Chess is shedding its old man image for something much more rock ’n roll, and Tucson group 9 Queens has been a major player. By Gabby Ferreira.

This year's Chess Fest takes place April 26th at Hotel Congress. Photo by Jeff Smith

The atmosphere on this Friday night is lively. Children are playing, shouting and laughing, while their parents chat with each other and sometimes join in on the fun. It's a scene that could be found on a playground or a 4th of July get-together. But this is, in fact, a giant chess gathering.

Boys lug giant chess pieces across a large chessboard while others - children and adults - sit at tables, in a space at Bookmans Entertainment Exchange in Tucson.

Photo by Gabby Ferreira

The organization behind it?:  9 Queens, a Tucson non-profit that wants to not only empower children – especially girls – through chess, but to prove that this board game is anything but boring.

In a perfect chess game, nine is the highest number of queens you can have on a board – hence the name 9 Queens. Through events like the 4^th Friday Family Fun Night at Bookmans, and its annual Chess Fest – held in the courtyard of Hotel Congress every April – 9 Queens seeks to do several things: make the game fun and accessible; encourage people to reach their ultimate potential; and help chess shed its old-man image.

Chess champion Magnus Carlsen stars in G-STAR RAW's latest ad campaign. Photo courtesy of G-STAR

That image-shedding is already happening thanks to some pop culture boosts to the game. Ben Affleck, Will Smith, Jessica Simpson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Keanu Reeves have all been associated with the game. Chess superstar Magnus Carlsen, ranked world's top player at the age of just 22, has been dubbed the “Brad Pitt of chess”. He lends his name to  brands like the fashion line G-STAR RAW, and last year was named by Cosmopolitan magazine as one of the world’s sexiest men.

Here in Tucson, 9 Queens’ Chess Fest has attracted its own star players. This year the special guest at the event - held April 26th - is Rochelle Ballantyne, a famous female chess player who is part of the new chess generation.

Rochelle, who attends Stanford University, was featured in the documentary Brooklyn Castle, which is about  five members of a chess team at a below-poverty-level junior high school in Brooklyn that has won more national championships than any other team in the U.S., despite harsh budget cuts. Rochelle was taught by her grandmother,  and says that her family forced her into playing but she started to love it after she won her first competition. "[Winning] translated into me being one of very few women who are very good, and it made me work harder," she says.

9 Queens co-founder Jennifer Shahade is also author of this book.

9 Queens was founded in 2008 by Jean Hoffman and Jennifer Shahade, the latter a Woman Grandmaster and the author of the books Play Like a Girl and Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport. And while Tucson is something of a chess capital – home to the highest number of chess masters in the United States after St. Louis, Missouri, says Jean – there were populations that were under-served and under-represented. Jennifer points out that, though half of the general population is female, not enough women are involved in the sport. In Chess Bitch she lifts the lid on the gender bias in the sport and tells of young women who are successfully challenging it.

9 Queens wants to address the gender imbalance in chess. Photo byJeff Smith

As the mother of a boy and a girl, Tucsonan Vicki Lazaro had always offered the same after-school activities to her children. “Whether it was karate or ballet, we wanted our children to know they can do anything,” she says. “When we offered our daughter chess, she kept refusing. When I asked her why she looked at me and said ‘Because you don’t play.'” Vicki was determined to play chess with her daughter, despite her own reluctance. “I thought it would be boring and difficult and I didn’t think I’d have the patience for it,” she says.

Then mother and daughter attended a Chess Fest organized by 9 Queens, and Vicki was hooked. "I loved the concept of empowerment through chess. They were encouraging all genders and all races. Once I got involved, I put away all my other puzzles like Sudoku because this was just so much better," she says. "The self- confidence that my daughter got when she realized she could play what she determined to be a very difficult game was very cool to see. For myself, it's helped the way I think. I am better at keeping track of things now."

