Anjelina Belakovskaia facts for kids

Anjelina Yakivna Belakovskaia (born May 17, 1969) is a very talented American chess player. She has earned the special FIDE title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM). Anjelina is well-known for winning the U.S. women's championship three times. She won in 1995, 1996, and again in 1999.

Her Life Story

Anjelina Belakovskaia grew up in Odesa, which is a city in Ukraine. She went to the Odesa Agricultural University there. Later, she moved to the United States to play chess professionally. She remembers arriving in New York City from Moscow with very little money. She also knew only a few words of English at that time. In 1993, she even had a small part in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer.

Anjelina became a U.S. citizen on November 24, 1999. Soon after, she started studying at New York University. In 2001, she earned a Master's Degree in a subject called Mathematics in Finance. This means she learned how to use math in the world of money and business.

After finishing her studies, she got a job as a trader at a company called Williams Cos. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She worked with something called "weather derivatives," which are financial tools related to weather. In May 2001, she became the head of the Weather Derivatives team. She was even recognized as the Best Female Employee for her great work.

Since 2011, Anjelina has been teaching finance classes. She teaches at the Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona. In 2012, she joined a committee that looks at how weather and climate can affect money and business. In 2013, she started teaching an honors class. This special class is called "Chess, Leadership and Business Strategy."

Her Chess Journey

In July 1991, Anjelina came to the U.S. to play in a big chess event. It was called the Chess World Open in Philadelphia.

In 1993, she was given 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 like the Olympics for chess players.

In 1995, she 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 the championship. Then, in 1999, she became champion for the third time! She won this tournament because she was very good at the "middle game" part of chess.

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

Anjelina also loves to help young chess players. In 2010, she started a chess program for children in Tucson, Arizona. She is also part of the FIDE Chess in Schools commission. This group helps bring chess to schools. In April 2013, she helped organize a special chess tournament just for girls in Tucson.

See also

• List of Jewish chess players