO COURTESY LONDON CHESS & BRIDGE SHOP
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Anastasiya Rakhmangulova LK040
Mar 23, 2022
Jennifer welcomes Women’s International Master and former Ukrainian Champion Anastasiya Rakhmangulova to Ladies Knight. Jennifer first heard about Anastasia, who goes by “Nastia”, in the 2020 Isolated Queens tournament, an online event that Jen hosted with Alexandra Botez at the start of the pandemic. Almost two years later, Nastia began to update her Instagram followers on the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 24th. This began with a harrowing week long stay in a Kyiv bomb shelter and then her subsequent escape to the Czech Republic. Ever since, Anastasia has been connecting and fundraising urgentlyand incessantly to help friends, family and members of service in Ukraine.
Jen and Nastia also touch on lighter topics, such as her favorite chessplayers, books, and future chess goals.
Jennifer Shahade is the Director of US Chess Women and the author of Chess Queens, now availableand in stock at US Chess Sales.
Photo by Lennart Ootes
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Martha Fierro LK039
Feb 16, 2022
Jennifer Shahade welcomes a chess champion, friend and leader to Ladies Knight: Martha Fierro of Ecuador. Martha is a woman with many titles: she’s a FIDE Vice President, an International Master, a Women’s Grandmaster, International Organizer and a two-time Olympic medalist. She’s also one of Jennifer’s earliest inspirations: Jennifer first met Martha at a small tournament in Washington DC. Jennifer was not yet a championship player, and was in one of the reserve sections: Martha, who was already a master player, still went out of her way to mentor Jennifer.
Martha is one of the most respected sportspeople in her country, and was once elected as sportsperson of the year for her many victories in Pan-American Championships, as well as her international successes. The founder and head trainer of the Martha Fierro International Chess Academy, her new initiative, the “Ajedrez En Tu Barrio” program, brings chess to children in underserved neighborhoods in Ecuador.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Ella Papanek LK038
Jan 19, 2022
US Chess expert and quant sports trader Ella Papanek joins Jennifer Shahade on Ladies Knight for a fascinating discussion. A recent graduate of Harvard University, Ella works at the Susquehana International Group (SIG), a global quantitative trading firm in the Philly area. Her interests span from chess to poker to sports, and of course- statistics, her major at Harvard.
Jen and Ella’s wide-ranging discussion touches on rating distribution and gender, evaluating chess positions from a human perspective, and the Philadelphia Sixers.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Rusudan Goletiani LK037
Dec 22, 2021
Jennifer welcomes International Master Rusudan Goletiani to Ladies Knight. Goletiani is a three-time World Youth Champion, a two-time Olympic medalist and a former US Women’s Champion- she took Jennifer’s title in 2005! Rusudan recently gave a riveting presentation in the girls club at the K-12 Nationals in Orlando, Florida, about the struggles she encountered on the way to her successful life and career. In 1992, Rusa fled her region of Georgia, Abkhazia, due to war. She explains the dramatic story to Jennifer in the podcast, revealing the most terrifying moments of her life during her escape, as well as the most relieving.
Rusa and Jen also discuss the legendary Georgian champions that inspired her as a youngster, including Nona Gaprindashvili, Maia Chiburdanidze, Nana Ioseliani and Nana Alexandria. All four were featured in the documentary “Glory to the Queen.” They wrap up with a discussion on the importance of confidence and girls and chess. Beyond her chess accomplishments, Rusudan is a mom of three, a Columbia University business grad, and currently works in finance.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Donna Dodson LK036
Nov 18, 2021
Jennifer Shahade welcomes artist, sculptor and Fulbright Scholar Donna Dodson on to the GRID. In 2018, Dodson created an epic chess set for a show at the Boston Sculptors Gallery, “the Match of the Matriarchs,” and she invited Jennifer, Daniel Meirom and Kledia Spiro to collaborate with her. The centerpiece of the show was a chess set featuring massive sea creatures made in wood, with Cephalopods (octopuses, squid, cuttlefish) against cetaceans (marine mammals like whales and dolphins).
Donna discusses the concept behind the work as they dive into the intelligence of sea creatures, including octopuses. Dodson also talks about her own contribution to the interactive piece Jennifer and Daniel created, “Not Particularly Beautiful” which traces the fear of powerful women in chess back to the madwoman chess queen that rose to power in the 16th century.
