IM Anna Zatonskih

Bio: Anna Zatonskih is a four-time U.S. Women's Champion. At the 2011 U.S. Women's Championship, she played an astounding 19 games to secure her fourth title after beating Tatev Abrahamyan on tiebreaks. Two years ago, Zatonskih won the U.S. Women's Championship with a dominating score of 8.5/9, but last year IM irina Krush thwarted her effort to repeat as champion. Although the two have been cultivating an exciting rivalry over the past few years, Krush and Zatonskih will join forces in an effort to help the women to victory.

Zatonskih is described in a U.S. Chess Federation biography as an intense competitor who has trouble sleeping at night during tournaments because she ponders the next day’s games. Other than her four U.S. Women's Championship titles, Anna said her chess highlights include the 2004 silver medal and the 2008 bronze she helped the U.S. team win at the Chess Olympics.

Outside of the chess, Anna has a variety of interests from bicycling to ping pong to scuba diving. She even played an underwater match while in scuba gear on a giant board. The game couldn’t go longer than 50 minutes, but she played to a draw. Coached by her husband, German Grandmaster Daniel Fridman, Anna comes into the tournament in the hopes of securing her fourth title.