Anna Ushenina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anna Ushenina |
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Ushenina in Baku in 2016
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| Full name | Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Born | 30 August 1985 Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (2012) |
| Women's World Champion | 2012–2013 |
| FIDE rating | 2416 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2502 (July 2007) |
Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina (Ukrainian: Анна Юріївна Ушеніна; born August 30, 1985) is a talented Ukrainian chess player. She holds the highest title in chess, a Grandmaster. Anna was also the Women's World Chess Champion from November 2012 to September 2013.
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Anna's Early Life and Chess Journey
Anna Ushenina was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and still lives there. Her mother wanted her to develop her mind and creativity. So, when Anna was seven, her mother introduced her to chess, painting, and music.
Anna quickly showed a talent for chess. By the age of 15, she became the Ukrainian Girls' champion in the under-20 age group. She learned many of her chess skills on her own. However, from 2000 to 2002, she also studied chess at a special sports school in Kharkiv. During this time, her coach was International Master Artiom Tsepotan. Later, she received more training at a special chess center in Kramatorsk.
Success in Ukrainian Chess
Anna Ushenina has achieved great success in the Ukrainian Women's Championship. In 2003 and 2004, she placed fourth and sixth. Then, in 2005, she became the champion in Alushta. She even beat top players like Tatjana Vasilevich during that championship.
In 2006, she nearly won again, finishing second in Odesa. She placed ahead of strong players like Natalia Zhukova and Inna Gaponenko. In mixed tournaments (where men and women play together), she has defeated grandmasters such as Anton Korobov and Oleg Romanishin. Because of her achievements, Ukraine gave her the title "Honored Master of Sports."
Playing for Her Country
Anna has been very successful playing chess as part of a team for Ukraine.
Winning Gold at the Olympiad
A big moment came in 2006 at the Turin Women's Olympiad. Anna was part of the Ukrainian team that won the gold medal. She played very well and did not lose any games during the competition. Anna and her teammates, Natalia Zhukova, Kateryna Lagno, and Inna Gaponenko, all scored high points. Their strong performance earned them team gold medals and praise from the chess world.
Other Team Medals
In 2008, at the Dresden Olympiad, the Ukrainian women's team won silver medals. They were just behind the strong Georgian team.
Anna's first major medal in team chess was in 2002. She won team gold and an individual silver medal at the European Team Championship for Girls (under 18) in Balatonlelle. In 2007, at the Women's World Team Chess Championship in Yekaterinburg, she helped Ukraine win a bronze medal. She also earned an individual bronze medal for herself.
She has also played in the European Team Chess Championship twice, in 2005 and 2007. While the team did not win medals those times, Anna won an individual gold medal in 2007 in Heraklion. In 2022, she was part of the Ukrainian team that won the gold medal at the Women's event at the 44th Chess Olympiad.
Anna is also an active player in chess leagues. She regularly plays for teams in France, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Slovenia.
Anna's Chess Titles and Tournaments
Anna's strong performances in tournaments helped her earn important chess titles.
Earning Grandmaster Titles
In 2001 in Kyiv and 2003 in Odesa, her tournament successes earned her the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM). This title was officially given to her in 2003.
Her play at the 2006 Women's Chess Olympiad and other tournaments in Pardubice and Abu Dhabi that same year helped her qualify for the International Master (IM) title. She received this title in January 2007.
Notable Tournament Results
In 2007, Anna played in the 'A2' section of the famous Aeroflot Open in Moscow. She scored 5 points out of 7 rounds. During this event, she defeated three male grandmasters.
In January 2008, she played in the Group C of the Corus Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Soon after, she took second place at the women's section of the Moscow Open. She finished ahead of Natalia Zhukova and Kateryna Lagno. Later that year, at the Women's European Individual Chess Championship in Plovdiv, she won the bronze medal. In 2010, she won the Rector Cup in Kharkiv.
In 2016, Anna won the European Women's Championship in Mamaia. She tied for first place with Sabrina Vega but won on a tie-break score.
In 2017, she won a silver medal at the 2017 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Anna was also a member of the Ukrainian team that won the gold medal in the women's championship at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai. She also won an individual silver medal on board three at the same event.
Becoming Women's World Champion
In 2012, Anna Ushenina reached the final of the Women's World Chess Championship 2012. She played against Antoaneta Stefanova and won in a tie-break match. This victory made her the 14th Women's World Chess Champion.
Winning this championship automatically gave her the title of Grandmaster. It also qualified her to play in the 2013 Chess World Cup. Anna Ushenina became Ukraine's first women's world chess champion. Because of this big win, she was voted Ukraine's best female chess player of 2012.
She held the title until 2013. She lost her title to Hou Yifan in the Women's World Chess Championship 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Anna Ushenina para niños
- List of Jewish chess players
