Jennifer Shahade

Philadelphia

2x US Women chess champ, @PokerStars pro and author https://t.co/AwlTMSTPar Inquiries: [email protected]

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Articles

What is your best story from an underground poker game?

Nov 20, 2024 | poker.org | Brad Willis |Lee Jones |LoriAnn Persinger |Jennifer Shahade

I've told this story a few times, but nearly 20 years ago, I played poker in a fireworks warehouse that doubled as a poker room and trebled as a weekly circus. On this cold night, there was a four-figure jackpot on offer, a bench press competition, and a Ping-Pong match that—based on the screaming from the audience—carried the world’s fate on its outcome.
Are mandatory straddles good for cash game poker?

Nov 19, 2024 | poker.org | Lee Jones |LoriAnn Persinger |Jennifer Shahade |Matt Berkey

Many casino cash poker games are started with, or evolve to have, a "mandatory" straddle. That is, the entire table agrees to put on a semi-permanent straddle, with the expectation that everybody will do it. For example, a $2/$5 no-limit hold'em game gets started. The players who start the game agree that there will be a "mandatory" $10 under-the-gun (UTG) straddle. Now it's a $2/$5/$10 game, with an effective $10 big blind.
I am Alive and I Voted

Nov 1, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

A few years ago, in a Pre-Dobbs United States, I was told my twin pregnancy showed no heartbeats. I immediately scheduled a Dilation and curettage aka D+C. I was offered two Advil before we got started. I had a natural birth with Fabian, but that D+C was about as painful, albeit much shorter. But this was much worse because there was no baby at the end. I came home with just a punchline: Two Advils. It could have been much worse. The procedure could have been delayed. Some women have died waiting.
The Best Bishop vs. Knight Exchange Ever

Oct 23, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

Earlier this month, DeepMind founder and one time chess prodigy Demis Hassabis won a Nobel Prize in chemistry for developing AlphaFold. He was also knighted earlier this year. And he’s only 48. It all started with a chess move. As reported in CNBC, back in 2010, Hassabis needed capital to fund his AI lab. He strategized how to impress investor and Paypal founder Peter Thiel, who is also a chess master.
What I learned about Chess and Poker from my Cat

Sep 13, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

Taylor Swift’s “Childless Cat Lady” endorsement of Kamala Harris inspired me to share some lessons that my cat taught me. There is Always Another Spot You can’t always make things bigger or longer, whether it’s your house or your life. But possibilities don’t need to be added, they often just need to be discovered. It’s not addition, it’s division. My cat can find infinite lounge spots within my small rowhome. Just when I thought Little Lady found every nook and cranny she discovers a new one.
Surprising Factors Behind the Chess Boom

Jun 10, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

British chess legend Mickey Adams was crushing yet another tournament. The best news of all? He was facing a player more than 1000 rating points lower than him. And that was a yahoo chess rating. But this was no ordinary chess tournament. It was a chess poker tournament. You start with six rounds of chess. Each win gives you extra chips into the turbo poker event, and that’s where the real winner is crowned.
5 Things I learned from Memory World Champion Yanjaa Westgate

May 24, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

Before meeting World Memory Champion Yanjaa Westgate, I had so many misconceptions about memory. I thought it was all about brute force, and that it was one of the least fun or creative parts of the learning process. Let’s start with a cliche I’m sure you’ve heard: “I’m terrible with names, but I never forget a face” But who has said the opposite? “I’m terrible with faces, but I totally remember your name.” On the GRID podcast, Yanjaa told me it’s a false equivalency.
Lessons From Whistleblowing

Feb 13, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

It’s been a year since I tweeted about being assaulted by Alejandro Ramirez. The post went viral and changed my life. Within 48 hours, several other women alleged to me that they’d also experienced abuse or harassment by Ramirez. Thanks to a bombshell WSJ article, How Sexual Assault Allegations Against a U.S. Chess Grandmaster Went Unaddressed for Years, and eight brave women, including three who were Under 18 at the time of the alleged abuse, my concerns were corroborated.
Ode to the Knight

Feb 1, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

When I was giving a chess class, a student once blurted out in horror that if the knight could move in a big L, the original position would be checkmate. And that’s why I love this puzzle from Play Like a Champion so much: Yes, that’s a hint. Solution in footnotes. As I write THINKING SIDEWAYS, I’ve been thinking more about the knight. The knight is the least valuable piece on the board. It’s also literally the most valuable.
Life Lessons from Chess Cheating Discourse

Jan 18, 2024 | jenshahade.substack.com | Jennifer Shahade

As I race to submit a draft of my next book, THINKING SIDEWAYS, I’ve been spending a lot of time contemplating the life lessons from a scourge in chess: cheating. My editor is very intent on me not just telling stories, but also embedding takeaways. Cheating is terrible, so it might not be the first thing we think of when considering all the lessons chess has to teach. And at first I struggled: but now I have takeaways beyond the scope of the chapter, hence this post.