They also touch on a performance piece alongside the 2018 show, where Jennifer played chess player and mathematician Vanessa Sun on the extraordinary set, while artist and Olympic weightlifter Kledia Spiro performed.
Dodson also discusses a controversial work she created, Seagull Cinderella, which was beloved by many, but also attacked as a “duck with boobs” by one irate community member in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Jennifer and Donna tie the incident into another work Jen and Daniel contributed to the show, Breast Milk vs. Formula, as well as recent controversies in the chess world.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Nadya Ortiz LK035
Oct 19, 2021
Jennifer speaks on Ladies Knight to Nadya Ortiz, a chess champion who now works as a senior software engineer at Apple. Born in Ibague, Colombia, Nadya talks about growing up in a lower-income family that supported her chess career, which led her career and life to flourish. She speaks about classism, and the power of chess as a vehicle for education and travel. Nadya is a living example of that dual success: she became the first WGM ever from her country and earned scholarships to the University of Texas at Brownsville and Purdue University, where she studied computer programming. Nadya travelled to over 30 countries to represent Colombia. Later she got a chess scholarship and studied computer science at University of Texas at Brownsville and Purdue. In an interview with CBS News Nadya said to anchor Dana Jacobson, “I feel I have so much privilege and so I have an obligation to help.” That segment, which also featured Jennifer and US Chess Women, can be viewed in full here. And Nadya has answered the call to give back. Not only does she have a program to teach kids from her village, she also has done workshops for US Chess Women to talk about some of her favorite games, as well as how chess helped her to get her where she is today. https://youtu.be/VDggs-e3ETk
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Sarah Chiang LK034
Sep 21, 2021
Our September Ladies Knight guest is NM Sarah Chiang, a graduate of Washington University in Saint Louis, a med student and an advocate for girls and women in chess. She is one of a handful of female players who have played in both the US Women’s Championship as well as the US Junior Championship.
During her time at Wash U, Chiang studied the stereotype threat and how it manifests in chess, titling her paper “A Man’s Game: Analysis of The Gender Divide in Chess.”
Sarah’s degree is in biochemistry, and she also took a creative writing courses. One of her pieces, “A Lone Cherry Tree”, chronicles her trip to play in the Pan-Am Championship in Peru, where she was the only girl among 60+ players in the Open Section. Here’s an excerpt from that:
Usually, I took pride in being one of the handful of females battling over a chess board. But I wasn’t naïve. People have long asked me, “Do you know how to play?” or “You’re playing in that section?” or “You’re a master??” Usually, I stashed those comments in my bag of funny stories. But this tournament was different. I had never been doused with so many degrading comments, and it was difficult to prevent them from seeping in. Why did my gender matter? Why didn’t people tell the kid who placed last in my section that he didn’t belong? Why did people still question me when I tied for sixth out of over sixty players?
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Isabelle Choko LK033
Aug 18, 2021
Ladies Knight welcomes Holocaust Survivor, author and 1956 French Women’s Chess champion, Isabelle Choko.
Born on September 18, 1928 in Lodz, Poland, Isabelle Choko was two weeks away from her 11th birthday when Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Isabelle and her loving parents were among 160,000 sent to the Lodz ghetto. Her father died there, while she and her mother were sent to Auschwitz in 1944. They later were sent to another notorious death camp, Bergen-Belsen, where her beloved mother died.
Isabelle was just 55 pounds when the camp was liberated by British soldiers in April 1945. Isabelle Choko later moved to France, where she discovered chess from her uncle. Also urged on by Grandmaster Savielly Tartokower, Isabelle became the French women’s Chess Champion in 1956, and went on to represent France in the first women’s Olympiad, in 1957 in the Netherlands. She went on to become a successful entrepreneur and artist. She’s also the author of The Young Blue-Eyed Girl and co-author of Stolen Youth: Five Women’s Survival in the Holocaust.
Madame Choko talks to us about the Queen’s Gambit, her most vivid memories of childhood survival and her message of peace and love for future generations.
This episode is co-hosted with Benjamin Portheault, who reached out to Isabelle Choko for this interview after his popular twitter thread reviewing a 2019 Europe Echecs story about Madame Choko. Benjamin also conducted the in-interview translation and visited Isabelle Choko in person to capture many of the photos in the gallery.
