The Chess Equity Project

Charlotte H is most well-known as the creator of the Lichess Horsey (and many of its variants). She also works behind-the-scenes at Lichess and provides a special perspective on the chess world. One of her duties is to moderate the Lichess Discord server and in that capacity is on the front lines to see and deal with all manner of problem behaviors there.

In this interview, we discuss gender issues in several contexts: the possible differences in (and causes of) poor behavior online versus in person, whether Charlotte is optimistic about the future of women in chess, and possible improvements to the community and ways to create oases of peace for women in the game.

Charlotte can be reached through her Lichess account: http://lichess.org/cham

One of many posts about Elizabeth Spiegel: https://en.chessbase.com/post/elizabeth-spiegel

Link to the “Checking Gender Bias” paper: https://chessequityproject.com/checking-gender-bias-parents-and-mentors-perceive-less-chess-potential-in-girls

Womyn’s Land: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Womyn%27s_land

Invisible Pieces: Women in Chess (Lichess Blog) - https://lichess.org/@/Lichess/blog/invisible-pieces-women-in-chess/X9i1gRUA

00:00 Introduction

07:38 Am I more than my rating?

11:02 Working with Lichess

19:41 Normalizing women in chess

28:19 Improvements

32:20 What are you most proud of?

34:59 Shout out to Harry!

40:22 Women's Only Events

45:26 Advice for Women

52:34 Conclusion

7 year-old Rose Atwell recently earned the IM title and will be representing the US in the upcoming chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This interview focuses less on her over-the-board success and more on her experiences as a young woman in chess. She discusses how she met her "chess friends," who her role models have been, what it's like to be supported by parents and coaches, and how she hopes others will see her.

Rose does feel like she is an advocate for women in chess, but she also says that not every woman needs to advocate vocally, and that sometimes "playing tournaments and crushing people" is enough.

Rose's interview with WGM Sabrina Foisor on the Class in Session podcast:    • 🎙️ Class in Session | IM-elect Rose Atwell  

Rose's interview with GM Mauricio Flores Rios:    • How Chess Prodigies Train: Rose Atwell (2390)  

Rose's interview on the Perpetual Chess Podcast: https://www.perpetualchesspod.com/new...

Cairns Chess Queens $100,000 Award: https://new.uschess.org/news/saint-lo...

Jessica Era Martin is the author of four chess books and founder of the Over the Chessboard school in Charlotte, NC. In her playing days, she was ranked as the #1 woman in NC and in the Top 100 women in the US. She has been a chess instructor for over 20 years and started out training with Chess-in-the-Schools in NYC. Jessica is the past Vice President of Scholastic Chess of the North Carolina Chess Association (NCCA). She was a weekly author for http://chesskid.com from 2010-2015.

More importantly, she cares deeply about her students and about making the chess world a better place. She continues to advocate for equity in chess, and with her background in creative writing, does so both with well-chosen words and by being a fantastic example of a leader in her community.

The Truth About How Much Women Talk — and Whether Men Listen

https://time.com/4837536/do-women-rea...

Ms. Martin's books are available through Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/...

Ladies Knight interview with WGM Jennifer Shahade:

https://new.uschess.org/news/ladies-k...

Ms. Martin’s articles on http://ChessKid.com (as BoundingOwl):

https://www.chesskid.com/learn/articl...

01:13 Introduction

02:47 Chess is for everyone

07:10 Proud moments

12:44 Experiences of dropping out and returning to chess

16:42 Gender-based challenges and safety concerns

20:51 Stereotype threat and cultural influences

38:00 Language, words, and perception

39:35 Women's titles and events

50:21 Modeling inclusive behavior for children

55:51 Future of chess and gender equity

01:03:38 Books!

Kamryn Hellman is a YouTuber and writer that produces excellent educational chess content, and also runs a local girls' chess club. Her channel has helped thousands of people make improvements to their game, and she does it while keeping the channel and community positive and welcoming (with help from her strict ban hammer).

