Details & Register:

WHEN: Thursday, March 31, 2022

TIME: 8 PM - 9 PM Central Time via ZOOM

REGISTER: https://forms.gle/4CP7MAP3JTdQZX5W6

Meet FM/WIM Alisa Melekhina and NM Laura Smith in this virtual event with Queens United Chess! They will present about their experiences in chess and there will be time for live audience Q&A at the end.

This event is open to the general public and will take place via Zoom on Thursday, March 31, 2022 from 8pm-9pm CT, in honor of Women's History Month. Participant capacity is limited, so please register here at your earliest convenience to receive the Zoom link.

Read more about FM/WIM Alisa Melekhina here:

Alisa Melekhina is a nationally and internationally-ranked chess master. She started playing chess at age 5, and has represented the U.S. in world championship events throughout her career. Alisa won a gold medal at the World Team Championships in Ningbo, China in 2009. She has competed all over the world in countries such as Spain, Greece, Turkey, Argentina, Ecuador, Georgia, Poland, Switzerland, and France. She was a regular competitor and top finisher at the annual U.S. Women’s Chess Championships in St. Louis. Alisa primarily competes in the open chess tournament circuit, where she is often one of the few top female contenders.

Alisa is also a prolific chess author and lecturer. She has widely published articles on chess theory, and the application of chess thinking and skills on careers and education. Alisa wrote a book on these topics in 2017 called Reality Check: What the Ancient Game of Chess Can Teach You About Modern Competitive Settings.

Outside of chess, Alisa finished college at age 19, graduating from Drexel University in Philadelphia. She then started at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and graduated in 2014. Since then, Alisa has been practicing full-time as a corporate litigator at a top international law firm headquartered in NYC. There, Alisa founded the New York City Corporate Chess League. Alisa is also a classically trained dancer in ballet, since the age when she first learned chess.

Read more about NM Laura Smith here:

Laura Smith, formerly Laura Ross when she competed, is an American chess player. She holds the title of National Master and is also a Women’s FIDE Master in chess. Laura was the first American female to head a "Top 100 Players" list of both male and female players, as published by the USCF (United States Chess Federation). In April 2002, she became the highest rated 13-year-old, male or female, in the US. She also competed in the U.S. Women’s Championship multiple times.

After college, Laura taught for the non-profit Chess-in-the-Schools and enjoyed teaching so much that she went on to earn her Master's in Childhood Education. She is now a teacher in Brooklyn, affiliated with the Step Method, and also taught the U.S. Chess Women’s Beginner class.