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

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