Rochelle Ballantyne, a first year associate at leading Biglaw firm Sidley Austin, has ambitions that reach beyond the large-scale and high-stakes work of her day job. In addition to grappling with the complexities of the legal world, Ballantyne has set her sights on becoming ranked as a chess master. Presently, she maintains the status of an ‘expert’ according to the U.S. Chess Federation.
Ballantyne spoke to the ABA Journal about the little-recognized parallels that exist between Biglaw litigation and the competitive chess world. “Chess is a combative sport, and so is litigation,” Ballantyne shared. “There’s a winner and a loser, and I like to win.”
From childhood, Ballantyne competed in chess tournaments not only across the country, but also internationally. She believes these experiences have equipped her with the strategic foresight useful for her legal career. “In chess, you have to have the ability to think steps ahead of your opponent,” she noted. “As a litigator, you are not just thinking about the opposing argument but the arguments and responses that come after that. You have to be able to anticipate what’s going to happen far ahead.”
Her talents in chess have already led her to feature in the 2012 documentary, Brooklyn Castle, which centered on the chess program at I.S. 318. She credits her academic achievement, in part, to her experiences in playing chess.
If Ballantyne accomplishes her goal of attaining the master rank, she will stand as the first black woman to have done so. “My achieving this goal would I hope show black girls that someone who looks like them can achieve in male-dominated sports like chess,” she reflected.
Ballantyne is also a board member of the Gift of Chess, an organization with the mission of donating 1 million chess sets globally by 2030 to make the game accessible and affordable worldwide.
We wish Ballantyne well, as she continues to navigate both the challenging worlds of Biglaw and elite chess.