Who is Jennifer Shahade? Chess champion accuses grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez of sexually assaulting her
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez of chess has been charged with sexually assaulting the US women's chess champion. He has been charged after numerous misconduct allegations were slapped against him. Recently, Women's Chess Champion Jennifer Shahade claimed in a tweet on Wednesday, February 15, that Ramirez had assaulted her twice and that she had seen "alarming evidence" from other victims and she even witnessed the "abuse of a minor."
The US Chess and the Saint Louis Chess Club are looking into the matter regarding Ramirez, 34, after a string of alleged incidents, including at least one involving a minor, as reported by DailyMail. The US Chess' statement reads, "U.S. Chess is aware that one of its employees has made serious allegations about a member of the chess community. U.S. Chess will not comment on the status of any internal complaint."
Who is Jennifer Shahade?
Shahade is a two-time US Women's Chess Champion, a female grandmaster, the head of the women's program at the USCF, and the author of numerous chess-related books and a poker player, as reported by the Grid. Apart from that, she has worked with Ramirez, a 34-year-old grandmaster, coach, and commentator who is of Costa Rican and American descent, for many years as a commentator for elite chess tournaments held at the Saint Louis Chess Club, as per reported by Chess.
Jennifer Shahade's statement
The Women's Chess Master Shahade took Twitter and shared chilling details about Ramirez. She wrote, "Time's up" and shared two screenshots that read, "Currently there are multiple investigations underway on Alejandro Ramirez and sexual misconduct, including a series of alleged incidents involving a minor."
Shahade then claimed that she was assulted by him twice about an decade ago, "I was assaulted by him twice, 9 and 10 years ago. I'd moved on until the past couple years, when multiple women, independent of each other and with no knowledge of my own experience-approached me with their own stories of alleged abuse. These accounts were from much younger alleged victims. I saw alarming evidence, including texts that admitted abuse of a minor while he was coaching her, as well as a text to an alleged victim about being an underage 'temptress.'"
The second screenshot went on to add, "The road to investigation and potential consequences has been a very stressful process. You may have noticed I've taken a major step back from commentary as this plays out. I've filled the time with poker, writing and promoting girls in chess." The screenshot further added, "And yet a lot of that work to make chess more inclusive is futile if we cannot make crystal clear that the safety of women, girls, and children is of the highest priority. And that's why l'm speaking out now. Thanks for your support and patience for more details."
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