Meet the Team

CO-FOUNDER, ADVISOR

Maggie is a sophomore at Rice University and co-founded Queens United in 2019. She has been playing competitive chess for the past 7 years and is currently the highest-rated female chess player of her age group in Illinois. Her most recent accomplishments include placing 1st in the ICA Youth Invitational 2022 Tournament for Girls K-12, where she represented Illinois at the Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions, as well as placing 5th at the All-Girls Nationals for Girls U18. Apart from working to increase girls' involvement in chess, she enjoys dance and studying foreign languages in her free time.

CO-FOUNDER, ADVISOR

Lizzy, a third-year at Harvard College, played seven years of competitive chess with her high school and middle school varsity chess teams. She was nationally ranked by the United States Chess Federation in the Top 45 Girls Age 17. Outside of tackling the gender gap in chess, she is passionate about increasing access to business and financial education in her community. In high school, she led the Junior Economic Club of Chicago and On the Money Magazine. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano and hanging out with friends.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Anjali is a sophomore at Whitney Young and has been playing competitive chess for 7 years. She runs on her school’s varsity cross country/track & field and competes on the math team. She also serves as a Girl Up USA Youth Advisor and leads her school’s Girl Up club as well as the Breast Cancer Awareness club she co-founded. Beyond working to increase accessibility and gender equality in chess, Anjali is passionate about combating healthcare inequities by growing awareness and access to resources for underserved communities.

INTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT

Merrill Lee is a junior at Walter Payton College Prep. She has been playing chess competitively for 7 years, and is on her high school's varsity chess team which placed 2nd at state this year. Some of her accomplishments include being 1st at the K-8 State Championship in 2019, placing 3rd at the 30th Annual North American Open in 2020, and she is currently the 2nd highest rated player for girls her age in Illinois. Merrill came to Queens United because she wanted to help empower females, and inspire youth in the chess world. Outside of chess, she plays violin and is part of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. At school, she plays for the volleyball team, and is on the math, Science Olympiad, Economics, and Future Problem Solvers team.

EXTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT

Mona is a senior at Salem High School, and she has been playing chess for 10 years. She is passionate about equalizing the gender divide in chess and has started many chess classes and clubs in Michigan to work towards this goal. In her free time, she likes listening to music, swimming, and hanging out with friends and family.

DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL PROGRAMS

Adwita is a sophomore at South Brunswick High School and has been playing chess since 4th grade. She has competed in many local, state, and national level tournaments. A few of her accomplishments include winning 6th place at the 66th Annual Maryland Open State Championship and winning 5th place at the NJ K-8 Scholastic State Championship. Outside of chess, she loves listening to music, playing with her dog, traveling. She is responsible for coordinating lessons at Queens United.

CO-DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Shefali Gupta is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. She has been playing chess competitively since sixth grade and has won many trophies like a first-place trophy in the intermediate section of a CCF tournament. Outside of chess, Shefali is her Badminton team’s captain and loves to bake in her free time. She also has a fascination for reading and dancing to Bollywood songs.

CO-DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Shivi is a junior at the Texas Academy of Math and Science. She has played chess for 9 years, and she is very passionate about increasing youth involvement in chess. Outside of chess, she is a part of orchestr and has been playing the double bass for 6 years. In her free time she enjoys reading and baking.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Nysa is a sophomore at Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy and has been playing competitive chess for five years. She has had multiple wins in Chicago-based tournaments, played in many state & national events, and enjoys playing in the All-Girls Nationals every year in April. Outside of chess, she plays the piano, sings, and partakes in multiple clubs at her school, like HOSA, Girls Who Code, and the Chess Team. She joined Queens United to fuel her passion of female empowerment and bridging the gender divide in not just chess, but all of STEM.

DIRECTOR OF AMBASSADOR ENGAGEMENT

Avika is a sophomore at the Edison Academy Magnet School in Edison, New Jersey. She has been playing chess since second grade and has played in various tournaments. She is passionate about bringing more girls into the game of chess and increasing its accessibility. For Queens United, Avika focuses on building a community for female chess players to be able to connect and be recognized for their achievements. Outside of chess, she likes to dance, watch movies, and spend time with her friends/family.

AMBASSADOR

Jocelyn is a college freshman at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She started to play chess in 3rd grade and enjoyed playing against her classmates, she started to find her passion for chess once more and currently likes to teach chess to younger students. In her free time she loves to play violin, spend time with family and friends, play games, crochet, and draw.

AMBASSADOR

Megan is a junior at Jones College Prep and has been playing chess competitively for 3 years. She is captain of her school’s chess team and math team. At school, she is a part of the financial literacy and entrepreneurship club and national honors societies. Outside of chess, Megan’s hobbies include kickboxing, art, and working out.

AMBASSADOR

Angelina Zhen is an 8th grader currently attending Whitney Young Magnet High School. She has been playing chess on and off for over 5 years, and has participated in chess tournaments both in person and virtually. Besides chess, Angelina is passionate about music, dancing, singing and enjoys binge-watching TV shows. She also enjoys helping out at her local food pantry on the weekend, and is always looking to have a positive impact on people wherever she goes.

