Chess, Poker Player Jennifer Shahade Accuses Grandmaster of Sex Abuse
Women’s chess champion and professional poker player Jennifer Shahade has claimed she was sexually assaulted by Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez.
Shahade, 42, tweeted Wednesday that she chose to speak out against Ramirez, 36, after learning of alleged sexual misconduct against multiple other women, including a minor.
Shahade said Ramirez, the coach of Saint Louis University’s chess team, assaulted her twice a decade ago. Shahade said she formally reported Ramirez to US Chess and the Saint Louis Chess Club in the fall of 2022. Both are pursuing investigations.
Shahade is a two-time US Women’s Champion and has the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster. As a poker player, her notable wins include the first TonyBet Open Face Chinese Poker Live World Championship High Roller Event, which saw her take home €100K. She’s a former brand ambassador for PokerStars, and hosts the award-winning poker podcast “The Grid.”
‘Underage Temptress’
Shahade later wrote that four additional women approached her about the alleged misconduct by Ramirez after seeing her original tweet.
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,’” Shahade wrote.
“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,” she also stated.
Young Grandmaster
Costa-Rican American Ramirez became a Grandmaster at the age of just 15, the first Central American to achieve the title. In November 2022, he tied for first place at the 2022 US Masters.
As Saint Louis University’s coach, he led the chess team to numerous titles, including the 2021 FIDE World University Cup Rapid Championship and the 2022 Collegiate Chess National Championship.
Although I cannot comment on the specifics of Ms. Shahade’s assertions due to pending investigations by the US Chess Federation and the St. Louis Chess Club, I understand the concern raised by the allegations levied against me,” Ramirez told Chess.com. “I am fully cooperating with both inquiries and look forward to the opportunity to respond to these charges and share my side of the story.”
The US Chess Federation said it’s aware of “serious allegations about a member of the chess community,” adding that it is “committed to due process and for dealing with sensitive matters in a respectful and confidential manner.”
In response to these allegations, several news outlets have covered the story, highlighting Shahade's claims and Ramirez's denial. Despite the ongoing investigations, some casinos have temporarily suspended Ramirez from participating in events.
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