*Despite progress toward gender equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership position, especially in competitive fields. With women comprising merely 10% of internationally rated players and less than 2% of the global top 1,000, chess exemplifies a male-dominated highly-competitive domain. While research shows gender performance gaps in chess competitions, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This paper examines how gender-based interactions influence performance and participation in chess tournaments through a randomized controlled trial. Participants are assigned to either a "blind" group (without information about opponents' gender) or a "non-blind" group. By analyzing performance across different game configurations, we isolate causal mechanisms driving difference in gender performance. We aim to determine whether male players adjust strategy when facing female opponents, whether female players' performance changes when competing against males, or wheter both mechanisms are in place.

**This paper explores how investor intentionality influences financial performance in sustainable finance. Building on a utility-based theoretical framework, we distinguish between impact and ESG investors based on their preferences for non-financial outcomes. Using confidential data from a leading French impact funds management firm, we examine whether impact and ESG funds exhibit different return-risk profiles and whether stronger ESG preferences are associated with lower financial returns. Empirical analyses, supported by multiple robustness checks, reveal a modest negative relationship between ESG scores and returns, along with differences in risk-return dynamics. Our findings suggest that intentionality, rather than ESG preferences alone, drives distinct investment outcomes.