The Chess Lounge

Summer Dylan catches up with Jennifer Shahade on her THINKING SIDEWAYS book tour. They discuss the state of the culture, the Candidates, women in American chess, memory champions, trans rights, women's rights, process goals, avoiding and making blunders, poker and much more. This episode will DEFINITELY make you want to go pick up Thinking Sideways on GoodReads. Jennifer Shahade is a three-time National Chess Champion and two-time Global Poker Award player. She competed in the Chess Olympiad in 2004, where she won a silver medal with the U.S. Olympic team. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. She is featured regularly in major news outlets as a spokesperson for women in chess, and has over 33,000 followers on X and 14,000 followers on Instagram. Jennifer is passionate about empowerment and creative work around the games she loves most: chess and poker. Summer definitely recommends that you check out her Substack, Games & The Grid, as well!  Host - Summer Dylan Summer's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Check Out Summer's Substack - https://transadvocate.substack.com/ Edited & Produced by Summer

This week Elaynah and Dylan talk to Megan Chen, the female recorder holder for visiting and playing chess in ALL 50 U.S. states. They talk about some of her favorite places to play, playing in Alaska, what it means to be a degen, playing chess all night, chess books and more. She also announces that she is now chasing the record for playing in all 10 Canadian provinces as well. This is definitely a hilarious episode so listen now!   Megan Chen's ICA Profile Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

This week in the Chess Lounge, we will hear an amazing interview with the multi-Talented rising YouTube star, Kamryn Heidi aka Kamryn. In 2023 she was named best creator in the ChessPunks annual awards. She has built a great niche audience in chess all the while pursuing a masters degree, working a full time job and improving her classical tournament skills. Dylan & Elaynah delve deep into her life on learning chess in a small town, planning to write a book, playing for the first time in Vegas, the support of her parents, balancing all of her pursuits, and her meticulous planning. Definitely listen to the end as she has wisdom to share all the way through the episode!   Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

Content creator, writer and streamer Julia Schulman, aka Jules Gambit joins Elaynah and Dylan in the chess lounge this week to talk about all things content.  They talk about a range of topics from seeking the WFM title and finding time to study, writing on the Botez Sisters, the Botez Invitational tournament, GM Hans Neimann's role in popularizing chess and the popularity of chess in general. She has a great sense of humor and will entertain you the entire hour!   A great chess.com article on her - https://www.chess.com/article/view/streamer-of-the-month-julesgambit   Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

FIDE Master James Canty is no stranger to media. This Detroit based chess legend steps into the Chess Lounge to talk about his career as a streamer and commentator. Elaynah and Dylan ask him about his workout regiment, chess in the Black community, the road to FIDE Master, future goals, his 5 year Chessable streak and much more. Check this episode out and hear from one of the absolutely hardest working people you will ever meet in the chess world.    Check out Canty on Twitch and beyond - https://www.twitch.tv/gmcanty/about   Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

Marshall Club President, National Master and lawyer Sarathi Ray steps into the lounge to talk about his rise in the chess world. Elaynah and Dylan delve into how he learned how to play chess in college becoming a "professional" 1600 club player and how he got serious when he moved to New York. As an adult learner Sarathi's love of chess pushed him to become competitive with the New York City elite. They talk about learning tactics, endgame, managing the Marshall Club, chess governance, dealing with unruly players, women's events, GM Irina Krush and much more!   Check out the Marshall Club website for more info - https://www.marshallchessclub.org/   Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

Director of Film, TV & Stage, Gloria Iseli, steps into the lounge to talk about what it is like to be married to a chess professional (Dylan) and make a film with them! They delve into the making of King Chess, the documentary about 2018 World Championship cycle. Elaynah and Dylan ask her about the production, post production, timelines, funding, what it's like to spend time with top chess pros, Grishuk's antics and comedy, story in film, the process of dubbing in post (ADR), and much more!    AND, if you haven't, go watch King Chess! It's on all of your favorite platforms plus free on youtube!   Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

Streamer, coach and chess master SimplyDevina aka Women Fide Master Devina Devagharan steps into The Chess Lounge this week for a leisurely chat about her career. Summer and Elaynah discuss the intricacies of her unique tournaments, growing up as a dedicated chess student, coaching styles, learning judo, make up & self care tips, mental health and much more! Don't miss Devina talk about her podcast, Honest Vibes Only, where she is open about the family struggles she experienced.  Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Elaynah's Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@elaynahhh Dylan's Documentary - https://www.kingchessfilm.com/ Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

The streaming duo Ben & Karen come into The Chess Lounge with two big intentions: roasting the chess world and getting canceled. Ok, that's just the bonus. Ben Finegold is a Grandmaster with a depth of wisdom and a dry humor with his wife Karen brings a fun balance to their streams. In this episode we talk about a wide range of topics from Ben & Karen's early chess life, playing poker and the crossover between the games, what it was like in the 80s, Hans Niemann, Kramnik going crazy, different play styles, how to get bad at chess and more.  Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move

The chess world has been shaken up by a big lawsuit that was recently filed by WGM Jennifer Shahade against US Chess. Shahade blew the whistle in early 2023 on a top Grandmaster that was abusing women and girls and helped to push him out of US Chess. Elaynah & Dylan briefly introduce the lawsuit and present an interview that Dylan did in August of 2023 with Shahade. She talks about her life, growing up in a chess family, winning the US Women's Championship, becoming an author, her books and much more!  Hosts - Elaynah & Summer Dylan Talk to Us on X (Twitter) - https://x.com/elaynahTV & https://x.com/coachqchess Produced By - Brilliant Move For press inquiries regarding the Shahade case please contact: Attorney Tamara Holder – 847-651-7222 – [email protected]