Ladies Knight Chess

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Yosha Iglesias [Rebroadcast] LK056

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/— Yosha Iglesias (@IglesiasYosha) July 12, 2022Since 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 letter to raise awareness on harassment and abuse in chess. It ended up getting over 100 signatures and making global news headlines.
She has also been vocal about FIDE’s new restrictive policy against transgender players, which conflicts with her own federation’s policy, and ours as well.
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

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.
Find Jennifer’s final game recap on Youtube, and watch a version of this episode on Ben’s YouTube channel.
Ladies Knight features music by the artist Juga.

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Bernice Wambui Gikandi LK054

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.
Follow Bernice at https://twitter.com/BerniceWambui22 and find out more about her work at the Gift of Chess. https://www.thegiftofchess.org/
Ladies Knight features music by the artist Juga.  Photos By Allan Rongoey
Find out more about host Jennifer Shahade on her website and find her books, Chess Queens and Play Like a Girl, at US Chess Sales, where signed copies are currently available.

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Yanjaa Wintersoul LK053

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. 
A longer version of this interview appeared on the GRID.
Find out more about Yanjaa on her website, www.wintersoul.org and @Yanjaa www.instagram.com/yanjaa/
Ladies Knight features music by the artist Juga.
Find out more about host Jennifer Shahade on her website and find her books, Chess Queens and Play Like a Girl, at US Chess Sales, where signed copies are currently available.

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Megan Chen LK052

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 features music by the artist Juga. Subscribe to Ladies Knight on your favorite podcast channel. Find out more about host Jennifer Shahade on her website and find her books, Chess Queens and Play Like a Girl, at US Chess Sales, where signed copies are currently available.

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Isabelle Choko LK051

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

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.
Find out more about Kala’s work at discoverychess.org.
Ladies Knight features music by the artist Juga. Subscribe to us, review and share Ladies Knight on social media or with friends. Find out more about host Jennifer Shahade on her website and find her book at US Chess Sales.

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Devina Devagharan LK049

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.
Follow Devina at twitch.tv/simplydevina and https://twitter.com/SimplyDevina. She hosts her podcast, Honest Vibes Only with IM Keaton Kiewra and KD Learns Chess on YouTube, Spotify or wherever you enjoy podcasts. More on her bio and lessons at https://www.devinadev.com/.
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.
Ladies Knight features music by the artist Juga. Subscribe to us, review and share Ladies Knight on social media or with friends. Find out more about hostJennifer Shahade on her websiteand find her book at US Chess Sales.
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

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.
Find Maya Myers at the Charlotte Chess Center.
Ladies Knight features music by the artist Juga. Subscribe to us, review and share Ladies Knight on social media or with friends. Find out more about host Jennifer Shahade on her website and find her book at US Chess Sales.

Ladies Knight with Jen Shahade ft. Laurel Aronian LK047

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 features music by the artist Juga. Subscribe to us, review and share Ladies Knight on social media or with friends. Find out more about host Jennifer Shahade on her website or twitter.
If you’d like to get more involved in making chess more inclusive, check out a new job description for a US Chess Women Program Coordinator.