Almira Skripchenko

Almira Skripchenko (born 17 February 1976) is a Moldovan-French chess player who holds the titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She won the European Women's Individual Chess Championship in 2001, and is a seven-time French Women's Chess Champion.

Almira Skripchenko
Skripchenko in 2010
CountryMoldova (until 2001)[1]
France (since 2002)
Born (1976-02-17) 17 February 1976
Kishinev, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union
Title
Peak rating2501 (January 2003)

Chess

Born in Kishinev to a Ukrainian father and an Armenian mother, both pedagogues and chess coaches, Skripchenko started playing chess when she was 6 years old.[2] Her mother Naira Agababyan was 7-times Moldovan women's chess champion.[3]

In 1991, Moldova became independent from the Soviet Union. This meant that Skripchenko could take part for the first time in the World Youth Chess Championships. She was crowned World Under-16 girls champion in 1992 at Duisburg, Germany[4] and in 1993, she took the bronze medal at the World Under-18 girls championship.[5]

She married French Grandmaster Joël Lautier in 1997 and consequently moved to live in France. Despite separating from Lautier in 2002, she became a French citizen in 2001 and continued to make France her home. Skripchenko then married French Grandmaster Laurent Fressinet and in January 2007, gave birth to a daughter.[6]

In 2001, at 25 years old, she celebrated her biggest success ever, winning the Women's European Individual Chess Championship.[7] She was at this time chosen "best sportsperson in 2001 in Moldova" and decorated with the Order of National Merit in her native country.

In 2004, she won the North Urals Cup, the second international super-tournament for female chess players. Held in Krasnoturinsk, the nine-round single round-robin tournament featured ten of the strongest female players in the world. Skripchenko finished a half point ahead of Maia Chiburdanidze, the former Women's World Champion, and also defeated her in their individual encounter. In 2005, she won the Accentus Ladies Tournament in Biel. Skripchenko reached the quarter-finals at the Women's World Chess Championship in 2000, 2001 and 2010.[8]

Living in Paris and representing France in tournaments since 2002,[1] Skripchenko has become a noted ambassador for the game in Europe. She competed in the Men's French Individual Championship (2002, 2003). She won the Ladies' French Chess Championship in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010,[6][9] 2012[10] and 2015. In team play, she won the French National Chess League with NAO Chess Club (2003 and 2004) and with Clichy Echecs (2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013) and the German Chess Bundesliga with Werder Bremen (2005). Her career victories also include three Nationale ladies titles (which she earned with Baden-Oos in 2003, 2004, and 2005) and five European Club Cup victories with Cercle d'échecs de Monte-Carlo (in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013).[11]

Almira Skripchenko has taken part in several Chess Olympiads (with Moldova, then with France), each time playing on her team's top board. She is also a member of the ACP Board (Association of Chess Professionals).

Poker

Skripchenko has also played in major poker tournaments. In 2009, she finished seventh in a World Series of Poker No Limit Texas hold 'em tournament, winning $78,664.[2][12] In 2011, she won $50,000 when she finished second in the World Poker Tour celebrity invitational tournament.[13][14] Her poker tournament winnings exceed $250,000.[10][15]

Shogi

Skripchenko also plays shogi.[16][17]

Notes
  1. "Transfers in 2002". FIDE. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. Derbyshire, Martin (October 5, 2009). "Checkmate: Chess master Skripchenko finds the felt". PokerListings.com. Gzira, Malta: Rock Intention Malta. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  3. Moldovan Chess Championship
  4. "Duisburg 1992 - 10° World Championship u16 (girls)". BrasilBase.
  5. "C.to Mondiale U18 femminile". LOTO - Lost Tournaments. Italian Chess Federation. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  6. McClain, Dylan Loeb (August 22, 2010). "An Unusual Double: Husband and Wife Win French Chess Championships". The New York Times. New York City, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  7. McClain, Dylan Loeb (May 4, 2008). "Frenchwoman Wins Attention at an Event Dominated by Men". The New York Times. New York City, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  8. McClain, Dylan Loeb (December 25, 2010). "At Title Event, Asian Women Pursue World Domination". The New York Times. New York City, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  9. Kavalek, Lubomir (October 10, 2010). "Chess Bundesliga Kicks Off". The Huffington Post. New York City, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  10. McClain, Dylan Loeb (September 1, 2012). "Taking a Break From Poker to Win a Championship". The New York Times. New York City, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  11. Kavalek, Lubomir (October 27, 2013). "Mighty Underdogs of the European Chess Club Cup". The Huffington Post. New York City, New York. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  12. "No-Limit Hold'em (Event 36)". wsop.com. Las Vegas, Nevada: Caesers Interactive Entertainment. June 20, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  13. Perelman, Rob (March 3, 2011). "LA Poker Classic 2011 Event #44 WPT Invitational Final Results". Commercetournaments.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  14. Holloway, Chad (May 30, 2011). "World Poker Tour on FSN: The WPT Celebrity Invitational Part II". PokerNews.com. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  15. "Almira Skripchenko". Hendon Mob database. Media Rex Enterprises. Retrieved August 15, 2014.
  16. Madoka Kitao (November 23, 2011). "Shogi Boom spreads across the borders!" (PDF). madoka-shogi.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03.
  17. "Simultaneous in Rueil-Malmaison with Anish Giri, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Almira Skripchenko". Shogi Association Paris. November 7, 2011.

References
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