Many thanks to this episode’s executive producer Daniel Meirom, voice-over artist and translator Nathalie Boyer, editor Quinn Waters, editor/producer Jason Andre of Seven season films and the artist Juga of jugamusica.com. This episode is a joint production with the GRID.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Laura Smith LK032
Jul 20, 2021
Jennifer brings National Master and chess coach and streamer Laura Smith to Ladies Knight. Laura talks about her very early beginnings in the game and her current passion for chess in education and streaming. A mom of three, Laura gave birth to twins at the start of the pandemic and talks about the joys and struggles of parenting through quarantine.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Judith Kiragu and Dr. Philip Mwashe LK031
Jun 29, 2021
In a special double-header, Jennifer interviews entrepreneur and organizer Judith Kiragu and chess patron Dr. Philip Mwashe on the origin story of the Lighthouse Chess Club in Mombasa, Kenya. Kiragu and Mwashe speak about changing the landscape of chess in Kenya by founding the club in May 2017. Throughout its four year history, they advance education through chess, give more opportunities for girls and juniors, and even bring in luminaries such as World Champion Vishy Anand to Kenya.
They are also chess parents, of a talented young girl, Yvonne, who is a member of the Cross-Cultural program that Jennifer and Judy started with Grandmaster Pontus Carlsson of Business Meets Kids Meets Chess. They speak about the controversy that erupted when Yvonne wanted to play in a mixed (Open to all genders) tournament.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein LK030
May 17, 2021
Jennifer Shahade welcomes theoretical physicist, author and chess enthusiast Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein to Ladies Knight. Prescod-Weinstein’s new book, The Disordered Comsos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime & Dreams Deferred is our current Madwoman book club selection. The book is both an ode to her love for physics and astronomy, a tour of some high and lowlights of Chanda’s own remarkable career and an impassioned call to make the world of science and the world in general more amenable to everyone with a focus on black women, people of color, non binary people and working people.
Chanda also talks about her powerful vision for seeing the world through the eyes of children and making sure black children have equal access to joy. She explains one of the most popular talking points of her book, why she sees “dark matter” as a misnomer, and gives her thoughts on the recent case Jennifer mentions, where artificial intelligence mistook a chess conversation for white supremacistpropaganda.
Women and gender minorities can sign up for the May 21stMadwoman’s book club on the Disordered Cosmos here. There will also be Q+A highlights for all to enjoy afterward.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring IM Irene Kharisma Sukandar LK029
Apr 20, 2021
This month’s Ladies Knight features IM Irene Kharisma Sukandar, the first WGM from Indonesia, a five-time Olympian and the fifth ranked player in her country of any gender.
Irene was recently featured in the most viewed chess match of all time, with 1.3 million peak viewers, shattering previous records many times over.
The match attracted unprecedented attention because a few weeks prior, Irene’s opponent, Dadang Subur, known as Dewa Kipas online, scored a controversial victory against popular streamer and YouTuber IM Levy Rozman. Levy, we should note, is a supporter of US Chess Women. The Dewa Kipas account was closed for Fair Play violations soon after his game against Rozman (though the account closure was not solely related to that game). A mainstream article in Indonesian suggested that it was Levy’s fault that Dewa Kipas account was shut down, causing a pile-on of harassment toward the New York based chess star.
Sukandar bravely spoke out about her own opinion of the statistical analysis of the games, after which she received millions of angry messages too. Soon after Irene’s open letter, she was invited to a play a match against Dadang Subur himself on a wildly popular YouTube channel and podcast, hosted by Deddy Corbuzier. Corbuzier is a mentalist/magician turned actor and mainstream personality. He has over 13 million YouTube followers, and has been called the “Indonesian Joe Rogan.”
In addition to covering the intense weeks leading up to the match, Sukandar talked to Ladies Knight host Jennifer Shahade about how she psyched herself up to speak out “I had truth on my side.” She explains how friends and family helped her through the difficult time of countless negative messages, and her subsequent opportunities since being vindicated.
Sukandar also talks a little about her chess beginnings, her high hopes for Indonesian women’s chess and her happy memories of the United States, where she earned an MA in International Relations from Webster University, supplementing her BA in English Literature.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Courtney Lauren Penn LK028
Mar 29, 2021
Jennifer welcomes long-time friend Courtney Lauren Penn to Ladies Knight. Courtney is a producer and the founder of Renegade Entertainment. In addition to being a player in Hollywood, Courtney is also a chessplayer: she was ranked in the top fifty female players in the country for six years, and played in the very first SuperNationals. She is now partnered with actor Thomas Jane, who you know from “Hung” or “Boogie Nights,” “The Punisher,” to run the movie & TV production company, Renegade.