Kamryn's energy and hustle have propelled her from zero to 2000 chesscom rating. She started playing after the Queen's Gambit, gained her rating, and then built her channel while also attending graduate school through Harvard Extension.

To improve chess, Kamryn recommends:

1. Adding at least one additional (lower) open title - perhaps at 2000 FIDE - to replace women's-only titles, and
2. Providing a genuine disincentive for misconduct by increasing discipline for harassers

Links:

Website: https://kamrynheidi.com/

Substack: https://kamrynheidichess.substack.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kamrynheidi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamryn.heidi

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/kamrynheidi

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/kamrynheidi.bsky.social

00:43 Introduction

04:13 Being a Woman in Chess

08:28 Teaching and Leadership

12:43 Role Models and Mentorship

21:42 Growth Despite Adversity

26:50 Goals

30:30 Women's Titles and Sections

35:37 Ideas for Improvement of the Community

41:04 Optimism

46:28 Fitness

51:30 Balance

Kamryn Hellman is a YouTuber and writer that produces excellent educational chess content, and also runs a local girls' chess club. Her channel has helped thousands of people make improvements to their game, and she does it while keeping the channel and community positive and welcoming (with help from her strict ban hammer).

Kamryn's energy and hustle have propelled her from zero to 2000 chess.com rating. She started playing after the Queen's Gambit, gained her rating, and then built her channel while also attending graduate school through Harvard Extension.

To improve chess, Kamryn recommends:

1. Adding at least one additional (lower) open title - perhaps at 2000 FIDE - to replace women's-only titles, and
2. Providing a genuine disincentive for misconduct by increasing punishments of harassers

Links:

Website: https://kamrynheidi.com/

Substack: https://kamrynheidichess.substack.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kamrynheidi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamryn.heidi

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/kamrynheidi

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/kamrynheidi.bsky.social

00:43 Introduction

04:13 Being a Woman in Chess

08:28 Teaching and Leadership

12:43 Role Models and Mentorship

21:42 Growth Despite Adversity

26:50 Goals

30:30 Women's Titles and Sections

35:37 Ideas for Improvement of the Community

41:04 Optimism

46:28 Fitness

51:30 Balance

WCM Maddie Weber - known online as madchess - exudes positivity and optimism about chess. She began competing at age 10 and has continued through high school and through her undergrad program at NYU. Having just finished her Bachelor's, she continues to compete and coach chess while working on her Master's in Accounting at NYU's Stern School of Business.

She is most well-known for streaming in Washington Square Park, where she is one of the "family" of chess hustlers there. Now even a punch to the face from a random man can keep her away from there!

To improve chess, Maddie recommends:

1. doing whatever we can to keep girls playing through high school - time of girls' well-known "adolescent drop-off,"
2. eliminating women's-only sections at tournaments and replacing those awards with Women's Prizes for top women in the open section,
3. OR rescheduling women's only sections so they do not conflict with the open section. That way strong women are not faced with conflicting incentives.
4. reminding women to aim high!

Maddie's link:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maddieplayschess

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddieplayschess/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@maddieplayschess

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/maddieplayschess

To best support Maddie, be positive about chess!

00:00 Introduction

03:18 Education and Making It All Work

06:24 Gaining Confidence

08:48 The Unique Experience of Female Chess Players

10:25 Chess is a Cheat Code for Young Women

12:07 Community and Support in Chess

14:32 Washington Square Park

18:21 Positive Vibes and Trash Talk in Chess

20:28 The Jobava!

22:23 Teaching

24:32 The Gender Disparity

27:10 The Debate on Women's Titles in Chess

37:10 Embracing Engagement: The Fun in Hate Comments

42:37 Building a Supportive Community in Chess

44:46 The Healing Power of Friendship in Chess

46:09 Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Players

49:03 Brainstorming Solutions

56:11 Maddie's Proud Moments

01:00:16 Shout Out to Maddie's Mom

01:01:16 Conclusion

Kiera G is an amateur player, community builder, and creator of "Hot Girls Play Chess." In this interview, she shares how she’s leveraging TikTok to inspire more women to pick up the game, challenge stereotypes, and create supportive spaces for everyone. Kiera's journey from casual player inspired by "The Queen’s Gambit" to a content creator advocating for gender equity offers a powerful insight into how media, community, and small actions can drive change.

