New #ChessQueens reviews: "Jennifer writes in a highly engaging style….a tour de force…amid decades of nonsense written about women chess players, this is an authentic, balanced and extremely readable celebration"- @CHESS_Magazine / IM Harriet Hunt 💥 "Jennifer (is) a barrier breaker committed to teaching us all to understand chess both as an aesthetic and a sport. A powerful example of what it means to be a feminist, advocate, and artist in the world of chess" @IBJIYONGI, author of one of my fave books, The Disordered Cosmos

As I prepare to make 100s of insignificant decisions today, I am devastated by #RoeVsWade being overturned, taking us back 50 years into the twisted fantasies of Forced Laborists, robbing so many, especially poor Americans of *their* Chance to make the most important choices. I’ll be donating a portion of my poker tourneys this year to abortion rights and access for all. I will find ways to do more. We must fight this. There are fundamental rights next on the list of this irresponsible, ahistorical & erratic Supreme Court. 😡

Headed to Monte Carlo for the European Poker Tour. First overseas poker trip since I was preggo With Fabian in EPT Barcelona.

Espresso martini before the flight, let this be the first of many good decisions. ✈️ It’s been a hell of a few years for me (some good—but so much bad). I see chess and poker now as a hunt for happiness as well as sweet victory. And right now, I feel like I’m on my way again. 🥂

Watched the #socialdilemma. found it overly negative, ageist and outrageously lacking in nuance, diversity or solutions, ironically succumbing to its own point of sensationalism and attention metrics over substance.

Some examples in thread: Shows correlation of mental health issues and social media but not causation. interviews no teens, instead uses weak ass dramatization of a teen who gets depressed after a mean comment. Teens are smarter on social media than this film shows, would ❤️ to hear from them

Loved the @DeepMind paper on Alpha Zero’s foray into 9 chess variants.

While our current game seems inevitable, a product of centuries of collective experimentation and consensus, we can now glimpse into the multiverses where pawns are faster, or move sideways. Can’t stop thinking about this: such rich philosophical implications, that an AI can model for us in just a few days another possible world, where chess was just a little different. (The AI accepts any rule set and plays itself into super grandmaster level within a few days.)

Today while covering the Women's Speed Chess Champs, I learned a new term: Sealioning. "trolling or harassment which consists of pursuing people with persistent requests for evidence or repeated questions, while maintaining a pretense of civility and sincerity." Such a perfect description of how chess chats on women's events are so often hijacked by endless chatter on the legitimacy of women's chess events, IQ variability & women's titles.

Last night on twitch: A guy says he'll give me $500 if I beat him in a ten minute game. He's 900. My chat says "Don't Bother Playing Stockfish." I explain that if there's a 20% chance this is legit, we give the $$ to bail funds and US Chess Women, so let's take the $100 equity He also has a condition. I'm not allowed to resign.

Game starts-- 15 moves of flawless Najdorf theory followed by precise pawn storm. I miss a lateral rook attack, eliminating a crucial pin. I'm lost. This 900 is just too good for me. I start sacrificing all my pieces.

Casinos are such terrible breeding grounds for disease to spread. Many are calling for organizers to halt action or players/employees to stop attending to #FlattenTheCurve

IMO State govts should step in to hopefully trigger benefits and unemployment / insurance. We want to save both lives and livelihoods as they ultimately intertwine.

New episode of thepokergrid.com with my friend @Bennyficial1, host of the Perpetual Chess podcast. Ben throws us back to 2006, when he was heads up in an EPT. As the pot bloated, he held sevens and faced tough decisions with 300k 💶 at stake!

🍎
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… After Black Friday, Ben took on day trading. Though unsuccessful, his voracious reading on inefficient markets led him to a Eureka moment: he had to start a weekly chess pod. perpetualchesspod.com

I asked Ben if there could be any gap in the overflowing poker content world.

Please stop asking top female players “what do you think of women’s tournaments?” especially if 1. you’re a man 2. You don’t agree with women’s events and make it obvious with your tone/context. It’s just so rude, uncreative and constantly puts women in a defensive frame of mind.

Came across @plenopads 2020 book challenge on insta. Not many female authors were on the list (so much Gladwell) so I shared some of my faves:
1. The Recovering by Leslie Jamison
2. Why be Happy When you Can be Normal by Jeannette Winterson
3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 4.The Red Parts by Maggie Nelson (must must read!!)

5. And for something hilarious and delightful, Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis ♥️

I have a lot of good birth gender reveal ideas that involve no chance of injury or harm.

There’s way too much emphasis on increasing the spectacle (dramatic display of either blue/pink icing/balloons etc.) over heightening the suspense. For example, you could give every guest a red or blue envelope. If there are 40 guests, you give 21 red/19 blue and you hare in the results by revealing one envelope every few minutes. Max suspense/only risk of injury is a papercut.

Enjoyed @briankoppelman on the @thinkingpoker podcast on why cheating poker scandals are both engrossing and an existential threat to poker.

open.spotify.com/episode/5fvzok… He recounts a recent scary Chinese poker cheating scandal at a NYC club.

I made a vid a few years ago @RunItOnce on the math behind making sure your edge is large enough to withstand cheaters (in Chinese this was mostly the risk of getting negative freerolled)

Surprised this stunt (which sounds poorly executed) was so despised. As a performance, it started a conversation about assumed heteronormativity and widespread objectification of women in society and esp casinos.

Oh yeah, and it also made me laugh.

pokernews.com/news/2019/10/b… The real offense here was many dealers didn’t want to do this. Should have been 100% optional and negotiated far in advance.

Why are cheating stories so captivating? One theory: Players who would never cheat may feel (irrational) guilt even thinking about this stuff for longer than 10 mins, but combing through scandals allows us that mental space we subconsciously crave.

theringer.com/platform/amp/2… Beyond the more obvious reasons of enjoying vindication and watching evil deeds get appropriately punished.

WTF line in the @NewYorker piece by @JaneMayerNYer

“In fact, one of Franken’s photo-op accusers told the Huffington Post that she voted for him afterward.”

How is that relevant? Victims also stay married/continue working with and even loving their abusers. The piece investigated whether Franken got due process, or if #MeToo caused a hysteria interrupting it. And I’m OK with discussing that, but lines like the above sure leave a taste of bad faith. Shouldn’t get by an editor.