Alisa Melekhina
Biography
About Alisa Melekhina
Few can claim to be a top-ranked chess player, a classically trained ballerina, and a published author before turning ten. Alisa Melekhina, an American of Russian origin, has achieved all that and more. She was born in Simferopol, Russian Federation, on June 26, 1991. When she was just two months old, her family immigrated to the United States, settling first in Brooklyn, New York, where her father worked on his dental re-accreditation. Five years later, they moved to Philadelphia, the city she has called home ever since.
At age five, her father, who remains her only coach, taught her to play chess. By seven, she was competing in her first tournament. Around the same time, she began taking Vaganova-style ballet lessons and has continued dancing ballet and pointe since. At six, she wrote "The Frog Princess," a translation of a popular Russian fairy tale, which was published when she was eight, making her a published author at that tender age. Her diverse talents have propelled her to the upper echelons of American chess; she is a frequent contender in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship and has represented the United States in numerous World Youth and Junior Championships, placing in the top ten each time. In 2014, she finished fifth at the U.S. Women's Championships.
Melekhina is also an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, graduating at 22 in May 2014. Her path blends intellectual rigor with artistic discipline. Short. As an author, dancer, and athlete, she continues to chart a distinctive course.
- BirthplaceSimferopol, Russian Federation
- Hair ColorBrown
Frequently asked
How did Alisa Melekhina become a published author at age eight?
At age six, she translated the Russian fairy tale "The Frog Princess" from Russian into English, and the translation was published when she was eight.
What is Alisa Melekhina's background in dance and chess?
She began Vaganova-style ballet lessons and chess training at age five (chess taught by her father), competed in her first chess tournament at seven, and has performed ballet and pointe since then.
What is her highest achievement in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship?
She finished fifth at the 2014 U.S. Women's Championships, which is her best known placement in that event per the available facts.
How did Alisa Melekhina's family come to the United States?
She was born in Simferopol, Russian Federation, and immigrated with her parents at two months old, first settling in Brooklyn, New York, while her father pursued dental re-accreditation, then moving to Philadelphia five years later.
Did you know
- Melekhina graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School at age 22, the same year she placed fifth at the U.S. Women's Championships.
- Her only chess coach has been her father, who taught her when she was five.
- She wrote "The Frog Princess" at age six, and the book was published two years later.
- Ballet training began at age five, same year as chess, and she has danced en pointe since.
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