Alisa Melekhina

Alisa Melekhina is a FIDE master and one of the top female players in the United States. She won a gold medal at the 2009 Women’s World Team Championships in Ningbo, China. Alisa has competed in the United States Women’s Championships eight times, finishing third in 2009 and fifth in 2014. She is currently an attorney in New York City, practicing in the fields of intellectual property and commercial litigation. She is author of “Reality Check,” a book that discusses successful competitive strategy on and off the chess board. Her Web site is alisamelekhina.com.

Recent news

“Women’s chess”: A misleading and counterproductive label

7/24/2017 – The label has settled into chess parlance, but its usage is a disservice to the inherent meritocracy of chess that all players appreciate. FM Alisa Melekhina argues it's time to let the term “women’s chess” fade into our patriarchal past | Photo: Doug Morisoli

Behind the Scenes of the Sinquefield Cup

9/10/2014 – The Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis not only boasted the strongest field in history, but also invested in a full-scale production to broadcast the tournament to a mass audience. Alisa Melekhina takes a behind-the-scenes glimpse while Tony Rich reveals which future high-level events the organization plans to host. Pictorial behind-the-scenes report.

Interview with GM Chuchelov - Caruana's Coach

9/7/2014 – ChessBase conducts an exclusive interview with the World’s strongest chess trainer. GM Vladimir Chuchelov has coached top players such as Van Wely, Radjabov, Giri, and is currently seconding Fabiano Caruana in the Sinquefield Cup. Read on to discover the insights into Caruana’s preparation to the strongest tournament in history. Interview by Alisa Melekhina.

Legal Moves: Melekhina on Chess & Law (Part 2)

9/4/2014 – Upon transitioning from the chess world into the law school world, Alisa Melekhina, one of the top female players in the US, noticed her chess results declining. In the second part of her article Alisa attempts to identify the unexpected cause of her descent, and describes her unique solution to remaining competitive and balancing her many pursuits. Read on.

Legal Moves: Melekhina on Chess & Law (Part one)

9/2/2014 – “Sorry you’re having a tough tournament, but you’re in law school now – it must be difficult to balance.” That’s essentially the mantra that Alisa Melekhina, one of the top US female players, has been hearing since she began at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. "In a way it’s a compliment," she says, "but in more ways it’s prognosticating defeat." Read her inspiring story.