Courtney explains how producing a film is like and unlike a chess game. Courtney also remembers her experience from the first SuperNationals in Knoxville, and tells Jennifer how she instilled life lessons from the experience to girls in a early 2020 workshop with Jay Stallings’ program, “Promoting to Queens.” Courtney also talks about how chess helped her through pregnancy complications (that ended in the healthy birth of her now two year old son.)
Follow Courtney Lauren Penn and her work on Renegade’s FBandinstagram pages. You can find out about her extensive list of projects, which includes a TV series based on the Stephen King book, “From a Buick 8” on her IMDB.
You can find out about our US Chess Women programs, including a weekly girls club and women’s classes at uschesswomen.org. We appreciate every donation and renewal.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Sabrina Chevannes LK027
Feb 16, 2021
Women International Master, author and entrepreneur Sabrina Chevannes is our February guest on Ladies Knight. Sabrina talks about how she transitioned from chess to her current career leading a full service creative agency. She also gives Jen some advice on her own brand and the US Chess Women brand.
They move on to discussing Sabrina’s books, “Chess for Children” and her impetus for writing them as Jen gives a shout-out to a non profit, BarberShop Books, she recently learned about. Sabrina also talks about the importance of role models in chess like Grandmaster Pontus Carlsson, and elaborates on some of her own work with our US Chess Girls Club, including the Kenya Girls Meet US Girls Through Chess Initiative.
Sabrina also talks about missing her visits to the United States, and details fond trips in particular to Philadelphia and Detroit.
You can find out about our US Chess Women programs, including a weekly girls club and women’s classes at uschesswomen.org. We appreciate every donation and renewal.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring William Horberg LK025
Dec 29, 2020
In a bonus episode of Ladies Knight, William Horberg, the Executive Producer of The Queen’s Gambit, talks to Jennifer Shahade about the long road to creating the hit Netflix series. He also talks about his first chess project, “Searching for Bobby Fischer” which he described as a “cult classic.”
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Maria Konnikova LK024
Dec 15, 2020
Award-winning author, New Yorker writer and psychology PHD Maria Konnikova joins Jennifer Shahade on Ladies Knight to talk about her first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. Maria is also the author of the recent bestseller, “The Biggest Bluff“, a chronicle of her poker journey, when she went from newbie to champion in a year.
Jen and Maria talk about the challenge of deep focus in both chess and poker, and how thinking like Sherlock Holmes is also similar to thinking like a child. Maria also talks about her work with Walter Mischel at Columbia University, where she got her psychology PHD. Mischel is widely known for his work on the “Marshmallow” Experiment, which challenges children to either eat one marshmallow immediately, or receive two marshmallows if they can wait 15 minutes. Konnikova reveals a little known fact about that experiment that takes Jennifer aback.
They also touch on Konnikova’s book, “The Confidence Game” about con artists, in explaining how conning goes beyond the desire to win, and into the desire to exert control.
Keep your eye on our YouTube Playlist,which will feature a video from Sabina Foisor to the Girls Club Room, where she talked about the new book she co-authored with GM Elshan Moradiabadi, “Sherlock’s Method.”
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade on The Queen’s Gambit: Book vs. Series LK023
Nov 19, 2020
In a special edition of Ladies Knight, Jennifer Shahade talks about the Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis. She starts by summarizing her thoughts on the series, and the experience of seeing chess all over the media, including a number of interviews Jen did on the show for Vanity Fair, the New York Times, PocketFives, Salon and the Mic.
She then dives into the Madwoman’s Book Club she started with Adia Onyango, debuting with a reading of the Queen’s Gambit. Almost 200 women signed up for the club, which kicked off on Friday November 13th with a mini chess lesson based on Beth’s early battles with Mr. Shaibel, followed by in-depth discussions of the book in break-out rooms and as a large group.
Shahade talks about Garry Kasparov’s visit to the Girls Club Room, where he talked about his work on the series. Director, co-creator and screenwriter Scott Frank also attended, explaining how badly he wanted to cast Garry as Borgov.
Starting at around the 8:00 minute mark of the pod, Jen dives into the main event of the episode: select readings from the book, and comparisons to those scenes in the series.
