Upon transitioning from the chess world into the law school world, Alisa noticed her chess results declining. In Part 2 she attempts to identify the unexpected cause of her descent. Read on to discover her unique solution to remaining competitive and balancing her many pursuits.
At Drexel, I went to class, did my assignments, went home, and continued with ballet and chess in the remaining time. Throughout law school, I covered all of my bases by attending all of the firm and alumni networking events, as well as becoming heavily involved in three on-campus groups and helping organize speaking events.
Fortunately, Penn lives up to its motto of being the most “collegial” law school. I’ve met lifelong friends and have encountered nothing but the utmost support and respect from my fellow classmates. I love working with teams of students as President of the Penn Intellectual Property Group, Penn Law in the Arts, and Eastern European Law Students Association (EELSA). My favorite part of being involved in extra-curriculars is mentoring first and second-year students.
Getting occupied with law school events, here during a Law School Charity Gala in February
It’s not that juggling studies and event-planning completely depleted any time I could devote to chess. Rather, it warped my sense of priorities. Why practice an opening or play on ICC when there is always more reading that can be done?
2014 National Open, Las Vegas [photo Mike Klein]
I continued to play in tournaments whenever I had a holiday break. However, I noticed that I cut out the small weekend quads I grew up with. I followed tournaments, but could rarely keep up with live theoretical developments. My understanding of chess culture and knowledge broadened, but the systematic approach I once commanded was shattered. Whereas the chess board used to feel like home, my first round of a tournament game felt foreign. The game below represents a depressing trend as of late: failing to convert advantages.
My results became very volatile. I could hold off a GM for a draw, but fall prey to a talented youngster in the same tournament. Even my favorite opening couldn’t help me out here:
When I was playing close to full-time during high school, I devoted about 4 hours a day to chess. In law school, I’d be lucky if I could devote 4 hours a week. I was playing in advanced 9-round tournaments without having properly trained. I could outplay stronger opponents up to a certain point in the game, but struggled to convert. It’s not that my chess skill was declining. It was growing, but it was a mutated growth without the proper nourishment of sustained study. What was missing was that glue that held everything together.
Giving a simul at "All The Kings Men" in 2010 at Pitman, New Jersey
Also missing was that passion I had for chess. Throughout law school, chess quickly became part of my identity among the student body. I continued to compete in tournaments more out of inertia, than genuine enjoyment. It took a while of being outside of the chess bubble to begin to truly appreciate the game again. I also now have a renewed respect for how complex it is to master the game, and for players who devote their livelihood toward that mastery. It was a community that instilled motivation, confidence, and the opportunity to experience diverse cultures. I’d like to find a way to continue being a part of that community throughout my career. Fortunately, there are now new ways for me to remain involved by writing articles and contributing instructional chess videos. Here is a sample:
Alisa Melekhina: Stunning your opponent in the Advanced French
My only regret is becoming complacent with the law school → career system. By enrolling in high school distance-learning and finding a way to begin law school at age 20, I was able to meet my goals by challenging convention. Typical routes for success are defaults. There is always an opportunity to customize them. To lead a fulfilling lifestyle where your time is truly your own, one must question convention and look outside his or her comfort zone.
After much grappling with the definition of success, I’ve come to the conclusion that flexibility holds the key. It’s the ability to structure your life according to your own strengths and pursuits, and not to a cookie-cutter lifestyle model.
Where does this leave me now? I recently had the revelation that entrepreneurship can provide that long-term flexibility. It’s invigorating to solve problems not only on a theoretical level, but to create an impact. Drawing from my troubles in finding summer housing for legal internships, I co-founded SubLite.net –a portal for verified student summer and semester sublet listings.
As evidence of how the chess community comes full circle, my partner, Yuanling Yuan (picture above), is a dear chess friend who is the top Canadian female player and studying business at Yale. We are applying all of the lessons we learned from chess, business, and law to continue beating the odds with a women-run business.
I’m still looking forward to beginning a new chapter in my life as I begin legal practice in NYC in October. However, working on a major side project gives me the peace of mind that I can still retain control. Entrepreneurship also involves a systematic approach. But this time I have more perspective – it’s all for the sake of having the flexibility to pursue my enduring passion of chess on my own terms.
Alisa Melekhina (photo by Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis) is a FIDE master with one International Master norm, one of the top female chess players in the US. 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 Chess Championships, where she has placed in the top ten. She placed fifth at the 2014 US Women's Championships. Alisa is a classically trained ballerina, and an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School aged 22, in May 2014, and recently took the NY State Bar in July.
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The United States Chess Federation (USCF) is the official, not-for-profit 501 US membership organization for chess players and chess supporters of all ages and strengths, from beginners to grandmasters. The mission is to empower people through chess, to enrich the lives of all persons and communities through increasing the play, study, and appreciation of the game of chess. Founded in 1939 with the merger of the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation to promote the, USCF has grown to over 80,000 members and 2,000+ affiliated chess clubs and organizations today.
