Anjelina Belakovskaia
Encyclopedia
Anjelina Belakovskaia is a United States
chess player
who has achieved the FIDE Woman Grandmaster and International Master titles.
She is a three-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion
, with victories in 1995, 1996, and 1999.
Belakovskaia, a native of Odessa
, Ukraine
, won the Women's Championships of Soviet Union
and Ukraine
and graduated from the Odessa Agricultural University with a bachelor's degree
in economics
and accounting.
In July 1991 she came to the U.S. to play in the World Open in Philadelphia.
Flying into New York City
with little money and knowing only a few words of English
, her first job in the U.S. was slicing watermelons.
She also won money from the chess hustlers at Washington Square Park
, and she says that “Two, five and ten dollars per game” were the first English words she learned in the U.S.
She won $35 the first day, but soon the hustlers would no longer play her as they had lost too much money.
Belakovskaia opened a chess school for children and learned more English.
A bit role in the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer
" earned her enough money to pay an immigration
lawyer for a green card
.
In 1993 she was awarded the FIDE Woman Grandmaster title (WGM).
Belakovskaia won the New York Women's Chess Championship three times and played on the U.S. team in the Chess Olympiad
s in 1994, 1996, and 1998.
In 1995 she won the first of her three US Women's Chess Championship titles, tying for first with Sharon Burtman.
The next year she won the title outright, and in 1999 she became champion for the third time.
Belakovskaia became a naturalized U.S. citizen
on November 24, 1999.
In 2000, Anjelina Belakovskaia was Honored by Howard Golden
- President of Brooklyn, City of New York - for superlative skills and outstanding achievement.
In addition to her chess career, Belakovskaia worked as a currency trader, and later in the stock market.
She began graduate work at New York University
in 1999, and in 2001 earned a Master's Degree
in Mathematics in Finance
(her Master's Project was "Basket Default Swap in the Emerging Markets").
Belakovskaia met her future husband Lawrence Bernstein at the Marshall Chess Club
in 2000.
Soon thereafter, she got a position as a weather derivatives
trader
at Williams Cos.
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
. In May 2001, Belakovskaia became the head of the Weather Derivatives desk at Williams EM&T (Energy, Marketing and Trading). There, she was recognized as “Best Female Employee” for her contribution to Company’s success.
After the Enron
collapse and the sharp deterioration of energy industry in 2002, Belakovskaia returned to the New York
/ New Jersey
area.
Anjelina Belakovskaia and Lawrence Bernstein were married on board the Coral Princess
in February 2003.
Now Belakovskaia lives with her husband and three children - Brian, Connor and Ariela - in the Catalina Foothills
of Tucson, Arizona
. She is currently teaching finance classes at the Eller College of Management
at The University of Arizona
. In addition, Belakovskaia runs Catalina Foothills Chess Academy, that she opened in the summer of 2010 at Mathnasium Catalina Foothills. Also, known as 'Foothills Insider', Belakovskaia runs her own luxury real estate business in strategic alliance with Jerimiah Taylor's Team of Keller Williams Southern Arizona
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chess player
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
who has achieved the FIDE Woman Grandmaster and International Master titles.
She is a three-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion
U.S. Women's Chess Championship
The U.S. Women's Chess Championship tournament is to determine the woman chess champion of the United States.-List of U.S. Women's Chess Champions:*1937 Adele Rivero*1938 Mona May Karff*1940 Adele Rivero*1941 Mona May Karff*1942 Mona May Karff...
, with victories in 1995, 1996, and 1999.
Belakovskaia, a native of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, won the Women's Championships of Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and graduated from the Odessa Agricultural University with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and accounting.
In July 1991 she came to the U.S. to play in the World Open in Philadelphia.
Flying into New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with little money and knowing only a few words of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, her first job in the U.S. was slicing watermelons.
She also won money from the chess hustlers at Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is one of the best-known of New York City's 1,900 public parks. At 9.75 acres , it is a landmark in the Manhattan neighborhood of Greenwich Village, as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity...
, and she says that “Two, five and ten dollars per game” were the first English words she learned in the U.S.
She won $35 the first day, but soon the hustlers would no longer play her as they had lost too much money.
Belakovskaia opened a chess school for children and learned more English.
A bit role in the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Searching for Bobby Fischer is a 1993 film based on the life of prodigy chess player Joshua Waitzkin, played by Max Pomeranc. Adapted from the book of the same name by Joshua's father Fred, the film was written and directed by Steven Zaillian...
