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    September 10, 2024

    The #MeToo Movement in Chess

    The Battle is Now in Court

    Aliaksandra Jain

    Chess is a sport recognized by  the International Olympic Committee. Unfortunately, like many other sports, it suffers from insidious sexual harassment of female players and employees in the industry by their coaches, employers, and fellow players.

    I should know. I first began competing in major chess tournaments at 9 years old. I hold a Woman FIDE Master title. As  a child, I traveled to tournaments in different cities around the world, without parental supervision and with a group of 10-12 other players and our coach. I also happen to be an employment discrimination attorney.

    The chess world is intense. A typical tournament lasts between one and two weeks. You stay in hotels filled with other chess players. You compete for long hours during the day, and in the evenings you study for the next game. You analyze other players’ games and begin to idolize the really strong ones. You form deep bonds with other players and your chess community often becomes closer than your relatives or classmates at school.

    Unfortunately, there was a dark side to these tournaments. There was little supervision between the games and at the hotels. Players were strongly motivated to excel in the sport, and some male players and coaches would use this dynamic to take advantage of young female players who looked up to them. When harassment did occur, there were few clear reporting channels.

    While harassment has been a pervasive issue in chess for decades, only recently this behavior started to capture the public’s attention.

    Chess’s version of the #MeToo movement peaked last year after Jennifer Shahade, a Woman Grandmaster and twotime U.S. Women’s Chess Champion (among other impressive achievements, including hosting the chess category on Jeopardy!), tweeted allegations that Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez sexually abused her and other female chess players, including at least one minor. The following month, The Wall Street Journal published a report describing eight women’s allegations of abuse by Ramirez. More than a hundred female chess players have since spoken out or signed an open letter stating that they, too had experienced sexism or sexual violence by various actors in the world of chess.

    After Shahade’s viral tweet, the U.S. Chess Federation (“US Chess”) permanently revoked Ramirez’s membership in the federation. However, according to Shahade’s lawsuit against US Chess (filed in July 2024 in New Jersey state court, later removed by defendants to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, 3:24-cv-07909-MAS-TJB), the organization was aware for years of Ramirez’s misconduct yet failed to act. Shahade’s complaint states that, “[a]s a result of [the] worship of the male Grand Masters and monetary big-name donors over those victimized, US Chess enabled the violent assaults on victim Shahade and others in the first instances[.]” The lawsuit also alleges US Chess, where Shahade was employed from 2006 to September 2023, most recently as an Officer and Director of Women’s Programs, discriminated against her on the basis of gender and retaliated against her for her sexual assault complaints in violation of New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. After Shahade’s tweet about Ramirez’s assaults, she alleges US Chess retaliated against her through several tactics.

    First, Shahade says she was lured into a “sham” mediation in order to get her to sign a non-disparagement agreement and an NDA, but, once she secured legal counsel, US Chess chose not to proceed with the mediation. In addition, Shahade claims US Chess’s Board President at the time posted victim-blaming social media posts (one of which stated in relevant part: “Why didn’t you file a formal complaint? … [I]if you were so certain about [Ramirez’s] conduct, and you were one of those he had abused, isn’t it on you to step up?”), and that the US Chess furthermore solicited, approved and republished an American Chess Magazine article rife with “intentional mistakes and reckless errors” to undermine Shahade and exonerate US Chess. According to the Complaint, the author of the article (who is one of the defendants in the lawsuit), at one point posted on his Facebook page: “Nothing like analysis to shut a feminist up.”

    Through her lawsuit, Shahade “seeks to stop the willful, wanton, reckless, intentional and gross conduct against Shahade, restore her public self-worth and her reputation [,and] hopes that in the future US Chess will right itself by finally and appropriately by responding to her victimization; and remedy and remediate its conduct that enabled women and minors to be assaulted.” On August 20, 2024, Defendants US Chess and its former Board President answered Shahade’s complaint largely denying the allegations and moved to dismiss one of Shahade’s six causes of action.

    As the chess community continues to follow Shahade’s legal battle, her courage in coming forward has already reaped significant benefits as many female chess players have subsequently spoken up about their own heartbreaking experiences and demanded change. On January 1, 2024, US Chess adopted its Safe Play Policy, which, inter alia, requires tournament directors to undergo a mandatory core training from the U.S. Center for SafeSport as well as annual refresher trainings, and outlines procedures for reporting sexual and emotional misconduct and other violations.

    While we still have a long way to go, I am heartened to see women like Shahade find the courage to speak out and create lasting change in sports and the workplace.

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    Aliaksandra Jain

    Partner, Outten & Golden LLP

    Aliaksandra Jain is a partner at Outten & Golden LLP, representing individual employees in discrimination, whistleblower, and compensation matters. She is also an internationally ranked chess master.