Yelena Dembo
Encyclopedia
Yelena Dembo is a Greek International Master of chess. On the May 2010 FIDE rating list for women, she is ranked 31st in the world, with a rating of 2470. She became a Woman Grandmaster when she was seventeen years old, and an International Master at age nineteen. She is also a chess teacher and author.
among boys under twelve, enabling her to become a rated chess-player.
Dembo's mother is a USSR Master of Sports in chess, a linguist, chess journalist and trainer. In the past she won gold and silver medals in the USSR Chess Championship
s and was Russian Champion at 'Under 20' level in 1967. She also played for Israel at the 1992 Chess Olympiad
in Manila
, Philippines. Dembo's father is a professional pianist, who graduated from Leningrad Academy of Music, but is also a chess trainer, journalist and psychologist. He has been her trainer ever since she was three years old.
At seven years of age, her family emigrated to Israel
and the young Dembo was Israeli girls' champion five times, including once in the 'Under 20' category.
While living in Hungary between 2001 and 2003, she won the Hungarian Women's Championship
. At the end of 2003 she moved to Athens, Greece where on May 12, 2004 she married Sotiris Logothetis, a business consultant and chess organizer.
She has eight medals from World and European championships, including the 2002 European Rapid Championship gold medal for girls 'Under 20', gained in Novi Sad
and, most significantly, the bronze medal from the Women's European Individual Chess Championship (held Moldova, 2005). At the 2008 EU Individual Open Chess Championship
held in Liverpool
, she shared the prize for 'highest placed woman' with Jovanka Houska
and Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
.
A keen player of team events, Dembo has participated in men’s and women’s leagues in the following countries: Israel, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, UK, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey. At Olympiads and at the European Team Championship
s, she has represented both Hungary and Greece.
She is also a writer on chess and has so far produced two (English text) books for the publisher Everyman Chess
.
, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik
, Alexei Shirov
, Emil Sutovsky
etc.) on each method.
The chapter breakdown is as follows:
Dembo's second book is titled Conversation with a Professional Trainer - Methods of Positional Play. Her third book was Play the Grünfeld,published by Everyman Chess, ISBN 9781857445213. Her fourth book (in 2008) was Fighting the Anti-King's Indians: How to Handle White's Tricky Ways of Avoiding the Main Lines, published by Everyman Chess, ISBN 9781857445756
Family background
Dembo first began to read when she was two-and-a-half years old and at the age of three years and nine months, played for the first time in a chess tournamentChess tournament
A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition among serious players.Today, the most recognized chess...
among boys under twelve, enabling her to become a rated chess-player.
Dembo's mother is a USSR Master of Sports in chess, a linguist, chess journalist and trainer. In the past she won gold and silver medals in the USSR Chess Championship
USSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
s and was Russian Champion at 'Under 20' level in 1967. She also played for Israel at the 1992 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...
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines. Dembo's father is a professional pianist, who graduated from Leningrad Academy of Music, but is also a chess trainer, journalist and psychologist. He has been her trainer ever since she was three years old.
At seven years of age, her family emigrated to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the young Dembo was Israeli girls' champion five times, including once in the 'Under 20' category.
Chess and coaching career
Much of her time is spent working as a chess coach. Her parents created a chess academy attended by more than one hundred students from thirty plus countries including Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Hungary, UK, US, Canada, Israel, China, India, Malaysia, Brunei, Syria, Kuwait and Ireland. The level of their students ranges from those who are unrated to those Elo rated 2500.While living in Hungary between 2001 and 2003, she won the Hungarian Women's Championship
Hungarian Chess Championship
The inaugural Hungarian Chess Championship was held in the city of Győr in 1906. Initially, there was no governing body responsible for its organisation, until the formation of the Hungarian Chess Federation. The HCF first appeared in 1911, but failed to establish itself properly until 1923...
. At the end of 2003 she moved to Athens, Greece where on May 12, 2004 she married Sotiris Logothetis, a business consultant and chess organizer.
She has eight medals from World and European championships, including the 2002 European Rapid Championship gold medal for girls 'Under 20', gained in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
and, most significantly, the bronze medal from the Women's European Individual Chess Championship (held Moldova, 2005). At the 2008 EU Individual Open Chess Championship
EU Individual Open Chess Championship
The EU Individual Open Championship was first contested in Cork, Ireland in 2005, under the auspices of organising body, the European Chess Union . The event is open to members of chess federations within the European Union...
held in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, she shared the prize for 'highest placed woman' with Jovanka Houska
Jovanka Houska
Jovanka Houska is an English chess player with the titles International Master and Woman Grandmaster .-Formative years:...
and Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant
Ketevan Revazovna Arakhamia-Grant is a Georgian -born Scottish Grandmaster of chess.-Chess career:...
.
A keen player of team events, Dembo has participated in men’s and women’s leagues in the following countries: Israel, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, UK, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey. At Olympiads and at the European Team Championship
European Team Championship
The European Team Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of European nations whose chess federations are located in zones 1.1 to 1.9...
s, she has represented both Hungary and Greece.
She is also a writer on chess and has so far produced two (English text) books for the publisher Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess is a major publisher of books and CDs about chess. The company was formerly called Cadogan Chess. "Everyman" is a registered trademark of Random House and the company headquarters is in London. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is their chief advisor and John Emms is the...
.
Books
Her first chess book, The Very Unusual Book About Chess, is about the middlegame and contains several interesting methods of playing this part of the game, complemented by many instructive examples by the world’s leading players (Garry KasparovGarry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
, Vishy Anand, Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
, Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov
Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
, Emil Sutovsky
Emil Sutovsky
Emil Sutovsky is an Israeli chess Grandmaster. He is one of the several top chess grandmasters who were born in Baku, Azerbaijan .-Successes:...
etc.) on each method.
The chapter breakdown is as follows:
- Gifted Moves (Gifted Ideas)
- Special Chapters (”Easy But Nice”)
- “Kasparov’s Rook”
- g5-g6 followed by h5-h6 in positions with opposite-side castlingCastlingCastling is a special move in the game of chess involving the king and either of the original rooks of the same color. It is the only move in chess in which a player moves two pieces at the same time. Castling consists of moving the king two squares towards a rook on the player's first rank, then...
- Kings Can Do Even The Impossible
- f4-f5 in the Sicilian DefenceSicilian DefenceThe Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
Dembo's second book is titled Conversation with a Professional Trainer - Methods of Positional Play. Her third book was Play the Grünfeld,published by Everyman Chess, ISBN 9781857445213. Her fourth book (in 2008) was Fighting the Anti-King's Indians: How to Handle White's Tricky Ways of Avoiding the Main Lines, published by Everyman Chess, ISBN 9781857445756
External links
- Yelena Dembo's official website.
- Yelena Dembo Interview on LatestChess 2008.