Anjelina Belakovskaia

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Anjelina Belakovskaia
CountryUnited States
Born (1969-05-17) 17 May 1969 (age 54)
Odesa, Soviet Union
TitleWoman Grandmaster (1993)
Peak rating2385 (January 1998)

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]

Biography[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sports Illustrated for Women Fall 1997 Issue". Archived from the original on 2010-12-09. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  2. ^ D'Arcy, Ashley (20 March 2012). "The Best of NYU's Lesser-Known Alumni". NYU Local. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Anjelina Has a Home for You". Chess News. ChessBase. 18 November 2004. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  4. ^ Chauduri, Pras (18 February 2013). "Pras On World Films: SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER". Pras on World Films. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  5. ^ Шахматы РФ
  6. ^ a b "Anjelina Belakovskaia". Department of Finance. University of Arizona. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  7. ^ benoni.de/schach/elo: Belakovskaia, Anjelina
  8. ^ "FIDE Chess Profile". World Chess Federation. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  9. ^ Brown, Ty (5 December 1995). "'Draw,' She Said, to Round Up a Share of Women's Chess Title". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  10. ^ U.S. Women's Chess Championships 1937 - 2020, en.chessbase.com
  11. ^ Peters, Jack (7 September 1997). "Chess: International News". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  12. ^ a b Byrne, Robert (21 November 1999). "Third Women's Title is Won by a Brooklyn Grandmaster". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  13. ^ 3-Time US Women's Champion Angelina Belakovskaia Archived 2021-05-08 at the Wayback Machine, chessforparents.com, access-date April 8th 2021
  14. ^ FIDE rating history :: Belakovskaia, Anjelina
  15. ^ Huicochea, Alexis (25 August 2010). "Chess Champ Starts Program to Help Kids Develop Life Skills". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  16. ^ "FIDE Commissions' Members". World Chess Federation. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  17. ^ "Girls Chess Tournament". Arizona Daily Star. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2015.

External links[edit]

Preceded by U.S. Women's Chess Champion
1995-1996
1999 		Succeeded by
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