Irina Levitina
Encyclopedia
Irina Solomonovna Levitina (born June 8, 1954, Leningrad
, USSR) is a Russian-American
chess
and bridge
player. In chess, she has been a World Championship Candidate and gained the title Woman Grandmaster. In contract bridge she has been five times the World Champion.
6,5 : 5,5 in Kislovodsk
(semifinal match). In 1975, she lost to Nana Alexandria
8 : 9 in a final match in Moscow
. In 1977, she lost to Alla Kushnir
3 : 6 in a quarterfinal match in Dortmund
.
In 1982, she took 2nd in Tbilisi
(interzonal). In 1983, she beat Nona Gaprindashvili
6 : 4 in Lvov (qurterfinal), and Alexandria 7,5 : 6,5 in Dubna
(semifinal). In 1984, she beat Lidia Semenova
7 : 5 in Sochi
(final) and became World Women's Championship Challenger. Levitina lost to Maia Chiburdanidze
5½ : 8½ in a title match at Volgograd
1984.
In 1986, she took 7th in Malmö
(Candidates Tournament; Elena Akhmilovskaya won). In 1987, she tied for 2nd-4th in Smederevska Palanka
(interzonal). In 1988, she tied for 3rd-4th in Chaltubo (Candidates). In 1991, she tied for 3rd-4th in Subotica
(interzonal). In 1992, she took 6th in Shanghai
(Candidates; Susan Polgar
won).
She was the Soviet Women's Champion
four times—in 1971, 1978 (jointly), 1979, and 1981, who was not allowed to play in the 1979 Women's Interzonal in Buenos Aires
and for the World Women's Championship because her brother immigrated (legally) to Israel
.
After her emigration to the United States
, she has also been U.S. Women’s Champion
in 1991 (jointly), 1992, and 1993 (jointly).
Awarded the titles of WIM in 1972, and WGM in 1976.
.
In 1986, Levitina won the Alpwater Award for the best played hand of the year by a woman player, becoming the first Soviet citizen to win a bridge award.
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, USSR) is a Russian-American
Russian American
Russian Americans are primarily Americans who traces their ancestry to Russia. The definition can be applied to recent Russian immigrants to the United States, as well as to settlers of 19th century Russian settlements in northwestern America which includes today's California, Alaska and...
chess
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...
and bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
player. In chess, she has been a World Championship Candidate and gained the title Woman Grandmaster. In contract bridge she has been five times the World Champion.
Chess career
In 1973, she tied for 2nd-5th in Menorca (interzonal). In 1974, she beat Valentina KozlovskayaValentina Kozlovskaya
Valentina Kozlovskaya is a Russian chess Woman Grandmaster , and the 1996 Senior Women's World Chess Champion.She won the Women's Soviet Chess Championship in 1965. She came 2nd in the 1967 Women's Candidates Tournament. In the same year she placed 2nd to Nona Gaprindashvili in a women's...
6,5 : 5,5 in Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk
Kislovodsk is a city in Stavropol Krai, Russia, which lies in the North Caucasian region of the country, between the Black and Caspian Seas. The closest airport is located in the city of Mineralnye Vody. Population:...
(semifinal match). In 1975, she lost to Nana Alexandria
Nana Alexandria
Nana Alexandria is a Georgian chess Woman Grandmaster and International Arbiter . She was the challenger in two matches for the Women's World Chess Championship....
8 : 9 in a final match in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. In 1977, she lost to Alla Kushnir
Alla Kushnir
Alla Shulimovna Kushnir is a Russian–born Israeli chess Woman Grandmaster.Kushnir was thrice Women's World Chess Championship Challenger. She lost matches for the title to Nona Gaprindashvili:* +3 –7 =3 at Riga 1965;* +2 –6 =5 at Tbilisi–Moscow 1969;...
3 : 6 in a quarterfinal match in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
.
In 1982, she took 2nd in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
(interzonal). In 1983, she beat Nona Gaprindashvili
Nona Gaprindashvili
Nona Gaprindashvili is a Georgian chess player, the sixth women's world chess champion , and first female Grandmaster. Born in Zugdidi, Georgia , she was the strongest female player of her generation....
6 : 4 in Lvov (qurterfinal), and Alexandria 7,5 : 6,5 in Dubna
Dubna
Dubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd , being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research centre and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country. It is also home to MKB Raduga, a defence aerospace company...
(semifinal). In 1984, she beat Lidia Semenova
Lidia Semenova
Lidia K Semenova is a Ukrainian chess Woman Grandmaster.In 1978, she won Women's Soviet Chess Championship. In 1981, she tied for 1st-4th in Leningrad . In 1982, she took 2nd in Bad Kissingen...
7 : 5 in Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
(final) and became World Women's Championship Challenger. Levitina lost to Maia Chiburdanidze
Maia Chiburdanidze
Maia Chiburdanidze is a Georgian chess grandmaster, and the seventh Women's World Chess Champion. She is the only chess player in history who has won nine Chess Olympiads....
5½ : 8½ in a title match at Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
1984.
In 1986, she took 7th in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
(Candidates Tournament; Elena Akhmilovskaya won). In 1987, she tied for 2nd-4th in Smederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka is a town and municipality located in Central Serbia. According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the municipality had a total population of 50,078, while the town proper has 23,152 inhabitants.-Geography:Smederevska Palanka lies in Pan-European Corridor X , just...
