Hodder & Stoughton moves for Shahade's chess titles in pre-empt

Hodder & Stoughton has pre-empted world rights in two non-fiction books from Olympic chess champion Jennifer Shahade aimed at fans of the popular Netflix series “The Queen's Gambit.” 

Anna Baty, senior commissioning editor, signed the deal with Elizabeth Sheinkman at PFD for Chess Queens, which is scheduled for March 2022, and a second book with the working title Reset, for publication in spring 2024. 

Shahade, a two-time US women's chess champion and advocate for women and girls in chess, spent her teens and twenties travelling the world playing chess. Her book, Chess Queens: The True Story of a Chess Champion and the Greatest Female Players of All Time, is part memoir and part celebration of women in chess and will be published in the UK for the first time in March 2022.  

Hodder & Stoughton said: “Chess Queens was previously published in the US by a specialist chess publisher in 2005 under the title Chess B***h, and after substantial updates and revisions in the post-‘Queen’s Gambit’ era is being given a new lease of life with Hodder & Stoughton.”  

Chess Queens will be published in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audiobook on 3rd March 2022, five days before International Women’s Day. 

Reset is described by the publisher as a smart-thinking book which "will reveal the secrets of success from the world of chess, looking at how taking risks, maintaining confidence in the face of failure and challenging the system can lead to not just success, but a new perspective on what success looks like".

Hodder & Stoughton added: "Readers will learn how anyone can use chess to improve their lives, from building focus and confidence to crafting decision trees. Combining first-hand experience from the top levels of chess and poker with storytelling and psychology, Reset will elevate the role of games to better ourselves, our worlds, and our connections to each other."     

Shahade said: “I am grateful to find a home for my writing at Hodder & Stoughton. Anna Baty's vision for Chess Queens has allowed me a rare opportunity: to transform a book that was ahead of its time to reach many more readers, from aspiring young chess queens to men who'd love to see a more inclusive game. In Reset, you’ll learn how the dramatic world of chess can be toxic and how leaders and champions through history have fought for a better game, using chess to improve their own lives and the lives of those around them—and how you can too.”  

Baty added: “Jennifer is an absolute superstar and working with her has been truly inspirational – she is a passionate advocate for women and girls in this male-dominated sport, as well as being a top sportsperson herself, a deep thinker, an inclusive and exciting writer, and a leader in her field. I am beyond excited to be publishing these two brilliant, thought-provoking and international books which will support Jennifer’s mission to open up the thrilling world of chess for all.”