About 9 Queens

9 Queens is a national, 501c 3 tax deductible non-profit organization founded in 2007. We are dedicated to extending the benefits of chess to those most in need of its benefits, especially girls and at-risk youth. Currently, we provide 9 Queens’ programs in Tucson, Arizona and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Why are we called 9 Queens?

In chess, the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. Although every player begins the game with only one queen, every pawn has the potential to become a queen. In theory, it is possible to transform all 8 pawns into queens, thus creating a position in which there are 9 queens on the board. 9 Queens is a metaphor for the all too often unrealized capacity to empower all children through chess.

Our Mission

9 Queens is a national, 501 c3 tax deductible non-profit organization that promotes and provides chess education to under-served and under-represented populations, especially girls and at-risk youth. Our mission is to provide all children with equal opportunities to realize their potential and enjoy the benefits of chess education. Through chess, we motivate, empower and engage under-served and under-represented youth to achieve academic and personal success.

About the founders

Jennifer Shahade is a Women’s Grandmaster, coach, writer and two-time American Women’s Chess Champion (2002, 2004). In 2005, she published her first book, Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport.

She is the editor of uschess.org, the United States Chess Federation’s official website. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Games Magazine, New In Chess, and the L.A. Times.

In her coaching career, Jennifer Shahade has made a point of focusing her efforts on girls and inner-city youth. From 1998-2005, she worked with Chess-In-The-Schools, a New York City non-profit organization that provides chess instruction to inner city youth. From 2003-4, she taught a Girls’ Academy through Chess-in-the-Schools, and started her own Girls’ Academy in New York in 2007. She has given inspirational talks and lessons all over the world, including the 2003 Los Angeles Girls Scout convention, the 2007 Adventures of the Mind Conference in Atlanta for exceptional high school students and an all girls’ school in Soweto, South Africa in 2007.

 

Jean Hoffman has been playing chess since first grade. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a master’s degree in teacher education from Harvard University. As a former middle school teacher, tournament director and educational consultant, Jean has worked with students, teachers and administrators to promote and support chess education.

Jean has taught and trained over 1,500 students, chess players, and public school teachers throughout the country to play chess and create effective and sustainable chess clubs and tournaments. Jean worked in New York City for Chess-in-the-Schools for three years as a chess instructor, development associate, and teams and tournaments manager. She organized a weekly, scholastic chess tournament series with over 500 participants, and served as the chief tournament director at these events. In addition to her work with 9 Queens, Jean also served as the Director of Community Engagement for Voices for Education, a Tucson-based educational non-profit organization.