Photo by Jeff Smith

Vicki is now interim treasurer of 9 Queens and relishing the opportunity to put a different spin on the phrase ‘playing like a girl’. "Being involved in the community and putting out something that's fun and positive and focused on smarts instead of frilly things, it's wonderful," says Vicki.

Though 9 Queens started out in 2008 as a female-oriented organization, the focus has shifted in the past year. "It really was limiting us -  especially in our local community. When you live in a community like Tucson, you want to make something like this available to as many people as possible," says Ann Price, interim president.

Fun at Chess Fest. Photo by Jeff Smith

"9 Queens is for everybody, but we have a focus on underrepresented communities, like women and girls, refugees, Title I schools, and so on. We are not only focused on women, but we have strong women involved in the organization," adds Vicki.

9 Queens teaches an after-school program at Mexicayotl Academy, as well as providing teacher training. "The cost of a private chess coach is $45," says Vicki, "and we are free." Some of the youth members go on to excel at places like MIT. "Seeing more of our community do things like that is outstanding," says Ann.

They host non-competitive tournaments, as well as the Bookman's night and Chess Fest. The highlight of Chess Fest is a 'simultaneous exhibition'  in which special guest Rochelle Ballantyne will play twenty-five people at the same time.

Hotel Congress is the venue for Chess Fest, where a celebrity player plays lots of games simultaneously. Photo by Ryan Mihalyi

"My hope is that 9 Queens has served as a bridge between the traditional chess world and the greater public," says Jean, who is now Executive Director of the United States Chess Federation and divides her time between Tucson and Tennessee. Jennifer lives in Philadelphia but spends time in New York. Checkmating and castleing apparently run in Jennifer's family; her father Mike Shahade is a FIDE (World Chess Federation) Master and her brother Greg is an International Master who makes instructional chess videos at chessvideos.tv.

The women behind 9 Queens have seen the changes for themselves. Says Jennifer, “you can definitely see the difference” in terms of the number of women involved in chess. Adds Ann Price: “Oftentimes girls would go to a tournament and there would maybe be one other girl in the room. I've had girls tell me that they don't play anymore because they didn't enjoy that. It's tough when your friends aren't playing."

This board game is anything but boring, says 9 Queens. Photo byJeff Smith 

Rochelle says the skills developed with chess – strategizing, communication, self confidence – are translated into all facets of life. “Nothing in life is too far-fetched. If you see something, you can do it - regardless of gender."

* Chess Fest this year will take place on April 26th at Hotel Congress.  Family fun nights are held on the 4th Friday of every month at the Bookmans on Speedway and Wilmot. Learn more about 9 Queens at their website, 9queens.org and on Facebook. You can also check out their Kickstarter campaign here.

3 chess-inspired styles we love

Photo courtesy of Skyline Chess

1. Instead of toppling the King with a pawn, why not use a terraced London house to topple Canary Wharf? The Skyline Chess set  by London designers Ian Flood and Chris Prosser replaces traditional pieces with recognizable London buildings. They're raising money for the set through Kickstarter, and plan to produce chess sets inspired by New York and Paris in the future.

Photo courtesy of Moooi

2. This chess end table by Moooi in The Netherlands can be used as a chessboard or just as a feisty accent piece. We think it's a great conversation starter. And we spotted something similar down at Tucson's Playground bar and lounge.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Palmer Design Studio

3. This patio, designed to look like a chessboard, wins top marks from us for its simplicity. It's by Bruce Palmer Design Studio in Wilmington, Delaware.

Architects Luis Ibarra and Teresa Rosano don't just fill a space, they listen to it first. Here, the award-winning Tucson couple share their unique approach - and their home. By Kaleigh Shufeldt.

The Levin residence by Ibarra Rosano. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

The Garcia residence by Ibarra Rosano. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

There is no such thing as a blank slate in architecture, say Teresa Rosano and Luis Ibarra, the married couple that makes up Ibarra Rosano Design Architects in Tucson. They believe architecture is already present at a site, whether it is an empty city lot or virgin desert.

