Chess queen gets girls into the game.

At the chessboard, Jennifer Shahade, 23, the 2004 U.S. Women's Chess Champion, is a fierce competitor. In front of a class, she helps girls master the game. Upfront talked to Shahade, a 2003 New York University graduate, about what draws her to chess.

What is chess--a game, a science, an art form?

The way that I play it competitively, it's mostly a sport. ... I like to run and play basketball, but I'm actually more exhausted after the end of a chess game.

What draws you to the chessboard?

When you're analyzing something very deeply, there's a wonderful feeling of depth and truth ... and it kind of sends shivers down your spine when it's intense.

Why don't more girls play?

I think girls are less encouraged in the sport and there are fewer role models. So I'm trying to change that.... I teach at Girls Academy [part of Chess-in-the-Schools, a not-for-profit organization in New York], where we get a bunch of girls together, all the most talented ones from the programs in the city, and I try to show them a lot of great female game.

Why should young people Learn chess?

It acquaints you with the pain of failure and the joy of triumph. These are very intense feelings that I think without chess I would encounter less often and would be less prepared to deal with.