There are spoilers in this podcast. The content in the series contains mature content, as does this episode.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Robin and Sarah Ramson LK022
Oct 20, 2020
Jennifer interviews Robin and Sarah Ramson for the October edition of Ladies Knight podcast. Robin Ramson is the founder ofChess Girls DCand the organizer of theupcoming Chess Empowerment Weekend (Nov 6-8),which will feature a series of chess tournaments and a star-studded line-up of guest speakers.
Sarah Ramson is Robin’s daughter, and a chess player, golfer, dancer and harpist. Sarah and Robin talk to Jennifer about their initiative to give away 300 chess sets in downtown DC, in honor of National Chess Day Month, and the complementary lessons with NM David Bennett to drive new interest in the game.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Irina Krush LK021
Sep 16, 2020
The September edition of Ladies Knight features legendary Grandmaster and seven-time US Women’s Champion Irina Krush. Irina and Jennifer talk about Irina’s coaching philosophy and her recent learning experiences at camps with Kramnik and Polgar. They also touch on Irina’s battle with COVID-19, which was featured this Spring in the New York Times. Despite her struggles with the “longhaul”, Irina has much wisdom on what the lockdown period has taught her about self-development and perspective. Irina also gives some great tips for improvement at all ages. Spoiler alert: get off your computer and read a book! Irina was also a recent and very popular guest for our Class is In Session series, instructional videos on our YouTube channel, based on classes taught at the Girls Club Zoom sessions. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review Ladies Knight on your favorite podcast platform. We also appreciate your shares of favorite episodes on social media or with your friends. Special thanks to the Chess Journalists of America for selecting Ladies Knight for two podcast awards,including best Episode with the artist Juga.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Lauren Goodkind LK020
Aug 18, 2020
On the August episode of Ladies Knight, Jennifer interviews author, chess teacher and speaker Lauren Goodkind. Goodkind is a popular Bay Area teacher and the author of “Poison Pieces” and “Queen for a Day: The Girl’s Guide to Chess Mastery.” In her latest book, Queen for a Day, readers work through an entire game with the main character, Sophia, who is new to chess.
Lauren also talks to Jennifer about growing up with a speech impediment, and how chess helped her realize her intelligence and become less self-conscious. “Everyone is smart in their own way. You need to find ways to overcome your obstacles.”
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Annie Wang LK019
Jul 21, 2020
Our July Ladies Knight features 18-year-old IM Annie Wang, who captivated the chess world in 2018, when she nearly won the US Women’s Championship at just 15. Since that feat, Annie has continued to raise her playing level. In 2019,Annie won the Pan-American World Junior to earn her IM title and her first GM norm. A recent high school graduate, Annie talks to Jennifer about the college application process, why she’s going to MIT, and her plans for the fall. She reflects on her 2018 US Women’s Championship, and why losing the playoff against Nazi Paikidze ultimately made her a stronger chessplayer than if she’d won. You’ll also find out why Annie Wang’s name on chess.com is “HappyFarmer.” Annie is a future guest in our Girls Club Zoom “Class is in Session”series, anda panelist for our College & Chess seminar.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Linda Diaz LK018
Jun 16, 2020
Jennifer Shahade welcomes singer, songwriter and former scholastic chess champion, Linda Diaz on Ladies Knight. We play a clip from “Magic” in the middle of the episode, a song you may have heard ontwitch.tv/botezlive, where Linda’s music videos have played on breaks during our Saturday US Chess Women fundraisers.
Liketwitch, Linda has been blowing up lately, and was quoted in NPR saying that “Black joy is radical.” Linda explains how this quote can pertain to both chess and music, “It’s definitely a radical act to be fighting all these things and to be living your best life.”
They also discuss Linda’s scholastic chess career and how coaches like Sophia Rohde and John MacArthur helped her through a period of stagnation and built her empathy off the board and aggression over it. She also talks about some of her happiest chess memories, from Disneyland for the K-12 to the SPGI.
She also advises how we can make chess more inclusive and anti-racist. Linda finishes with some musical advice to chess streamers and recommends some artists she’s lately enjoyed.
Look for a memorable game by Linda in the “My Best Move” series in the July issue of Chess Life Magazine. Linda’s linktree will take you to her spotify, YouTube,instagramand website.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Carissa Yip LK017
May 19, 2020
Jennifer Shahade talks to 16-year-old International Master Carissa Yip on the newest episode of Ladies Knight. The popular two-time US Junior Girls Champ is a serial record breaker- the youngest female to defeat a GM at the age of ten, and the youngest American female in history to become an International Master.