AMBASSADOR

Sonali Kulkarni is an eighth grader at Mason Middle School. She has been playing chess for 5 years and loves empowering women. Outside of chess, she learns Japanese, browses MBTI memes, and makes endless craft projects.

AMBASSADOR

Rey is a 7th grader at Whitney young, she has been doing chess for 5 years, and has enjoyed every second of it! She is so excited to join Queens United because she loves teaching and working with a group of amazing people. Some other things she likes to do in her spare time include volleyball, Kung Fu, hang out with friends, and traveling.

AMBASSADOR

Aryaa Gupta is a sophomore at Whitney Young and has been playing chess since 4th grade. She is excited about joining the Queens United Chess team and helping out!

AMBASSADOR

Suhana Sharad is a 8th grader at Scullen Middle School. She started playing chess at home when she was 5, and has participated in chess tournaments since she was in 1st grade. She placed in the top 10 in this year's Illinois State Championship in March and has been in the USA Top 100 for girls in her age group, both in regular chess and blitz since 2nd grade. Other than chess, Suhana is passionate about music and loves to sing, play the piano, guitar, and viola, and perform in musical theater. She is also an avid actor and dancer and loves the spotlight on stage! She enjoys swimming and all water activities a lot and is fond of doing art/crafts and biking/hiking in her leisure time.

AMBASSADOR

Nina is a 6th grader at Quest Academy in Palentine, IL. She has played chess for 6 years and loves the strategy that is involved in the game. She is very passionate about increasing youth involvement in chess and giving kids an opportunity to learn chess. Outside of chess, she participates in debate, math team, and tennis. In her free time she enjoys reading and baking.

AMBASSADOR

Sanvi is currently a junior at William Mason High School and has been playing chess for 6 years. She noticed a lack of girls in chess, and was excited to join Queen's United to support the cause. She is on her high school's chess team which was the Ohio state champion, placed 8th in the nation and with whom she has won two local titles consecutively. She is also Top 50 in the nation for girl chess players in her age group, placing Top 3 in her state for girls. Outside of this, she enjoys playing clarinet and debating.

AMBASSADOR

Saliha is a 13 year old seventh grader at Decatur Classical school who has been playing chess competitively for 3 years. Saliha has competed in many chess competitions and is part of her school’s chess team. She is also teaching and inspiring younger children to play chess and keep learning. When Saliha is not busy with playing and teaching chess, she plays volleyball, does fencing, and teaches kids from Poland online and helps them learn English.

AMBASSADOR

Ridhima Bembey is a 10th grader at Neuqua Valley High School who has been playing chess for four years, having discovered her love for the game during the pandemic. She is excited to join Queens United, where she hopes to improve her skills and connect with others who share her passion for chess. Outside of the chessboard, Ridhima enjoys playing tennis and badminton, and she also loves expressing herself through various art projects. Balancing these activities keeps her inspired and engaged both in and out of school.

AMBASSADOR

Aishwarya is a sophomore at Paradise Valley High School. She has been playing chess competitively since fifth grade and represented Arizona in the 2024 Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. At school, she is involved in her school’s Chess team, Speech and Debate team, and the Society of Women’s Scholars. She enjoys listening to music, hanging out with friends, and dancing in her free time.

AMBASSADOR

Aanya is a junior at Liberty High School who discovered her love for chess at the age of nine. With a USCF rating above 1900, she’s grateful for the opportunities the game has given her, including placing 3rd at the 2023 KCF All-Girls Nationals and winning the South Texas State Championship in November 2024. Outside of chess, Aanya enjoys reading, painting, and working out occasionally. She also takes pride in maintaining her Duolingo streak, finding joy in small, daily progress.

AMBASSADOR

Devika Eby is an 8th grader at Stratford Preparatory in San Jose, CA. She has been playing chess for seven years, with two years of experience in competitive chess. She has competed in various state and national tournaments, and she is part of the Top 100 for girls of her age in the US. She is very passionate about the game and has joined hands with Queens United to promote gender equity in the world of chess. Devika hopes to encourage more girls to play chess and make the game more accessible to everyone. Aside from chess, she is interested in graphic arts and math. She also enjoys Bharatanatyam dancing, listening to music, singing, and spending time with her friends and family.

AMBASSADOR

Zara Majid, a Grade 9 student at CIS in the Cayman Islands, is a passionate chess player who has represented her country in both local and international tournaments. Zara competed at the 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, gaining her Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title along with winning a silver medal with her team. She has earned top placements in events such as the Queen’s Gambit Challenge and the Cayman Chess Classic. She is excited to join Queens United to inspire others and connect with like-minded individuals who share her love for chess. Beyond chess, Zara enjoys running, playing the steel pan, advocating for climate action, and mentoring in robotics, as well as exploring her creativity through writing, debating, and graphic design.