Anjelina Belakovskaia (Russian: Анжелина Белаковская, romanized: Anzhelina Belakovskaya; born May 17, 1969[1]) is an American chess player holding the FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She is a three-time U.S. women's champion, with victories in 1995, 1996, and 1999.[2]
| Anjelina Belakovskaia | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Born | 17 May 1969 Odesa, Soviet Union |
| Title | Woman Grandmaster (1993) |
| Peak rating | 2385 (January 1998) |
Biography
Belakovskaia grew up in Odesa, Ukraine, and is a graduate of the Odesa Agricultural University.[3] She came to the United States to play competitive chess. She recalls flying from Moscow to New York City and arriving with little money and knowing only a few English words.[3] Belakovskaia's first job in the United States was slicing watermelons and winning money from the chess hustlers at Washington Square Park.[3] She won $35 the first day, and soon the hustlers would no longer play her because they had lost too much money.[3] Belakovskaia had a brief cameo in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer in 1993.[4]
Belakovskaia became a naturalized U.S. citizen on November 24, 1999.[5] Later that year, she began graduate work at New York University, and in 2001 earned a Master's Degree in Mathematics in Finance.[6]
Soon after, she got a position as a trader at Williams Cos. in Tulsa, Oklahoma in weather derivatives. In May 2001, Belakovskaia became the head of the Weather Derivatives desk at Williams EM&T (Energy, Marketing, and Trading). There, she was recognized as Best Female Employee for her contribution to the company's success.[citation needed]
Since January 2011, Belakovskaia has taught finance classes at the Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona.[6] In 2012, she became a member of the American Meteorological Society Committee on Financial Weather/Climate Risk Management. In 2013, she became an honors professor, adding the "Chess, Leadership and Business Strategy" course at UA Honors College to her course load.[7]
Chess career
In July 1991, she came to the U.S. to play in the Chess World Open in Philadelphia.[3]
In 1993, she was awarded the FIDE Woman Grandmaster title (WGM).[8] Belakovskaia won the New York Women's Chess Championship three times and played on the U.S. team in the Chess Olympiads in 1994, 1996, and 1998.[citation needed]
In 1995, she won the first of her three US Women's Chess Championship titles, tying for first with Sharon Burtman.[9] The next year, she won the title outright.[10] In 1997, she took second place in the US Women's Championship.[11] In 1999 she became champion for the third time.[12] Her third tournament was won through her "superior grasp of the middle game."[12]
In 2000, Belakovskaia was Honored by Howard Golden - president of Brooklyn, City of New York - for superlative skills and outstanding achievement.[13][14]
In 2010, Belakovskaia started a chess program for children in Tucson, Arizona.[15] She is also a member of the FIDE Chess in Schools commission.[16] In 2013, she coordinated an all girls' chess tournament in Tucson during the month of April.[17]
Notable game
For the US Women's Chess Championship Anjelina Belakovskaia (white) played the following game against Ivona Jezierska (King's Indian opening):
1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.e4 Nf6 5.f3 0-0 6.Nge2 e5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Be3 Nbd7 9.Qd2 Kh7 10.d5 Nh5 11.g4 Nf4 12.Nf4 ef 13.Bf4 Ne5 14.Be2 a6 15.g5 Bh3 16.Rg1 hg 17.Bg5 Qd7 18.f4 Ng4 19.Qd3 Nf6 20.f5 (1-0)
See also
References
External links
- Anjelina Belakovskaia's personal website
- Anjelina Belakovskaia rating card at FIDE
- Anjelina Belakovskaia rating and tournament record at US Chess Federation
- Anjelina Belakovskaia player profile and games at Chessgames.com
- Anjelina Belakovskaia chess games at 365Chess.com