Says Luis: “It’s learning to listen to the site itself, letting it kind of guide you through. If you sit still long enough you'll learn to listen to the patterns. You will begin to understand how to apply what you need to the site, in a way that is both respectful, harmonious. When we come to a site, we come at it trying to understand the architecture that’s already there, the good qualities and the bad qualities.”

The couple looks at a site without any preconceptions or idea of style. In fact, style is not one of Luis’ favorite words. He believes style sets rules that can keep them from seeing the actual solution.

But if their own style, or aesthetic, were to be summed up, it would be Desert Modern: creating modern buildings that are inspired by the desert. They focus on the natural colors of the area, with materials that will cause the least damage to the terrain – and are based off of the site. “It is usually the coloration of a site, the ground, the rock, the vegetation that leads us to particular hues,” says Teresa.

The Downing residence, by Ibarra Rosano. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

Luis and Teresa. Photo by Chris Richards courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

Both born and bred in Tucson, they came to appreciate their home desert turf in different ways. Teresa grew up on the far northwest side of Tucson, where she spent her weekends in the desert as her father - with no architectural experience - built their family home out of adobe brick. Her days playing in the desert led to a love of it, she says. It was one she fully appreciated on a visit to Taliesin East, Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate in Wisconsin. There on a wall were photographs of Taliesin West, the architect’s famed winter home in Scottsdale. Despite the lush greenery she was in at the time, “I saw the pictures of the desert and it was like there was a little flutter in me. I thought, ‘That’s home’.”

Luis, who grew up on the east side, says he thought every place was like Tucson. It was only when he started studying architecture at the University of Arizona, and was exposed to different building styles and people from around the world, that he realized he lived in a “special place.”

The Garcia residence by Ibarra Rosano. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

Luis and Teresa met at the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Teresa in her second year and Luis in his third. While they were still in school they worked on their first project together, a kitchen and porch remodel. From there they interned with architects around the city then started their firm. In 1997, now married and after just renovating their kitchen, they entered into an American Homestyle and Gardening design competition and won first prize. The publicity from their win got them their first client.

Both now lecture at the UA, Teresa a class on site analysis and planning, and Luis land ethics, sharing their lessons in space with architecture students. “We come up with ideas that aren’t normal,” says Luis. They use a variety of materials, such as adobe, straw-bale, cement, concrete block, and integra block.

A courtyard fireplace at Luis and Teresa's home in Tucson. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

A tour of their own home, in a mid-century district of Tucson’s midtown, showcases not only their modernist philosophies, but innovative thinking. Originally a small box of a house built in 1947, they bought it in 1995 and are still renovating.

A studio in the yard that serves as an office for them and four more staff is made out of RASTRA, an insulating concrete form. The floor is made out of cork bulletin boards – much cheaper than a regular cork floor, at 50 cents a square foot. In the main house, an addition to the original building has cut-outs in the Integra block that funnel air when their swamp cooler is running. A shower has a removable styrofoam roof, turning it into an outside shower for months of the year. The spacious living/dining room, its perimeter wall facing east, has been redesigned with a long, low window along the bottom that brings in just enough light, but keeps out the morning sun.

Inside Luis and Teresa's home, with low-lying window. Photo by Gillian Drummond

Their preference is for simple and bright: cobalt blues and lime greens, blonde wood, and plenty of IKEA wardrobes and sliding doors. In their laundry room, glass-fronted IKEA doors and cabinets hide every single appliance and object from sight.

A custom headboard in the home of Luis and Teresa. Photo by Gillian Drummond

This mosaic tile bench in the couple's bedroom was made by Teresa's father. Photo by Gillian Drummond

Luis says the seller of their house - a daughter who was selling it on behalf of her deceased mother - gave up a cash offer in favor of the young architects. They described their plans for it, and she told them her mother had always wanted to remodel. "She knew we were going to put love into it," he says.

