GM Alejandro Ramirez accused of sexual misconduct, assault multiple women: WSJ

After American chess player Jennifer Shahade, alleged that she had been sexually assaulted Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez, 10 other women from the chess community got in touch with her to report that he had assaulted and/or made unwanted sexual advances, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
WSJ reveal that eight different women, three of whom were under the age of 18 at the time, accused the American of using his influence in the chess community to put himself in positions of power where he could become ‘physically aggressive,’ and ‘forcibly kiss and grope them without their consent.’ One of the women that was underaged at the time said he even supplied her with vodka before ‘coercing her into performing oral sex.’
After accessing several documents, the WSJ further reveals that two prominent US chess bodies – US chess federation and the St Louis Chess club – were both in the know of some of the allegations against Ramirez but failed to address it or act in any way.

3 more women have accused GM Alejandro Ramirez of sexually assaulting them at chess events here and abroad, including two who were UNDERAGE chess students at the time.https://t.co/HGZkVZGUtt @stltoday pic.twitter.com/FyhhkyQ2FQ
— Susan Polgar (@SusanPolgar) March 11, 2023
Despite knowing some of the allegations against him, Ramirez was put in positions of power where he would be involved with interacting with and even mentoring young women in chess.
Evidence of several different occasions when authorities were told about these allegations have been detailed WSJ that date back to 2016. One of the women under the age of 18 reported that she had been warned senior officials in the US chess federation to avoid social situations with Ramirez that year, while the parent of one of the women, also a former chess player, reported Ramirez’s behaviour to US chess officials in 2017.
Shahade herself has accused Ramirez of assaulting her twice, the latest in 2014, for which she personally confronted Ramirez in 2020, who apologised for his behaviour and admitted regret. Later that year, Shahade approached US chess officials to complain, and her brother, Greg, approached the St Louis Chess club for the same the following year.
The chess club’s lawyers replied to her brother in a statement that they had been aware of similar allegations since 2020 but were unaware of any wrongdoing, and would be undergoing a review.

Several of the women accusing Ramirez corroborate the story Shahade has shared on social media, claiming that his behaviour had become an ‘open secret’ in the chess community. They also said he ‘exploited shared living conditions like hotel rooms’ to initiate contact and, in some cases, even grope then while they were asleep.
According to WSJ, top governing officials were aware of his inappropriate behaviour and assault, but left the allegations unaddressed for years.