This bonus episode of the GRID offers a fascinating discussion between Jen Shahade and quant sports trader & US Chess expert Ella Papanek. A recent graduate of Harvard University, Ella works at the Susquehana International Group (SIG), a global quantitative trading firm in the Philly area. Her interests span from chess to poker to sports, and of course- statistics, her major at Harvard. 

Jen and Ella’s wide-ranging discussion touches on why it’s hard for children to think probabilistically, rating variability and gender and how to evaluate chess positions from a human perspective. They also talk about Ella’s specialty: sports analytics, and how it can be used not only to both predict outcomes but also to restructure rules to make the game better. As an example Ella points to chess tiebreak rules, as well as to Daryl Morey, President of the Philadelphia Sixers and chess enthusiast. Daryl co-founded the MIT Sports Analytics Conference, and famously suggested shaking up NBA rules by adding a four point line—or making three-pointers worth 2.5 points. 

This episode is an expanded version of the January 2022 episode of Ladies Knight. Find our traditional GRID Episodes using our Episode Finder. 

Discussed in the episode:

Susquehanna International Group 

Angela Saini’s book, Inferior

Jennifer Shahade’s upcoming book, Chess Queens, now available at US Chess Sales

Daryl Morey and Jessica Gelman’s MIT Sports Analytics Conference

MIT Sports Analytics panel “Beyond the Gambit: Chess’ Big Move”

NFL Big Data Bowl: https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/analytics/big-data-bowl/

Jen’s podcast episode with chess enthusiast Bill Chen, who also works at SIG

North American Corporate Chess League

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