To improve chess, Kiera recommends making clubs and tournaments feel more welcoming to newcomers, increasing accountability for inappropriate behavior, and creating more opportunities for women to connect and support one another.


Links:

Hot Girls Play Chess: https://www.tiktok.com/@hotgirlsplaychess

Women In Chess Foundation, Advocacy Initiative: https://www.womeninchess.com/programs/advocacy-initiative/

ClubChess, https://www.clubchess.co/

Andrea Botez Coach ad (WITH KIERA’s HAND!): https://www.tiktok.com/@coach/video/7447184933774282014

Sara Herman YT: https://www.youtube.com/@zefcatt

I couldn't find one exact reference for the idea that we should lose our first 100 games as quickly as possible. It turns out it is a common saying, like adapted from the game Go. I may have heard it from Noel Studer but can't be sure. Here's a link to his channel anyway: https://www.youtube.com/@GMnoelstuder

Dr. Jose De Sousa, a FIDE Master and renowned labor economist, discusses how a simple but profound rule change in the French chess league sparked tangible progress. In this episode, Jose shares the surprising results from over 35 years of data on gender quotas in French chess. The mandate of one woman per team increased female participation both at top levels and across the community. It also dramatically improved women’s performance and closed approximately 2/3 of the gender gap between 1990 and 2018. His research, conducted with Stanford’s Muriel Niederle, highlights that quotas can motivate clubs to train and retain women, creating a ripple effect across the community. 

This episode is perfect for anyone passionate about gender equity. If you believe structural change requires more than just good intentions and want to understand how targeted policies translate into real-world success, this is a must-listen.

WIM Chaudé de Silans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chantal_Chaud%C3%A9_de_Silans

Prof. De Sousa's paper, "Trickle-Down Effects of Affirmative Action: A Case Study in France": https://chessequityproject.com/trickle-down-effects-of-affirmative-action-a-case-study-in-france

The legacy of the infamous "Vera Menchik Club" is alive and well in the psyches of modern male chess players. Dr. Maria Cubel’s research reveals that behavioral and psychological factors, likely fueled by stereotypes and social expectations, are driving women to underperform when facing men. Why do men wait longer to resign against women? And how do societal biases subtly influence every move?

In this interview, we dive into Dr. Cubel’s empirical analysis of chess data from over 58,000 games, revealing that men unconsciously play longer and with more confidence against women - again, likely motivated by deep-seated stereotypes and social pressures. These factors have been at play from the beginning of strong female players and negative attitudes have been perpetuated through the generations. Dr. Cubel discusses how changing narratives and institutional reforms can help bridge participation gaps, and why solutions must involve everyone - men, women, and the systems that shape their interactions.

The conversation covers Julia Engel's journey from the US to Germany, her chess background, and the inspiration behind her research. It discusses her analysis of Titled Tuesday data, psychological responses to failure, feedback, gender differences, stereotype threat, and its psychological impact. The conversation delves into the challenges of extrapolating chess performance results to the general population, the psychometric normalcy of chess players, the impact of gender stereotypes on performance, and the economics of resource allocation in chess. It also explores the role of visibility and role models in chess, as well as the selection and stereotypes in competitive fields.

Takeaways

• Psychological responses to failure differ between men and women.
• Feedback intervention can influence women's willingness to compete and their performance. Extrapolating chess performance results to the general population is challenging
• Visibility and role models play a crucial role in chess

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 06:33 Chess Background and Research Inspiration
• 12:45 Psychological Responses to Failure
• 24:29 Stereotype Threat and Psychological Impact
• 29:33 Selection and Stereotypes in Competitive Fields
• 43:27 Visibility and Role Models in Chess