Jennifer and Carissa talk about her recent streaming activity ontwitch.tv/carissayip, where she’s quickly amassed a strong following. They also talk about Yip’s charitable initiative, Chess for COVID-19 and her recent charity event for COVID-19 relief, that featured heavy hitters like Jeffery Xiong and Ray Robson, as well as eventual winner Josh Friedel.
Carissa gives tips for people of all ages looking to improve, from her favorite books to how to break through a tactical plateau. She also talks about her hobbies outside chess, from baking to TikTok. She also talks about two of her most memorable victories, over Grandmasters Dariusz Swiercz and World Women’s Champion Ju Wenjun.
Yip is also a content creator for chesskid.com and chess.com, and has written several articles for CLO, including a piece on earning the IM title.
Yip was also recently a special guest in theGirls Club Room, where she talked about an attack against the uncastled king.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Humpy Koneru LK016
Apr 21, 2020
Our April edition of Ladies Knight features Grandmaster Humpy Koneru, the 2020 Cairns Cup Champion and our May 2020 Chess Life Magazine cover star. She is the reigning World Women’s Rapid Champion, and the second woman in history to break the 2600 barrier. She also defeated Judit Polgar’s record as the youngest woman to achieve the title of Grandmaster, which was later eclipsed by Hou Yifan.
Jennifer and Humpy talk about her brilliant first round victory in the Cairns Cup against Carissa Yip, how she came back from an early loss and how she once reached at a peak live rating of 2623, mostly playing in Open fields. They also talk about how Humpy Koneru met her husband, and Koneru’s biggest accomplishment in the game so far.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring the Artist Juga LK015
Mar 17, 2020
Chilean singer, songwriter, chessplayer and artist Juga joins Jennifer Shahade for the March 2020 edition of Ladies Knight. Juga’s hit single,“Oh Capablanca” is the theme music for this podcast, and in her appearance, Juga talks to Jennifer about the inspiration for many of her hit songs, including Caruana Oh Na Na, which she wrote with IM Anna Rudolf.
They also discuss the origin of “Oh Capablanca”, the thrill of singing the song at the 2018 Chess Olympiad, and why she admires the Cuban World Champion so much.
Juga also talks to Jen about her dramatic video, “Tactical” celebrating Mikhail Tal.
They also discuss bringing chess to more people, how the flow experience of chess compares to music and Juga’s recent appointment as an Ambassador for Make-A-Wish in Chile.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Shannon Bailey – LK014
Feb 18, 2020
World Chess Hall of Fame chief curator Shannon Bailey joins Jennifer Shahade on the latest episode of Ladies Knight. Shannon talks about some of her favorite exhibitions and chess sets over nine years of leading the intersections of history, chess and art at the WCHOF.
They also delve deep into the 2015-2016 art show, Ladies Knight, featuring chess related art from female artists, that inspired the title of this podcast. Yoko Ono, Barbara Kruger and Rachel Whiteread were headliners of the show which also featured art by Jennifer and Crystal Fischetti. That show also kicked off a now longstanding series of Thursday night chess and wine classes at the Kingside Diner, in the heart of the Saint Louis Chess Campus.
They move on to some of Shannon’s most memorable World Chess Hall of Fame experiences, from meeting the legendary photographer Harry Benson to supporting local artists. Check out the World Chess Hall of Fame on twitter, instagramand their website.
Alisa founded the Corporate Chess League in 2018 with Yuanling Yuan and Alex Wiener. Goldman-Sachs took down this year’s event, which was hosted for the second year in a row at Debevoise & Plimpton’s offices in Manhattan. Jen and Alisa talk about how events like the Corporate League can help with retention for adults, who may be too busy to play chess on the weekends, or who may even fear losing rating points due to the “K” for kids factor. Corporate Chess Leagues exist in other cities in the United States, including Saint Louis, as well as Washington State Corporate Chess League. TheChicago Industrial League, founded in 1957, also features team chess between Chicago area organizations.
Alisa herself had a strong showing at this year’s event as the board one MVP. She detailed one of her favorite games from the event, a victory in a pet-line of the c3-Sicilian.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring WGM Sabina Foisor – LK012
Dec 17, 2019
WGM Sabina Foisor joins Jennifer Shahade on Ladies Knight to discuss her recent work coaching our youngest players in International competition, and how she balances kindness with her ferocious approach over the board. Sabina and Jennifer also relive Foisor’s emotional triumph at the 2017 US Women’s Championship, and how chess skills translate into life skills. Sabina describes her final round at the 2017 Champs against Apurva Virkud, capped with a glorious queen sacrifice.