This yard was landscaped by Ibarra Rosano. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

A play yard was part of this remodel by the couple. Photo by Chris Richards courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

If he has a legacy, he wants it to be not a lasting style or look that he and Teresa are known for, but rather buildings that fit their surroundings. "I'd like to think we did the best we could, we didn't do what was trendy."

Their work in Tucson and the surrounding desert ranges from city housing and commercial spaces (a duplex, courtyard homes, a fashion boutique, The Screening Room facade) to mountain-hugging desert residences and a residence in Alberta, Canada.

The Levin residence by Ibarra Rosano. Photo by Bill Timmerman courtesy of Ibarra Rosano Design Architects

Whether trend-setting, trend-bucking, or just plain loving - of their trade and of their spaces - this couple is getting noticed. They are recipients of more than 50 regional and national design awards and a recent Best of Houzz award for design. They have been lauded by architecture magazines as rising stars, both in the southwest and nationally. In 2013 their project, the Levin Residence - made up of three rectangular forms appearing to hover over the desert - was featured on ArchDaily and HGTV’s Extreme Homes. The ultra-contemporary Levin Residence is now the backdrop for BMW’s new print and web advertising campaign for its Series 3 Gran Turismo.

The Levin residence is currently featured in this ad for BMW. Photo courtesy of BMW

*For more on Ibarra Rosano Design Architecture go to ibarrarosano.com or call (520) 795-5477.

* See more of the couple's work on the slideshow below.

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By day she's shy, conservative and teetotal. By night she's a burlesque dancer. We delve into a remarkable double life. Cover photo by Michael Luna Photography. By Gillian Drummond

Ida Tapper. Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

She's not what we expected. We imagined tighter clothes. Flamboyance. Lipstick. But she's in workout gear - a T-shirt, leggings and hoodie. She's quietly sipping her Starbucks drink on the patio. The makeup, though there, is barely discernible.

"I did put on some mascara and lipstick for you!" she laughs. "I usually wear nothing."

Except, that is, when she takes to the stage as her alter ego. Then, after an hour and a half of hair styling and make-up application, after donning elaborate costumes handmade by her, she gradually and teasingly removes them. And she reveals not much at all: scant underwear, and a pair of pasties, or nipple covers.

Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

By night she is Ida Tapper, an alter ego she has created as part of Tucson's burgeoning burlesque scene. By day? Well, that would be telling. Although we could reveal her real name (it's there on her Starbucks cup in black Sharpie pen), that would be breaking the burlesque rules. Ida and her cohorts have stage names. It's a way for them to maintain some privacy, and to separate their very public night-time persona from their 'real' selves - people who hold down jobs, and have partners, children and families.

For this dancer - still relatively new to burlesque - her pseudonym is also her crutch. As Ida she is empowered, sexy, bawdy, theatrical. Her daytime self hadn't even set foot inside a bar, let alone seen a burlesque show, when, three years ago, a friend took her to see Black Cherry Burlesque show at The Surly Wench pub on Tucson's Fourth Avenue. The dancers undressed to Schubert's Ave Maria, huge white feather fans like giant clam shells, dipping and curling and covering their bodies. Ida was hooked. She grabbed one of the troupe members after the show - stage name Fanny Galore - and gushed in appreciation and awe. Fanny suggested Ida come and take a class for newbies, with a public show at the end of it.

Ida, who had grown up dancing but left her dance hobby behind when she pursued music, was drawn to the idea of performing dance again. But first, Fanny had to assuage Ida’s fears, which ranged from exposing the cellulite on her thighs, to being found out at work. As a public school teacher, she feared she might be sacked. Fanny assured her this wasn’t a sacking offence.

