Jill Brahms Keto: Zoom Chess

          Two years ago, Zoom Chess (zoomchess.com) was founded as an online chess tutorial for children ages four and up.  But founder Jill (Brahms) Keto, ’96, believes she has launched much more than that.  She believes that chess can have a dramatic impact on young girls, helping them build self-esteem and eliminate barriers to their interest in science, technology and math.  “Ninety-five percent of high school chess players are boys,” says Keto, an author and entrepreneur based on Bellevue, WA.  “Girls drop out because they get the message that they can’t make it.”  She adds that surveys have shown that many girls become disinterested in science and engineering because they don’t want to be the only girl in the field.  “Research has shown that girls who play chess believe they are smart and they carry this there whole life,” says Jill, a mother of two.  A native of Ann Arbor, she chose to study engineering at MSU partly “to get some separation from home.”  She says MSU’s engineering program is second to none, “based on all the job offers” she received after graduation.  Jill worked for Boeing for several years designing aircraft, but left to become an entrepreneur manufacturing jewelry.  “That gave me more flexibility and helped fulfill my interest in art,” she explains.  She also published a book, Don’t Get Caught With Your Skirt Down: A Practical Girl's Recession Guide (Simon & Schuster, 2008).  A mother of two, she got into chess when her children became interested, learning alongside them while they were in preschool. Today she runs Queen’s Quest, the largest all-girls elementary tournament in the U.S. with some 250 annual competitors.  Zoom Chess is free, but to get to the next level, there is a $50 annual charge for tutorials.  “That’s a bargain,” says Jill, “when you compare it to $60 an hour with a chess coach.”

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