IM Irina Krush

Bio: Irina Krush is a three-time U.S. Women's Champion and the youngest-ever Women's Champion at age 14 (1998).  In 2008 she received a Samford Chess Fellowship, which allowed her to concentrate on chess full time.She says she looks forward to chess matches but doesn’t spend much time contemplating her chess success or failures. “I’m more attached to my future accomplishments.” She said she enjoys the challenge of playing grandmasters most. “When you beat a strong GM, that's when you feel like you can play chess.” Krush was the only female player to compete in the 2010 U.S. Championship and turned in an impressive 12th-place finish, narrowly missing another GM norm.

Her performance at the 2010 U.S. Women's Championship just a few months later delivered her third title and further cemented her as one the top players in the nation.

While Irina has a degree in international relations from NYU, she is currently concentrating on playing chess full time. Irina is focused on achieving the GM title, and is working toward making a career out of chess by playing, teaching and writing about it. Her recent successes have proven that she has a bright future ahead of her.

But Irina is far from one-dimensional. Tennis, hip-hop, reading, writing, yoga all provide healthy distractions. She will be a key player for the women's team as they attempt to prove to the men that the Queens reign supreme.