Confronting a Patriarchal Cult - with author Danny Rensch
Breaking Down Patriarchy
Amy McPhie Allebest
4.9 • 654 Ratings
🗓️ 23 September 2025
⏱️ 88 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Amy is joined by Danny Rensch, author of Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life, for a courageous reckoning with his life lived under the oppressive patriarchy of a cult, plus learning forgiveness, his path to healing, and how chess helped him become the best version of himself.
Donate to Breaking Down Patriarchy
Danny Rensch is an American International Master, world-class commentator, tournament organizer, co-founder and Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com, and a chess celebrity. As a scholastic player, Rensch won multiple national championships and still holds the record for the youngest chess master in the state of Arizona. As an adult, he has become the face of Chess.com and is the author of Dark Squares: How Chess Saved My Life.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey everyone, you are about to hear an incredible episode with one of my very favorite people, Danny wrench of chess.com. |
| 0:09.5 | Danny wrote a memoir this year called Dark Squares, How Chess Saved My Life. |
| 0:15.0 | And I want to invite any of you who will be in Utah this fall to one of his book events. |
| 0:20.6 | I will be leading a conversation in person |
| 0:23.5 | with Danny on October 11th at the Salt Lake Public Library. And again, in a smaller setting, |
| 0:30.5 | a different event on October 16th at a private residence in Utah. Both events are free and you can |
| 0:36.7 | meet me, meet Danny, and get a signed copy of the book. |
| 0:40.5 | There's also another book event in November where I'll be attending but not speaking. |
| 0:45.7 | So if you're interested in any of those events, email Breaking Down Patriarchy at gmail.com, |
| 0:51.4 | and we'll send you all the details. |
| 0:53.2 | Or we'll also have the events in our link tree on Instagram, which is at B.com and we'll send you all the details or we'll also have the events in our link tree on |
| 0:56.3 | Instagram which is at be down patriarchy. I'd love to see you there. And now enjoy the episode. |
| 1:05.6 | Welcome to Breaking Down Patriarchy. I'm Amy McPhee all the best. Here on Breaking Down Patriarchy, we have discussed many, many books, |
| 1:13.9 | most of them nonfiction history texts or philosophical works that illuminate how patriarchy functions. |
| 1:20.9 | We've also covered some classic works of fiction like the yellow wallpaper and the awakening |
| 1:25.2 | that highlight gender dynamics in women's lives. |
| 1:28.0 | And we've discussed a few memoirs from inspiring leaders, though not very many. |
| 1:33.5 | So listeners might be surprised to hear that the book we're discussing today is a memoir by a man |
| 1:39.1 | and set in the world of chess. But let me tell you, this book is a fascinating look at patriarchal dynamics, |
| 1:47.2 | in addition to being one of the best page turners I have read in years. The book is Dark Squares, |
| 1:54.2 | How Chess Saved My Life, and the author is Danny Rensh, who is joining me in person today. Hi, Danny. |
| 2:00.0 | Hi. Thank you so much for having me. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Amy McPhie Allebest, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Amy McPhie Allebest and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.