Natalia Zhukova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Natalia Zhukova
Zhukova at the 42nd Chess Olympiad in 2016
Full name	Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova
Country	Ukraine
Born	(1979-06-05) 5 June 1979 (age 46) Dresden, East Germany
Title	Grandmaster (2010)
Peak rating	2499 (May 2010)

Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova (Ukrainian: Наталія Олександрівна Жукова; born on June 5, 1979) is a talented Ukrainian chess player. She holds the title of Grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can achieve. Natalia has won the European women's championship two times.

As a teenager, she won many important titles for her age group. These wins were at both European and world levels. She has also won several international tournaments for women. Natalia started playing for the Ukrainian women's national team when she was just 17 years old in 1996. In that same year, she won the Ukrainian women's championship in her very first try. She played on the top board for the Ukrainian team that won the gold medal at the 2006 Women's Chess Olympiad.

Early Chess Adventures

Natalia Zhukova was only 12 years old when she first played in the World Youth Championship in 1991. She tied for third place in the Girls' Under 12 group.

She quickly showed her talent. In 1993, she won the European Youth Championship for Girls Under 14. The next year, in 1994, she won the European Championship for Girls Under 16. She also won the World Championship for Girls Under 16 in the same year. In 1995, she came in second place at the World Championship for Girls Under 20.

Ukrainian Champion at 16

In 1996, Natalia Zhukova was the youngest player in the Ukrainian women's championship. Even so, she tied for first place! She earned the title of Woman International Master from FIDE, which is the World Chess Federation, in 1995. She became a Woman Grandmaster in 1997. In 2019, she won the Ukrainian women's championship again.

Playing for Ukraine Since Age 17

Natalia's early success helped her join the Ukrainian national women's team in 1996. She has played for Ukraine in many major chess events called Olympiads. Since 1998, she has played on board one, which is usually for the strongest player on the team.

Here are some of her results from the Chess Olympiads:

• Yerevan 1996: She played on board 4.
• Elista 1998: She played on board 1.
• Istanbul 2000: She played on board 1.
• Bled 2002: She played on board 1.
• Calvià 2004: She played on board 1.
• Turin 2006: She played on board 1. Here, her team won the gold medal, and she also won a gold medal for her individual performance on board 1.

International Wins

Natalia Zhukova has achieved many successes in international tournaments. In 1998, she tied for first place in a tournament in Belgrade. She also won the Groningen Women's Festival in 1998. In 1999, she won the EU Cup for Women. She also placed second in the Alushta Women's Zonal in 1999.

She won the important European Women's Championship two times. Her victories were in the years 2000 and 2015.

Personal Life

Natalia Zhukova was born in Dresden, which was in East Germany. Today, she lives in Odesa, Ukraine. She was married to another chess Grandmaster, Alexander Grischuk.

Natalia has also been involved in politics. In 2019, she was a candidate in the Ukrainian parliamentary election. In 2020, she was a candidate for the Odesa City Council.

See also

• In Spanish: Natalia Zhukova para niños