Photo by Michael Luna Photography/MLP Studios, Scottsdale

Today, burlesque is not just a hobby, it’s an outlet, says Ida. "The Ida in me needed to come out." That’s why you’ll find Ida at this week’s Body Love Conference in Tucson, leading a workshop called Beginner Burlesque: The Art of the Tease. The conference, which takes place at the University of Arizona and is the brainchild of Tucson blogger and body positive advocate Jes Baker, has one simple message: Change your world, not your body.

At 5 feet 9 and a size 2, Ida doesn’t seem like an obvious candidate for encouraging body love to women of all shapes and sizes. But despite her statuesque looks, she never considered herself attractive. She grew up an identical twin. "I was the more scholarly one, I was into school and academics. My sister had the tattoos and the piercings and went drinking. She was the pretty one, I was the smart one. That affected my confidence going on stage."

Tucson's Don't Blink Burlesque troupe is getting noticed across the country. Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

That first time, she gave herself a pep talk backstage. Having performed music, she was no stranger to the stage. But taking her clothes off was another thing. So she told herself that, although she may be scared, Ida, her alter ego, was comfortable and content. And then a funny thing happened. She dug so deep into that alter ego that, mentally, she disappeared. Even today, with hundreds of performances to her name, she still can't tell you how her audience is reacting, whether they're even clapping. "I don't notice that. I really am in my own world," she says.

The day after she first shared Ida with the world, she was walking taller, smiling more. "I was going 'I have a secret. None of you know what I did last night'."

Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

And now, she doesn't care whether the cellulite shows or not. "The feminist in me said I wanted to show everything I have. I wanted to stop being ashamed of what I look like and bring it all and say to the audience 'Take it or leave it'." Ida hopes visitors to the Body Love conference will feel the same way.

Fanny Galore, Ida's mentor and now colleague - one of the four who make up the Tucson troupe Don't Blink Burlesque - says body confidence was a happy byproduct. "I never thought I had a good body until I started doing burlesque," says Fanny, once a member of the Black Cherry troupe and now operating the burlesque 'university', Fanny's Fox Den. Many of her students (and she has taught more than a hundred) are, like Ida, inherently shy and the opposite of their stage personas. "I think to an extent a lot of us are trying to tap into something that's somewhat suppressed. A lot of my students tell me they're actually shy. The stage is a safe place," says Fanny.

Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

Ida has seen friendships made as well as relationships suffer as part of Tucson's burlesque scene. She knows she's lucky that her own husband has backed her from the start (he attends every show, and helps pack and unpack gear). Also in the audience, on occasion, have been work colleagues. But, adhering to the unspoken burlesque rule that what happens on the stage stays there, none of them have so much as mentioned Ida to her in the office.

Don't Blink Burlesque is made up wholly of "really determined Type A personalities", says Ida. "It's a very driven troupe. You'd be surprised how many advanced degrees we have. Because it's that type of personality that will sew rhinestones on [costumes] for 80 hours and prepare for six months for a show."

Ida (middle) struts her stuff. Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

Don't Blink Burlesque performs once a week at The Hut, as well as putting on other shows. In June, for the first time, they will compete for the title of best burlesque troupe in the annual Burlesque Hall of Fame event in Las Vegas. And this fall the troupe will put on the first annual Arizona Burlesque Festival - three days and three nights of performances and classes, for wannabes and spectators.

Photo by Steve McMackin/Impulse Nine Media

Don't expect to see Ida performing much over the coming months; she's pregnant with her first child and already busting out of her corsets. But she'll still be on the scene. At a recent Don't Blink gig at Playground in Tucson, she emceed with a brazenness and ribaldry that was difficult to equate with the quiet, serene woman taking midday coffee. The audience lapped it up. And Ida was in her element.

* Ida won't be the only burlesque dancer at The Body Love conference, held April 5th at the University of Arizona. The World Famous Bob, a self-described "female-female impersonator" inspired by drag, and a teacher at the New York School of Burlesque, will be giving a talk on self-confidence. For the full schedule and tickets, click here. For more on Jes Baker, the body positive advocate behind the conference, read our feature here.