Anjelina Belakovskaia facts for kids

Anjelina Mikhailovna Belakovskaia (born May 17, 1969) is an American chess player. She holds the special chess title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM). This means she is one of the best female chess players in the world. Anjelina has won the U.S. Women's Chess Championship three times, in 1995, 1996, and 1999.

Anjelina's Early Life and Journey

Anjelina Belakovskaia grew up in Odesa, a city in Ukraine. She studied at Odesa Agricultural University. After finishing her studies, she moved to the United States to play chess professionally.

Starting Fresh in America

When Anjelina first arrived in New York City from Moscow, she had very little money. She also knew only a few words of English. Her first job in the U.S. was selling watermelons. She also played chess for money against people in Washington Square Park. She was so good that she won $35 on her first day! Soon, the other players stopped playing her because they lost too much money.

In 1993, Anjelina had a small part in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. This movie was about a young chess player.

Becoming a U.S. Citizen and Studying

Anjelina became a U.S. citizen on November 24, 1999. Later that year, she started studying at New York University. In 2001, she earned a Master's Degree in Mathematics in Finance. This degree helped her understand how money works in big businesses.

Anjelina's Career Beyond Chess

After her studies, Anjelina worked as a trader. She worked for a company called Williams Cos. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She specialized in something called "weather derivatives." This means she helped manage money risks related to weather changes.

In May 2001, Anjelina became the head of the Weather Derivatives team. She was recognized as the Best Female Employee for her important work.

Teaching and New Technologies

Since January 2011, Anjelina has taught finance classes at The University of Arizona. In 2012, she joined a special committee. This group helps manage financial risks related to weather and climate.

In 2013, she became an honors professor. She started teaching a unique course called "Chess, Leadership and Business Strategy." This course combines her love for chess with business ideas.

Since January 2016, Anjelina Belakovskaia has been teaching at Thunderbird School of Global Management. This school is part of Arizona State University. She is now an Associate Teaching Professor in Global Finance there.

Exploring AI and Crypto

Since 2022, Anjelina has been a Faculty Advisor for the Crypto Club at Thunderbird. She has also become very involved in Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is about teaching computers to think and learn.

She leads the AI and Emerging Technology Committee at Thunderbird. She also helped start the ASU Downtown AI Community of Practice. This group brings together people from different fields to talk about AI. They hold monthly AI/Tech Talks for students, staff, and alumni.

Anjelina also helps plan discussions at the university. These talks are about how AI will change the future of work. They explore what skills future leaders will need in a world shaped by new technologies.

Anjelina's Chess Achievements

In July 1991, Anjelina came to the U.S. to play in the Chess World Open in Philadelphia.

In 1993, she received the FIDE Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. This is a very high honor in chess. Anjelina won the New York Women's Chess Championship three times. She also played for the U.S. team in the Chess Olympiads in 1994, 1996, and 1998. The Chess Olympiad is a big international team chess tournament.

U.S. Women's Champion

In 1995, Anjelina won her first of three U.S. Women's Chess Championship titles. She tied for first place with another player, Sharon Burtman. The next year, in 1996, she won the title all by herself. In 1997, she came in second place.

In 1999, she became champion for the third time. She won this tournament because she was very skilled in the "middle game." This is the part of a chess game after the opening moves.

In 2000, Howard Golden, who was the president of Brooklyn, New York, honored Anjelina. He recognized her amazing chess skills and achievements.

Chess for Kids

In 2010, Anjelina started a chess program for children in Tucson, Arizona. She is also a member of the FIDE Chess in Schools commission. This group works to bring chess to more schools. In 2013, she organized a special chess tournament just for girls in Tucson.

In 2023, Anjelina won the first-ever U.S. Chess Championship for Women 50+. Also in 2023 and 2024, she led the U.S. Women’s 50+ Team. They won Silver and Bronze medals at the World Senior Team Chess Championships in Krakow and Prague.

A Notable Chess Game

Here is a famous chess game Anjelina Belakovskaia played. She played as white against Ivona Jezierska in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship. Anjelina used a chess opening called the King's Indian Defence.

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

• List of Jewish chess players