My guest today is Jen Shahade. Jen, is a champion chess and poker player, an author, an award winning podcaster and the Woman’s Program Director at US Chess. It was the perfect time to catch up with Jen, as she has just released her new book, Chess Queens. Chess Queens is an insightful, entertaining and introspective look at key figures in the history of Women’s Chess, and a reflection on Jen’s own chess journey to the pinnacle of American chess. It is an updated and expanded version of Jen’s first book, Chess Bitch. In our interview, we dig into the process of updating and rewriting a book, and then Jen shares a few of the amazing life stories covered in the book. Jen also discusses her own upcoming projects, chess in the Queen’s Gambit age, and she dispenses some chess and life improvement advice. There is always a great deal to learn from Jen! Many more details and relevant links are in the show description.
Click here to Download the Episode
Jen’s Prior Appearances on the Pod:
Book Recap #7 discussing Judit Polgar’s How I Beat Fischer’s Record with Jen Shahade
0:00- Jen discusses how her new book came into being. .
Mentioned: GM David Howell match against GM Nils Grandelius, GM Simon Williams, Silman-James Publishing, GM Judit Polgar, GM Hou Yifan, Vera Menchik, Lisa Lane, Diana Lanni, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kieie Laymon
15:45- How would Jen describe the experience of creating an audio book?
Mentioned: Anya Taylor Joy
17:30- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Chessable.com. Check out their latest offerings here.
New Chess Courses Online - For All Levels - Chessable.com
18:30- Jen tells the crazy story of the time that a coin flip decided who got to play for the Women’s World Championship.
Mentioned: GM Susan Polgar, WGM Nona Ioseliani
26:30- Why is chess so much more popular with women in some countries than it is in others?
Mentioned: Ladies Knight with Martha Fierro, Nadya Ortiz
30:00- Jen discusses some of her favorite figures mentioned in the book, including some successful chess champions who became politicians and Sonya Graf.
Mentioned: Antoaneta Stefanova, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, Vera Menchik
35:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Why does Jen think many girls quit chess in their teenage years?”
Mentioned: Rachel Crotto
40:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Aimchess.com. Aimchess collects and analyzes your games and gives you actionable tips based on the data it gathers. Check the site out, and if you choose to subscribe, please use the code Perpetual30 to save 30%.
41:00- Perpetual Chess is brought to you in part by Better Help. You can see some online reviews here, and if you sign up, use this link to save 10%: https://www.betterhelp.com/chess
42:00- Patreon mailbag question: “When will someone write a book about women in poker that is similar to Chess Queens?”
Mentioned: Poker Power, The Biggest Bluff
45:00- Patreon mailbag question: “How can chess players apply poker strategies to chess? Has Jen done so herself?”
Mentioned: GM Danil Dubov, GM Fabiano Caruana, EP 265 with GM Simon Williams, How to Chess Episode 10 With FM Nate Solon , Zwischenzug Substack
52:00- Patreon mailbag question : ”Are there ways to get signed copies of Chess Queens?”
Mentioned: Dr. Alexey Root, Facebook Chess Book Collector’s Group
57:00- Patreon mailbag question: “Has Jen read Robert B.Tanner’s book about Vera Menchik”?
59:00- What is Jen’s next book, Reset, about?
1:01- What skills is Jen looking to develop right now? Any chess improvement tips?
Mentioned: Daniel Kahneman, GM Jesse Kraai, GM Noel Studer
1:07:00- What can men do to help ensure a welcoming environment for female chess players?
1:08:00- Thanks so much to Jen for coming on the pod. Here are links to keep up with her.