" earned her enough money to pay an immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
lawyer for a green card
United States Permanent Resident Card
United States lawful permanent residency refers to a person's immigration status: the person is authorized to live and work in the United States of America on a permanent basis....
.
In 1993 she was awarded the FIDE Woman Grandmaster title (WGM).
Belakovskaia won the New York Women's Chess Championship three times and played on the U.S. team in the Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s in 1994, 1996, and 1998.
In 1995 she won the first of her three US Women's Chess Championship titles, tying for first with Sharon Burtman.
The next year she won the title outright, and in 1999 she became champion for the third time.
Belakovskaia became a naturalized U.S. citizen
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
on November 24, 1999.
In 2000, Anjelina Belakovskaia was Honored by Howard Golden
Howard Golden
Howard Golden was the long-time Democratic borough president of Brooklyn serving from 1977 to December 31, 2001. Prior to becoming Brooklyn Borough President, Golden served as City Councilman for the Borough Park section of Brooklyn...
- President of Brooklyn, City of New York - for superlative skills and outstanding achievement.
In addition to her chess career, Belakovskaia worked as a currency trader, and later in the stock market.
She began graduate work at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1999, and in 2001 earned a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Mathematics in Finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
(her Master's Project was "Basket Default Swap in the Emerging Markets").
Belakovskaia met her future husband Lawrence Bernstein at the Marshall Chess Club
Marshall Chess Club
The Marshall Chess Club in New York City is one of the oldest chess clubs in the United States, located in Greenwich Village. The club was formed in 1915 by a group of players led by Frank Marshall. It is a non-profit organization.-History:...
in 2000.
Soon thereafter, she got a position as a weather derivatives
Weather derivatives
Weather derivatives are financial instruments that can be used by organizations or individuals as part of a risk management strategy to reduce risk associated with adverse or unexpected weather conditions...
trader
Trader (finance)
A trader is someone in finance who buys and sells financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, commodities and derivatives. A broker who simply fills buy or sell orders is not a trader, as they are merely executing instructions given to them. According to the Wall Street Journal in 2004, a managing...
at Williams Cos.
Williams Companies
The Williams Companies, Inc. is an energy company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its core business is natural gas exploration, production, processing, and transportation, with additional petroleum and electricity generation assets...
in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. In May 2001, Belakovskaia became the head of the Weather Derivatives desk at Williams EM&T (Energy, Marketing and Trading). There, she was recognized as “Best Female Employee” for her contribution to Company’s success.
After the Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
collapse and the sharp deterioration of energy industry in 2002, Belakovskaia returned to the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
/ New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
area.
Anjelina Belakovskaia and Lawrence Bernstein were married on board the Coral Princess
Coral Princess
The Coral Princess is a cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises line. The vessel, along with sister ship Island Princess, was launched in 2002. The Coral Princess and Island Princess are the only two Panamax ships operated by Princess Cruises. She holds the highest paid toll to pass...
in February 2003.
Now Belakovskaia lives with her husband and three children - Brian, Connor and Ariela - in the Catalina Foothills
Catalina Foothills, Arizona
Catalina Foothills is a census-designated place located north of Tucson in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Situated in the southern foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Catalina Foothills had a population of 53,794 at the 2000 census...
of Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. She is currently teaching finance classes at the Eller College of Management
Eller College of Management
The Eller College of Management is a business and public administration school at the University of Arizona located in Tucson, Arizona. The Eller College of Management began in 1913 as bachelor's degree program in commerce before becoming the University of Arizona School of Business and Public...
at The University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. In addition, Belakovskaia runs Catalina Foothills Chess Academy, that she opened in the summer of 2010 at Mathnasium Catalina Foothills. Also, known as 'Foothills Insider', Belakovskaia runs her own luxury real estate business in strategic alliance with Jerimiah Taylor's Team of Keller Williams Southern Arizona
Keller Williams Realty
Keller Williams Realty is a real estate franchise organization in the United States and Canada. It has its headquarters in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1983 by Gary Keller and Joe Williams....
.
External links
- Chessbase.com news article on Anjelina Belakovskaia
- Statistics at ChessWorld.net
- Anjelina's Eller College of Management page
- Belakovskaia's Catalina Foothills Chess Academy
- Anjelina's Catalina Foothills Real Estate Site
- Belakovskaia's Catalina Foothills Homes Blog
- Anjelina Belakovskaia personal website