Irina Levitina

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Irina Levitina

Irina Levitina, 1984
Full name Ирина Соломоновна Левитина
Country Soviet Union
United States
Born (1954-06-08) June 8, 1954
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Title Woman Grandmaster
FIDE rating 2405 (February 2014)

Irina Solomonovna Levitina (born June 8, 1954) is a Russian-American chess and bridge player. In chess, she has been a World Championship Candidate in 1984 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 Kozlovskaya 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 (quarterfinal), 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).[1]

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.[2]

After her emigration to the United States, she has also been U.S. Women’s Champion in 1991 (jointly), 1992, and 1993 (jointly).[3]

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[4] and many national titles. As of April 2011 she ranks number 3 among Women World Grand Masters by the World Bridge Federation.[5]

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.[6]

Bridge accomplishments

Awards

  • Alpwater Award 1986

Wins

Runner-ups

Notable chess games

  • [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1431128, Nana G Alexandria vs Irina Levitina, Moscow cf (Women) 1975, Sicilian Defense: Kan, Knight Variation (B43), 0-1]
  • [http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1243350, Irina Levitina vs Goltsova, Sevastopol 1978, Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian, General (B30), 1-0]

See also

References

  1. ↑ World Chess Championship for Women
  2. ↑ Who's Who In Chess
  3. ↑ Past U.S. Women's Chess Champions
  4. ↑ World Bridge Fedaration website http://www.worldbridge.org
  5. ↑ Women World Grand Masters (table). World Bridge Federation.
  6. ↑ Alan Truscott's column, The New York Times

External links

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Preceded by
Elena Donaldson		 U.S. Women's Chess Champion
1991 (with Esther Epstein), 1992, and 1993 (with Elena Donaldson) 		Succeeded by
Elena Donaldson
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