Hello, my name is Yesun Lee. I am currently a student at Mission San Jose High School. I have been playing chess for more than six years now. My peak USCF rating is 1929. I won the NAYCC U12 Girls section in 2019, conditionally earning the WFM title. I additionally placed 1st at the CalChess Girls U10 and U12 sections and 1st at the Susan Polgar Foundational National Open for Boys and Girls in the U12 Girls section. I received the MVP award in 2016-17 and 2017-18 at Weibel Elementary School. Last year I was an assistant coach at the Weibel Chess Team where I taught one-on-one to kids who started chess. I also have a TD license and have helped out at the Weibel Quads.

Hi! My name is Rianne Ke. When I was in preschool, the intricate designs of the chess pieces marked the beginning of my chess adventure. I competed in every World Youth/Cadet Championships from 2014-2018. I was the official representative twice, but ironically, I have not won any medals for my team. My most notable accomplishments include winning the U10 Girls Pan American Youth in 2016 (earning my WCM title), making history as the first girl to co-win the K-6 Championship at the Elementary Nationals in 2018, and winning the NAYCC U14 Girls section in 2019 (conditionally earning my WFM title). My peak USCF rating is 2113. I like to draw, dance, sing, and play sports like golf, tennis, badminton, volleyball, and swimming in my free time. Since COVID-19, I discovered new interests like solving the Rubik’s cube and baking. I have some teaching experience with beginners, and I can speak English, Mandarin, and conversational Spanish.

Hi! My name is Arya Kumar, and I am an student from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I began playing chess when I was in 5th grade, and by 8th grade, I was already rated over 2000 USCF. I have won 3 NC Girls State Championships, as well as the NC K-8 overall championship. I have also had the opportunity to represent the USA in the 2018 World Youth Chess Championship. Last summer, I placed 3rd in the Ruth Haring National Girls Tournament. I love playing and growing in chess, and I especially love sharing my knowledge of the game with others through teaching.

Hi, I’m Kally! I am currently a sophomore at Lynbrook High School. I have been playing chess for 10 years now. My current USCF rating is 2018 and my FIDE rating is 1810. I won the Under 8 and Under 14 sections at All Girls Nationals in 2016 and 2022 respectively. In 2019, I became the co-champion of the Under 10 section at the North American Youth Chess Championship, earning me the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title. I also represented the United States of America at the World Youth Chess Championship in 2016, 2018, and 2022.

Hi! My name is Aksithi Eswaran and I am a student at Notre Dame San Jose High School. I have been playing chess for about 10 years now. My current USCF is 1996 and my FIDE is 1745. I mainly started chess because of my sister - she was one of the few girls who played chess and she still is. At almost every tournament, I notice a huge gender gap and I believe that this gap should become smaller. I have played in many World Youths, Pan-ams, Nationals and North American championships. My most notable one is the 2015 U10 Girls Pan-am where I won gold with 9/9; I have also won 3 national championships. I have some teaching experience, for example co-founding XcellChess. I look forward to coaching young girls to be stronger in a mostly male-dominated sport!

Hi! My name is Ria Dawar. I am a senior at the University of Pennsylvania. I have been playing chess for more than 10 years now. My peak USCF rating is 1971, and my current FIDE rating is 1881. I won the Massachusetts Girls U18 Championship in 2015 and the Calchess Girls U18 Championship in 2018. I want to help others improve and develop an enthusiasm for playing chess.

Hi! My name is Anika Rajaram. I'm a student and I love playing chess. When I was four, I received a chess set for my birthday and I instantly fell in love with the game. At 6, I competed in my first tournament. Ever since, chess has played a major role in my life. I tied for first in the 2016 Pan American Chess Championship, and placed in the top ten of the 2016 World Cadets in Batumi. I won the 2018 Grade Level Chess Championship and I tied for first at the 2019 CalState Chess Championship. I look forward to meeting you and sharing my love of the game with you!

