Almira Skripchenko
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| Almira Skripchenko | |
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| Full name | Almira Skripchenko |
| Country |  France Moldova |
| Born | February 17, 1976 Chişinău, Moldova |
| Title | International Master Woman Grandmaster |
| FIDE rating | 2468 (November 2011) |
| Peak rating | 2498 (January 2002) |
Almira Skripchenko (born 17 February 1976, in Chişinău, Moldova) is a French chess player who has achieved the FIDE International Master and Woman Grandmaster titles. She won the second European Open Women's Chess Championship in 2001.
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[edit] Chess
The daughter of a Russian father and an Armenian mother, both pedagogues and chess coaches, Skripchenko started playing chess when she was 6 years old.
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 soon crowned champion at Under-16 level (1992, Duisburg, Germany) and in 1993, took the bronze at Under-18.
She married French Grandmaster Joël Lautier in 1997 and consequently moved to live in France. Despite separating from Lautier in 2003, 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.
In 2001, at 25 years old, she celebrated her biggest success ever, winning the individual ladies European championship. 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.
Living in Paris and representing France in tournaments since 2002, Skripchenko has become a noted ambassador for the game in Europe. She competed in the Men's French Individual Championship (2002, 2003). In 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010 she also won the Ladies' French Chess Championship. In team play, she won the French Nationale Chess League with celebrated club side NAO Chess Club (2003, 2004) 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 three European Club Cup victories with Cercle d'échecs de Monaco in 2007, 2008 and 2010.
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).
[edit] 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.[1] In 2011, she won $50,000 when she finished second in the World Poker Tour celebrity invitational tournament.[2] As of 2011, her live poker tournament winnings exceed $250,000.[3]
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Almira Skripchenko |
- Almira Skripchenko rating card at FIDE
- Almira Skripchenko player profile at ChessGames.com
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Chess International Masters
- Chess woman grandmasters
- Armenian chess players
- French chess players
- French people of Armenian descent
- Moldovan people of Armenian descent
- French people of Russian descent
- Moldovan chess players
- People from Chişinău
- World Youth Chess Champions
- French poker players
- Female poker players
- European Chess Champions
