For about as long as Rusudan Goletiani has been playing chess, she has been among the elite players, and that includes the eight years she has spent in the United States. The winner of the 2005 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship says she can’t pick out one or two highlights that stand out. “Every accomplishment means a lot,” she says, adding that her ultimate chess goal is to become a grandmaster.

In a tournament dominated by players in their late teens and early 20s, Camilla Baginskaite stands out. She is 42, making her five years older than anyone else in the field.  She says there’s a “very simple” explanation for the relatively few peers her age in the top ranks: “They don’t have time for that.” She calls her own time for practice “uneven,” adding, “Sometimes I don’t practice at all.” The rigors of chess also can take a toll on more seasoned players.

Alisa Melekhina was the youngest player in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship two years ago, and is still the youngest today.   That’s what you might expect from someone who started playing at age 5 and entered her first tournament at age 7.  In less than three years, she was winning prestigious international tournaments.

Alisa has already earned an International Master norm, which she considers her top chess accomplishment so far, but her ultimate goal is to become a grandmaster.

Battsetseg Tsagaan has the dream of many elite chess players: She wants to become a grandmaster. In pursuit of that, she has racked up an impressive string of tournament successes that have made her a household name in her native Mongolia.

But it’s not so easy these days. She’s kept busy as a wife and mother to two children. She says balancing chess with the rest of her life is the most difficult challenge she faces.