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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 t ..read more

 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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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, w ..read more

Jennifer Shahade welcomes high-school sophomore Laurel Aronian to Ladies Knight. Laurel is a president of her high school chess team, St. Luke, 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 al ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more