When I was 5, I got a flyer from my school advertising their chess team. Being a normal 5 year old, I thought, “Why not?”  So I joined Mission San Jose Elementary’s chess team, and I’ve been competing ever since.  In 2015, I represented the United States in the World Youth and Cadets Chess Championships.  In 2017, I won silver at the International Pan American Youth Tournament, earning myself the Woman Candidate Master title.  In 5th grade, I was co-champion of the state championships for K-6, and in 6th grade I won first place at states.  I love chess because it is a way for me to destress and a source of happiness for me.  I want to coach young women in chess because I believe that both genders should be equally represented in the game and that no one should be denied the opportunity to learn. 

Hi, my name is Siddharth Arutla and I attend Hopkins Junior High School, Fremont.  I have been playing chess since I was 5 years old, when I joined the Mission San Jose Elementary chess team. I represented the team throughout grades K-6 and contributed to many state and national titles. I tied for 2nd in my first tournament at the 2013-14 CalChess State Championship for kindergarten. I did well in many tournaments along the way, including placing 2nd in the online 2020 National K-12 Showdown for 7th grade. I have either played or trained with most of the coaches at FEMchess, and I am glad to be part of such a strong chess community. Last year, I coached beginners at Mission San Jose Elementary School and it was a very fun experience, so I look forward to teaching at FEMchess and giving back to the community.

​Hi, I’m Kally! I am currently a sophomore at Lynbrook High School. I have been playing chess for 10 years now. My current USCF rating is 2018 and my FIDE rating is 1810. I won the Under 8 and Under 14 sections at All Girls Nationals in 2016 and 2022 respectively. In 2019, I became the co-champion of the Under 10 section at the North American Youth Chess Championship, earning me the Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title. I also represented the United States of America at the World Youth Chess Championship in 2016, 2018, and 2022.

Hello! My name is Kaelyn and I am currently a student at Dougherty Valley High School. I love both to play chess and teach others the game! I have been playing chess for more than 6 years and I could not imagine my life without it. My chess journey started on my 9th Birthday when I received a chess set from my parents. I quickly became fascinated with the game, so I started playing online and joined my school's chess club. To this day I still play online a lot and enjoy in person tournaments as well. Outside of chess I enjoy running and playing the violin. I look forward to sharing my love of chess with my students!

My name is Ezra Jay, and I'm a student at Washington High School! Chess has been a large part of my life since I was four years old and my dad taught me how the pieces moved. Since joining my school chess team and finding the wonderful community there, I've been to hundreds of tournaments, the two most prominent of which are 2013 and 2016 Nationals. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and stress, I stopped playing chess competitively four years ago, when my rating was 1500. However, I have kept in touch with many friends that play chess, and I hope to close the gender gap that annoyed me so much by helping teach young girls how the game works!

Hi! My name is Asha Kumar, and I am a 10th grader from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I was introduced to chess when I was 9 years old, and since then, it has played a huge role in my life. This past year, I won the NC Girls State Championship, tied for first in the U16 Girls National Championship, and placed third in the Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. Furthermore, last month I had the opportunity to represent the US in the World Youth Chess Championship. I am so grateful for chess as it has given me the opportunity to travel to incredible places and most importantly meet an amazing community.

Hi, my name is Natalie Yang and I attend Mission San Jose Highschool. I am the Head of Social Media and Outreach at FEMchess. I curate all the posts on the FEMchess Instagram and Facebook. I also design the merchandise. I used to play chess in elementary and middle school. The majority of students attending the chess camp I went to were male. I felt very out of place and realized the disproportionate gender makeup of chess. I felt like it made no sense so I joined FEMchess in an attempt to lessen that gender gap, among numerous other illogical ones.

Hello, my name is Kavya Meiyappan. I am currently a student in Centerville Junior High and I’ve been playing chess since I was six. I’ve always loved chess and I learn something new about it every time I play. My favorite thing about chess is that every game we play is different and it’s never the same. My peak USCF rating is 1748. I’ve participated in many national level tournaments such as Girls Nationals and have traveled all over the world.

Hi! My name is Ria Dawar, and I am a 10th grader from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I was introduced to chess when I was 9 years old, and since then, it has played a huge role in my life. This past year, I won the NC Girls State Championship, tied for first in the U16 Girls National Championship, and placed third in the Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. Furthermore, last month I had the opportunity to represent the US in the World Youth Chess Championship. I am so grateful for chess as it has given me the opportunity to travel to incredible places and most importantly meet an amazing community.