This game was just re-enacted at the K-12 Chess Championships girls club human chess game, featuring Jennifer against WIM Carolina Blanco, and emceed by Krista Alton. Jennifer and Sabina explore ways to approach coaching confidence in young women, and the dangers of over-emphasizing female players’ looks. Find out more about Sabina on her website, twitterand instagram. To make an end of the year donation to support US Chess Women programs, go to https://new.uschess.org/give/donate-online/and select “Women’s Initiative.”
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Carla Heredia – LK011
Nov 19, 2019
The November episode of Ladies Knight features Carla Heredia Serrano, a Women’s Grandmaster from Ecuador, who now lives in California. A member of the Ecuadorian Olympic team, Carla recently graduated from Texas Tech with a Masters in Sports Management and a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Dorsa Derakshani – LK010
Oct 15, 2019
In the October edition of Ladies Knight, Jennifer Shahade speaks to IM Dorsa Derakshani about her childhood in Iran, her TED talkand what surprised her most about living in the United States.
Dorsa Derakshani is an International Master, Women Grandmaster, three time gold medalist at the Asian Youth Champs and a pre-med student at Saint Louis University. In 2017 she switched federations to the United States after she was banned from playing the Iran National team for her decision not to wear hijab when competing internationally. Her brave choices were reported on all over the World, from NPR to CNN. Dorsa wrote a memorable op-ed for the New York Times in December 2017:
“In this sense, America at its best reflects the best values of chess. Chess doesn’t care how old you are or what you wear. It doesn’t care about what gender you are, or how much money you have. It is blind to all of that. It cares only about merit. That’s why I’m applying for United States citizenship and why I hope to someday represent this country in the Olympics. And it’s why barring people from the game based on their ethnicity, religion or clothing is so wrong.”
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Daniel Rensch – LK009
Sep 18, 2019
The September episode of Ladies Knight features International Master and commentator Daniel Rensch, known to many as the Chief Chess Officer at chess.com. Danny, the first male guest on Ladies Knight emphasizes the importance of men speaking up and advocating for women in our culture and sport. Jennifer and Danny also talk about gender ratio statistics on chess.com and US Chess and initiatives like the US Chess Women Program and this year’s Women’s speed chess champs. They also talk about how to shutdown toxic and circular chatter on streams led by or featuring women, including the example set by two of the site’s most popular commentators IM Anna Rudolf, and our first Ladies Knight guest, Alexandra Botez.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Maureen Grimaud – LK008
Aug 21, 2019
The August episode of Ladies Knight features Maureen Grimaud, chair of the US Chess Women’s committee. Maureen is a vocal proponent and supporter of bringing more women and girls into chess, from her work with the girls club’ rooms and Regional women’s events. In a Sports Illustrated article about women in chess, Maureen said, “It’s a numbers game, It’s a total and complete numbers game. What the women’s committee is trying to do is to grow the base.”
Maureen, who is a successful franchise owner, got into chess through her husband David Grimaud. In her interview with Jennifer, she explains how she uses lessons from business to help her grow chess for girls and women. They also discuss the popular Girls’ Club Rooms at US Chess National Scholastics, a concept that Maureen Grimaud was instrumental in executing.
Maureen, who is a successful franchise owner, got into chess through her husband David Grimaud. In her interview with Jennifer, she explains how she uses lessons from business to help her grow chess for girls and women. They also discuss the popular Girls’ Club Rooms at US Chess National Scholastics, a concept that Maureen Grimaud was instrumental in executing.
Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade Featuring Charlotte Clymer – LK007
Jul 15, 2019
Writer, army veteran, influencer and US Chess member Charlotte Clymer joins Jennifer Shahade on Ladies Knight live from Las Vegas, where Charlotte participated in her first women’s event, the US Women’s Open. Charlotte and Jennifer talk about Charlotte’s experience in the Armed Forces Championships, how to make chess more inclusive and why every chess game is like a movie.
They also tackle tough questions like whether or not gender fluidity threatens Women’s chess tournaments (spoiler alert- Charlotte says NO!) and how even well-meaning allies can go wrong when heaping flattery and attention on marginalized groups.
Charlotte also talks about her goals in chess, her chess heroes and the injustice of ageism.
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