Alisa Melekhina

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Alisa Melekhina
FM Alisa Melekhina L.jpg
Alisa Melekhina, US Open 2010 in Orlando, FL
CountryUnited States
Born (1991-06-26) June 26, 1991 (age 32)
Simferopol, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Title FIDE Master (2011)
FIDE   rating 2196 (July 2023)
Peak rating 2304 (March 2011)

Alisa Melekhina (born June 26, 1991) is one of the top female chess players in the United States,[ citation needed ] a classically trained ballerina, and an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Drexel University.

Contents

Melekhina is a frequent contender in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship, [1] [2] and has represented the United States in numerous World Youth and Junior Chess Championships, where she has placed in the top ten. [3] She placed fifth at the 2014 US Women's Championships. [4] She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School aged 22, in May 2014. [5]

Early life

Melekhina was born in Simferopol in 1991. [6] She immigrated with her parents to the United States when she was only two months old. They originally settled in Brooklyn, New York while her father completed his dental re-accreditation. They moved to Philadelphia five years later, where Melekhina has resided since. Melekhina was taught to play chess by her father and only coach at age 5, and played in her first tournament when she was 7. She also began taking Vaganova-style ballet lessons at that age, and has been dancing ballet and pointe since. [7] At age 6, she authored "The Frog Princess," a translation of a popular Russian fairy tale, making her a published author at age 8. [6] [8]

Chess achievements

Melekhina's top chess accomplishments include:

Notable games

Chess videos and publications

Melekhina was an inspiration for The Fire Katherine Neville's sequel to the chess-themed historical fiction The Eight.

Melekhina is a content creator for ichess.net [17] and chess.com. [18] Her instructional videos include topics on the c3 Sicilian, Advanced French, King's Indian Defense, Fighting in the Endgame, Power of the Double Rooks, and Defeating Drawish Players. Her famous video on "How to Win in the c3 Sicilian in 21 Moves or Less," featuring her win over GM Shabalov has received over 160,000 hits on YouTube. [19] Before beginning law school, she co-authored a journal article on whether chess games can be copyrighted. [20]

Melekhina was featured on the cover of the April 2015 edition of Chess Life magazine, authoring an article on "Career Crossroads." [21]

Professional career

Melekhina graduated from Drexel University with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy in only two years at age 19. [22] She began University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2011, and was the youngest in her class at age 20. [23] While at law school she founded an Eastern European Law Students Association (EELSA) affinity group. [24] After graduating law school, Melekhina is now a litigation associate practicing in white-collar and intellectual property litigation at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York City. [25] She previously founded SubLite: a portal for student summer sublets and internships. [26]

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References

  1. ↑ "Zatonskih, the Defending Champion, Leads U.S. Women's Championship". 9 October 2009.
  2. 1 2 Barbara, By (2009-10-14). "Abolish Women's Chess Titles - WSJ". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  3. ↑ "Chess: Dmitry Andreikin wins world junior title". Los Angeles Times. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  4. ↑ http://uschesschamps.com/node/429
  5. ↑ "Alisa Melekhina". www.uschesschamps.com. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  6. 1 2 Dan Gross (2013-02-26). "Local chess prodigy goes for women's championship - Philly.com". Articles.philly.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  7. 1 2 3 "The United States Chess Federation - Legal Moves: Melekhina on Chess & Law School". Uschess.org. 2014-03-16. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  8. ↑ "The Frog Princess: A Russian Fairy Tale, Retold by Alisa Melekhina eBook: Alisa Melekhina: Kindle Store". Amazon. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  9. 1 2 McClain, Dylan Loeb (19 September 2009). "Chinese Women Remind the World of Their Prowess". The New York Times.
  10. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation - The Scoop on the World Open". Uschess.org. 2010-07-06. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  11. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation - Bartell and Melekhina Share PA State Title". Main.uschess.org. 2010-10-19. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  12. ↑ "Melekhina, Alisa FIDE Chess Profile - Players Arbiters Trainers". Ratings.fide.com. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  13. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation - 9Queens Presents the Best Games at the U.S. Women's". Uschess.org. 2009-10-28. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  14. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation - Philadelphia International Underway". Uschess.org. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  15. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation - Kamsky Tops Philly on Way to Saint Louis". Uschess.org. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  16. ↑ "Akobian Leads U.S. Championship After Round 7". Chess.com. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  17. ↑ "Phrase: Melekhina | Chess Videos, Chess DVDs, Chess Software and more". Ichess.net. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  18. ↑ "Chess Videos, Lessons, & Chess Lectures". Chess.com. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  19. ↑ "How to Win in the c3 Sicilian in 21 moves or less - FM Alisa Melekhina". YouTube. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  20. ↑ Melekhina, A.; Orkin, N. (2011). "Intellectual property issues in chess games". Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice. 6 (10): 723–727. doi:10.1093/jiplp/jpr115. Archived from the original on 2015-06-24.
  21. ↑ "The United States Chess Federation".
  22. ↑ "Drexel University Alumni". Drexel.edu. Archived from the original on 2014-06-18. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  23. ↑ "A Master in the Making | Law Student Division". Americanbar.org. October 2012. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  24. ↑ "Penn News | Penn's Strong Global Community Attracts Growing Number of International Students". Upenn.edu. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  25. ↑ "Alisa Melekhina".
  26. ↑ "域名停靠". Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
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