(interzonal). In 1988, she tied for 3rd-4th in Chaltubo (Candidates). In 1991, she tied for 3rd-4th in Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
(interzonal). In 1992, she took 6th in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
(Candidates; Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar is a Hungarian-American chess Grandmaster...
won).
She was the Soviet Women's Champion
Women's Soviet Chess Championship
The Women's Soviet Chess Championship was played in the Soviet Union from 1927 through 1989 to determine the women's chess national champion.-List of winners:Winners of more titles* 5 titles : Valentina Borisenko, Nona Gaprindashvili...
four times—in 1971, 1978 (jointly), 1979, and 1981, who was not allowed to play in the 1979 Women's Interzonal in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and for the World Women's Championship because her brother immigrated (legally) to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
After her emigration to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, she has also been U.S. Women’s 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...
in 1991 (jointly), 1992, and 1993 (jointly).
Awarded the titles of WIM in 1972, and WGM in 1976.
Bridge career
Levitina is now a professional bridge player. She has won 5 world champion titles in women's bridge and many national titles. As of April 2011 she ranks number 3 among Women World Grand Masters by the World Bridge FederationWorld Bridge Federation
The World Bridge Federation is the world governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competition, most of which is conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle...
.
In 1986, Levitina won the Alpwater Award for the best played hand of the year by a woman player, becoming the first Soviet citizen to win a bridge award.
Wins
- Venice CupVenice CupThe World Teams Championship in contract bridge for women players only is also known as the Venice Cup, because the first edition was held in Venice, Italy in 1974.It is held every two years, in parallel to the Open World Teams Championship, the Bermuda Bowl....
(1) 2007 - World Women Team OlympiadWorld Team OlympiadThe World Team Olympiad was a contract bridge meet organized by the World Bridge Federation every four years from 1960 to 2004. Its main events were world championships for national teams, always including one open and one restricted to women...
(1) 1996 - McConnell CupMcConnell CupMcConnell Cup is a team event for woman held every four years as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. The event was inaugurated in 1994 and is named in honor of Ruth McConnell, former treasurer for the World Bridge Federation and former president of the American Contract Bridge League...
(1) 2002 - World Women's PairsWorld Women Pairs ChampionshipThe World Women Pairs Championship is a bridge championship held every four years as part of the World Bridge Championships. It is restricted to women pairs only.-Results:World meets commonly run for 15 days on a schedule whose details vary....
(1) 2006 - Transnational Mixed TeamsWorld Mixed Teams ChampionshipThe World Mixed Teams Championship is a bridge competition for teams of mixed pairs. At every table, two teams are always represented by a mixed pair, one man and one woman....
(1) 2000 - North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge Championships are three annual bridge conventions sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League . The "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall" NABCs are usually scheduled in March, July, and November for about eleven days. They comprise both championship and side contests of...
(9)- Women's Swiss TeamsMachlin Women's Swiss TeamsThe Machlin Women's Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(3) 2001, 2005, 2007 - Women's Board-a-Match TeamsSternberg Women's Board-a-Match TeamsThe Sternberg Women's Board-a-Match Teams bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship and is a four session board-a-match event, two qualifying sessions and two final sessions...
(3) 2004, 2006, 2008 - Women's Knockout TeamsWagar Women's Knockout TeamsThe Wagar Women's Knockout Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Wagar Women's Knockout Teams is a knock-out team event....
(3) 1993, 1995, 2008
- Women's Swiss Teams
- United States Bridge Championships (5)
- Women's Team Trials (5) 1996, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009
Runner-ups
- McConnell CupMcConnell CupMcConnell Cup is a team event for woman held every four years as part of the World Bridge Series Championships. The event was inaugurated in 1994 and is named in honor of Ruth McConnell, former treasurer for the World Bridge Federation and former president of the American Contract Bridge League...
(1) 2006 - North American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge ChampionshipsNorth American Bridge Championships are three annual bridge conventions sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League . The "Spring", "Summer", and "Fall" NABCs are usually scheduled in March, July, and November for about eleven days. They comprise both championship and side contests of...
(5)- North American Swiss TeamsKeohane North American Swiss TeamsThe Keohane North American Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 1995 - Women's Swiss TeamsMachlin Women's Swiss TeamsThe Machlin Women's Swiss Teams national bridge championship is held at the spring American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship ....
(1) 2008 - Women's Board-a-Match TeamsSternberg Women's Board-a-Match TeamsThe Sternberg Women's Board-a-Match Teams bridge championship is held at the fall American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship and is a four session board-a-match event, two qualifying sessions and two final sessions...
(1) 2001 - Women's Knockout TeamsWagar Women's Knockout TeamsThe Wagar Women's Knockout Teams national bridge championship is held at the summer American Contract Bridge League North American Bridge Championship .The Wagar Women's Knockout Teams is a knock-out team event....
(2) 1998, 2004
- North American Swiss Teams
- United States Bridge Championships (3)
- Women's Team Trials (3) 2000, 2004, 2008
Notable chess games
- Nana G Alexandria vs Irina Levitina, Moscow cf (Women) 1975, Sicilian Defense: Kan, Knight Variation (B43), 0-1
- Irina Levitina vs Goltsova, Sevastopol 1978, Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian, General (B30), 1-0
External links
- Irina Levitina player record at the World Bridge FederationWorld Bridge FederationThe World Bridge Federation is the world governing body of contract bridge. The WBF is responsible for world championship competition, most of which is conducted at a few multi-event meets on a four-year cycle...
- Controversy over anti-Bush placard