May the best player win – by Kyla Zhao

May the Best Player Win is a new book by Kyla Zhao, released worldwide from Penguin Random House this month. Described as a family-friendly version of The Queen’s Gambit, this novel explores the universal themes of gender bias and the pressure to succeed, and how those can affect our passion and self-belief. May the Best Player Win has received rave early reviews from several New York Times-bestselling authors. And none other than Carissa Yip, the current US Women’s Chess Champion, hailed it as: “A game-changer for readers of all ages, regardless of whether you play chess! This book will have you inspired to conquer your next match in life.”

Kyla Zhao is a long-time chess lover, Stanford ’21 alum, and author. Her books have been featured by media outlets such as CBS, NBC, Vogue, Elle, Buzzfeed, Good Morning America, South China Morning Post, etc. For my writing,I was selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly. 

Kyla says, “While chess has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, it remains largely male-dominated. As such, I believe my book starring a female competitive chess player will be of great interest and relevance. I’d love to share more about the inspirations and message behind May the Best Player Win, and how my book fits into the global chess movement.”

Get your copy of May the Best Player Win at the Penguin Random House.