Chess Queens

by Jennifer Shahade

'Like The Queen's Gambit , this isn't really about chess, but power ... Shahade is up for the fight'
Sunday Times

What does it take to make it to the top of your game?

As a chess champion, Jennifer Shahade has travelled the world playing major tournaments. At the top, she finds rivalry and friendship; sexism and feminism; ecstatic highs and excruciating losses.

Chess Queens invites us behind the scenes of this ultra male-dominated sport. We meet today's elite, as well as the pioneering female players in history who fought against the odds to get to the top.

An essential guide for all aspiring chess queens, Jennifer's story reveals what it takes to break through the glass ceiling.


'Jennifer Shahade is a brilliant, insightful thinker who never fails to entertain and engage'
Maria Konnikova

'An astoundingly intimate, thoughtful and inspirational book by a person who has seen it all from the inside'
Angela Saini

400 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

I love games and I love books and I can't wait to share my passion with you.

I am a three-time National Chess Champion--I won the US Women's Championship twice and was the first female to win the US Junior Open. I've also won poker tournaments all over the World from Prague to London to Las Vegas.

I'm the author of several books including Chess Bitch / Chess Queens, and my upcoming Thinking Sideways: How to Think Like a Chessplayer and Win at Life.

Thinking Sideways distills the lessons I've learned from games while interweaving science and the stories of champions and innovators not only in chess, but also in art, tech, poker and sports. From improving your memory to coping with stagnation to getting the most out of your life and career wins, I want you to be the best version of yourself, whether or not you play games yourself.

I live in Philadelphia.

And I'm open to book club invites :)