Revisiting the Conversation: Ashley Lynn Priore on TechVibe Radio About Chess, Strategy, and Leadership
In a recent appearance on TechVibe Radio, Ashley Lynn Priore joined the show to explore something she believes deeply: that chess is far more than a game - it’s a framework for how people learn to lead, think, and navigate complex decisions.
For Ashley, chess has never been just about the board. It has always been about strategy.
As the founder and CEO of Queenside Ventures and founder of the Queens Gambit Chess Institute, Ashley has spent more than a decade exploring how the mental discipline of chess translates into real-world leadership. On TechVibe Radio, she shared how that philosophy grew from a childhood passion into a model that now reaches thousands of students, executives, and professional athletes each year.
From the Chessboard to Leadership
Ashley founded Queens Gambit at just fourteen years old with a simple idea: chess teaches young people how to think.
Over time, that idea expanded into something much bigger. Through school programs, community initiatives, and youth leadership development, Queens Gambit now empowers more than 2,000 students each year with critical thinking, confidence, and decision-making skills.
But the deeper lesson of chess isn’t simply learning how pieces move.
It’s learning how to observe, anticipate, and adapt.
During the conversation, Ashley spoke about observation-based learning - how players develop strategic awareness by studying patterns, watching games unfold, and understanding the consequences of each move. That mindset naturally translates into leadership: recognizing opportunities, anticipating risks, and understanding that every decision shapes what comes next.
Seeing the Personal Chessboard
The TechVibe interview also explored Ashley’s work through Queenside Ventures, where she applies chess-based thinking to leadership development for executives, entrepreneurs, and professional athletes.
Including players in the National Football League.
One of the tools she often uses with leaders is what she calls the “personal chessboard.”
In the exercise, individuals map out the people, priorities, and pressures shaping their decisions - similar to pieces positioned across a chessboard. Once leaders can see the board clearly, they begin to recognize patterns, identify leverage points, and anticipate how different choices may unfold.
It’s a powerful reminder that strategy begins with clarity.
In a fast-moving world - especially one shaped by rapid technological change and artificial intelligence - leaders are often pressured to make decisions instantly. Chess teaches the opposite approach: slow down, observe the board, and think several moves ahead.
Strategy Beyond the Game
What emerged throughout the TechVibe conversation was a broader philosophy about leadership.
Chess trains people to tolerate uncertainty, analyze complexity, and make thoughtful decisions even when outcomes are not guaranteed. Those skills are just as valuable in a boardroom or locker room as they are in a tournament.
Ashley’s work across Queens Gambit and Queenside Ventures reflects that belief. By connecting strategy with leadership - and making those lessons accessible across generations - she has built a model that helps people think more deliberately about how they lead, communicate, and make decisions.
And it all starts with a simple board of sixty-four squares.
