Girls4Chess Interview with Robin Ramson the Founder of Chess Girls DC
11/3/2024
Robin Ramson: Building Confidence Through Chess By: Annika Gho
When Robin Ramson’s daughter was around five years old, Ramson realized that her daughter would not continue playing chess unless her friends were involved with the activity too.
“I wanted to make sure chess was something that she stayed connected with for a long time. I wanted her to learn a little bit, fall in and out of love with it,” Ramson said.
The non-profit Chess Empower Girls DC was born. Founded by Ramson 13 years ago, the organization continues to build the confidence of young girls through chess, and through each win, encourage them to pursue other endeavors.
Ramson explained, “One of the things I believe in today’s society is that a lot of young people don’t have the confidence they need to push through something. Chess is something that trains the neuropaths to stick to it to keep figuring it out.”
In addition to building confidence, Ramson hopes to shift the narrative of the chess world, especially through the successful regional all girls chess tournaments the club has hosted in the past seven years. One way Ramson achieves this is by gifting each participant a gift bag after the tournament, hoping every girl feels empowered after a full day of rounds, no matter the results.
The impacts of chess are far-reaching. Studies have shown that pattern recognition and the relentless discipline and practice can help develop your brain.
But it isn’t like the club has been without its challenges, from managing online classes during the pandemic to finding a dedicated space, instead of the library. Even from the beginning, Ramson recalls people telling her “it’s not really worth the money” or “girls don’t play chess.” She believes this is why there are so few organizations dedicated to helping young girls— they don’t see the value in that investment.
“Girls don’t want to show up at a dark, gloomy cafeteria,” Ramson says. “The change of the environment and the brightening of the influence of the environment makes a huge difference if you want to attract girls.”
There has to be something attractive and appealing for young girls to want to engage in these activities. So, besides the gift bags, Ramson decorates tournaments with bright colors and balloons.
As for the future and her ultimate goal, “It is really the hope of me and my team that we can open up a chess center that will have complimentary activities like yoga, meditation, nutrition on a budget, etc. The entire well-being of a player doesn’t just depend on learning how to play chess. It involves learning how to quiet your mind, feed your body, and do your homework to learn the fundamentals and principles of chess.”
In particular, Ramson wants to reach low-income communities, helping girls there who might not have the equal opportunities. This is how I stay motivated, she says, because I haven’t reached my goal yet.
Advice to younger girls? “Get a pink chess board. Get a purple chess board. Embrace your girlness. Embrace the power of her. Build confidence. It says that I’m a girl and I’m here and my colors are completely legitimate.”
Reflecting on her role and the organization, Ramson says, “I don’t think one organization can make that big of a difference [the gender gap in competitive chess], unless it’s locally. But, I think that our organization can share ideas with other organizations and give them the confidence to invest in girls in a way that matters and attracts them.”
To learn more about Ramson and her work, listen to our first podcast episode with her on YouTube and Spotify. Or, visit their website, Chess Empower Girls for more info.
When Robin Ramson’s daughter was around five years old, Ramson realized that her daughter would not continue playing chess unless her friends were involved with the activity too.
“I wanted to make sure chess was something that she stayed connected with for a long time. I wanted her to learn a little bit, fall in and out of love with it,” Ramson said.
The non-profit Chess Empower Girls DC was born. Founded by Ramson 13 years ago, the organization continues to build the confidence of young girls through chess, and through each win, encourage them to pursue other endeavors.
Ramson explained, “One of the things I believe in today’s society is that a lot of young people don’t have the confidence they need to push through something. Chess is something that trains the neuropaths to stick to it to keep figuring it out.”
In addition to building confidence, Ramson hopes to shift the narrative of the chess world, especially through the successful regional all girls chess tournaments the club has hosted in the past seven years. One way Ramson achieves this is by gifting each participant a gift bag after the tournament, hoping every girl feels empowered after a full day of rounds, no matter the results.
The impacts of chess are far-reaching. Studies have shown that pattern recognition and the relentless discipline and practice can help develop your brain.
But it isn’t like the club has been without its challenges, from managing online classes during the pandemic to finding a dedicated space, instead of the library. Even from the beginning, Ramson recalls people telling her “it’s not really worth the money” or “girls don’t play chess.” She believes this is why there are so few organizations dedicated to helping young girls— they don’t see the value in that investment.
“Girls don’t want to show up at a dark, gloomy cafeteria,” Ramson says. “The change of the environment and the brightening of the influence of the environment makes a huge difference if you want to attract girls.”
There has to be something attractive and appealing for young girls to want to engage in these activities. So, besides the gift bags, Ramson decorates tournaments with bright colors and balloons.
As for the future and her ultimate goal, “It is really the hope of me and my team that we can open up a chess center that will have complimentary activities like yoga, meditation, nutrition on a budget, etc. The entire well-being of a player doesn’t just depend on learning how to play chess. It involves learning how to quiet your mind, feed your body, and do your homework to learn the fundamentals and principles of chess.”
In particular, Ramson wants to reach low-income communities, helping girls there who might not have the equal opportunities. This is how I stay motivated, she says, because I haven’t reached my goal yet.
Advice to younger girls? “Get a pink chess board. Get a purple chess board. Embrace your girlness. Embrace the power of her. Build confidence. It says that I’m a girl and I’m here and my colors are completely legitimate.”
Reflecting on her role and the organization, Ramson says, “I don’t think one organization can make that big of a difference [the gender gap in competitive chess], unless it’s locally. But, I think that our organization can share ideas with other organizations and give them the confidence to invest in girls in a way that matters and attracts them.”
To learn more about Ramson and her work, listen to our first podcast episode with her on YouTube and Spotify. Or, visit their website, Chess Empower Girls for more info.
My First Podcast Episode with Evan Rabin, Premier Chess CEO
10/20/24
www.buzzsprout.com/1700041/episodes/15963749
In Episode 279, I converse with Neha Sharan, Founder of Girls4Chess. Girls4Chess (501(c)(3) non-profit organization) is dedicated to empowering young girls to excel in chess by providing them with the resources, training, and support they need to grow and succeed. Neha is also a certified tournament director.
We speak about ways to get more women and girls into chess, her mentorship from our 91st Podcast Guest Judit Starzay, Director of Chess Club Relations at Chess.com, the founding of her non-profit, the upcoming Saint Louis Chess Conference, in which I am co-presenting "Chess in the Business World" with our 154th Podcast Guest Jim Egerton, Author of Business on the Board, and our 233nd Podcast Guest Vishnu Warrier, Sr. Technology Consultant at EY & Author of The Chess Bible, and more.
In Episode 279, I converse with Neha Sharan, Founder of Girls4Chess. Girls4Chess (501(c)(3) non-profit organization) is dedicated to empowering young girls to excel in chess by providing them with the resources, training, and support they need to grow and succeed. Neha is also a certified tournament director.
We speak about ways to get more women and girls into chess, her mentorship from our 91st Podcast Guest Judit Starzay, Director of Chess Club Relations at Chess.com, the founding of her non-profit, the upcoming Saint Louis Chess Conference, in which I am co-presenting "Chess in the Business World" with our 154th Podcast Guest Jim Egerton, Author of Business on the Board, and our 233nd Podcast Guest Vishnu Warrier, Sr. Technology Consultant at EY & Author of The Chess Bible, and more.
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