View source for Irina Krush

{{Short description|American chess grandmaster (born 1983)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox chess biography
| name = Irina Krush
| image = Krush Irina (30073356050) (cropped).jpg
| caption = Krush at the [[42nd Chess Olympiad]], 2016
| birth_name = Irina Borisivna Krush
| country = United States
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1983|12|24}}
| birth_place = [[Odesa]], Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
| title = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (2013)
| rating = <!-- automatically displayed via FideID parameter for ratings of 2400+ -->
| peakrating = 2502 (October 2013)
| FideID = 2012782
}}

'''Irina Borisivna Krush''' ({{langx|uk|Ірина Борисівна Круш}}; born December 24, 1983) is an American [[chess]] [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]]. She is the only woman to earn the GM title while playing for the United States.<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/sports/chess-coronavirus-irina-krush.html |title=A Chess Prodigy's Return to Health Brings Cheer to the Game |work=[[The New York Times]] |first=David |last=Waldstein |date=May 27, 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527071036/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/sports/chess-coronavirus-irina-krush.html |archive-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>{{efn|[[Susan Polgar]], affiliated to the U.S. federation 2002–2019, became a Grandmaster in 1991 while affiliated with the Hungarian federation.}} Krush is an eight-time [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Champion]] and a two-time [[American Cup (chess)|Women's American Cup Champion]].

==Early life==
Irina Krush was born into a [[Jewish]] family in [[Odesa]], [[Soviet Union|USSR]] (now [[Ukraine]]), and emigrated with her parents to [[Brooklyn]] in 1989. Her father, a college chess player, taught Irina the game. When she was 6, she won her first tournament, and at the age of 7 she represented the U.S. at the [[World Youth Chess Championship#Under-10 winners|World Youth Championships for girls under 10]] in Poland.<ref name="New York Times" />

==Chess career==
At age 14, Krush won the 1998 [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship]] to become the youngest U.S. women's champion ever. She has won the championship on seven other occasions, in 2007,<ref name="bird">{{Cite web |url=http://www.uschess.org/index.php/October/Krush-Wins-Her-Second-Championship.html |title=Krush Wins Her Second Championship |website=uschess.org |publisher=[[United States Chess Federation]] |access-date=}}</ref> 2010,<ref name="chessbase2010">{{Cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/saint-louis-irina-krush-us-women-s-champion-2010 |title=Saint Louis: Irina Krush US Women's Champion 2010 |date=July 20, 2010 |website=Chess News}}</ref> 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uschesschamps.com/bio/krush |title=Irina Krush Bio |website=uschesschamps.com |publisher=Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis |access-date=May 28, 2012}}</ref>

In 1999, Krush took part in the "[[Kasparov versus the World]]" chess competition. [[Garry Kasparov]] played the white pieces and the Internet public, via a [[Microsoft]] host website, voted on moves for the black pieces, guided by the recommendations of Krush and three of her contemporaries, [[Étienne Bacrot]], [[Elisabeth Pähtz]] and [[Florin Felecan]]. On the tenth move, Krush suggested a {{chessgloss|theoretical novelty|novelty}}, for which the World team voted.  Kasparov said later that he lost control of the game at that point, and wasn't sure whether he was winning or losing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/kasparov-versus-the-world/ |title=Kasparov versus the World {{!}} Michael Nielsen |website=michaelnielsen.org |date=August 21, 2007 |access-date=April 30, 2016}}</ref>

Krush played in the Group C of the 2008 [[Corus Chess Tournament]], a 14-player [[round-robin tournament]] held in [[Wijk aan Zee]], the Netherlands. She finished in joint fifth place having scored 7/13 points after five wins (including the one against the eventual winner, [[Fabiano Caruana]]), four draws and four losses.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/wijk-r13-aronian-carlsen-win-wijk-aan-zee-2008 |title=Wijk R13: Aronian, Carlsen win Wijk aan Zee 2008 |date=January 27, 2008 |publisher=ChessBase |access-date=April 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.uschess.org/content/view/8160/431 |title=Carlsen and Aronian Win Corus |work=[[Chess Life Online]]  |last=Shahade |first=Jennifer |author-link=Jennifer Shahade |date=January 28, 2008 |access-date=April 3, 2016}}</ref>

In 2013, she was awarded the Grandmaster title due to her results at the NYC Mayor's Cup International GM Tournament in 2001, Women's [[World Team Chess Championship]] 2013 and [[Baku]] Open 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.uschesschamps.com/2018-us-championships/2018-us-womens-championship/players |title=2018 U.S. Championships: Irina Krush |website=uschesschamps.com |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ratings.fide.com/ |title=GM title application |website=[[FIDE.com]] |access-date=2023-12-18 |at=Requires searching database with online interface}}</ref>

In 2022, she won the [[American Cup (chess)|2022 American Cup]] (Women's field) in a double-elimination format.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2022 American Cup – Day 9 Recap {{!}} www.uschesschamps.com |url=https://www.uschesschamps.com/2022-american-cup-recap/2022-american-cup-day-9-recap |access-date=June 3, 2022 |website=www.uschesschamps.com}}</ref>  She tied with [[Jennifer Yu (chess player)|Jennifer Yu]] in the 2022 U.S. Women's Chess Championship but lost the playoff.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/us-womens-championship-2022/16/1/1 |title=Krush, Irina vs. Yu, Jennifer — U.S. Women's Championship |website=chess24.com |date=2022 |access-date=December 28, 2022}}</ref>

=== Team competitions ===
Krush has played on the U.S. national team in the [[Women's Chess Olympiad]] since 1998. The U.S. team won the silver medal in [[36th Chess Olympiad|2004]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/susan-polgar-s-dream-comeback |title=Susan Polgar's dream comeback |date=November 11, 2004 |website=Chess News |publisher=ChessBase |access-date=June 5, 2019}}</ref> and bronze in [[38th Chess Olympiad|2008]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/olympiad-in-dresden-closing-ceremony-and-prize-giving |title=Olympiad in Dresden: Closing ceremony and prize giving |date=November 29, 2008 |website=Chess News |publisher=ChessBase |access-date=June 5, 2019}}</ref> In 2022, Krush was a member of the U.S. women's team at the [[44th Chess Olympiad]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://new.uschess.org/news/2022-us-olympiad-teams-revealed|access-date=2022-07-02|website=new.uschess.org/|title=2022 U.S. Olympiad Teams Revealed|archive-date=2022-06-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628064612/https://new.uschess.org/news/2022-us-olympiad-teams-revealed|url-status=dead}}</ref> where the team placed fourth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chess-Results Server Chess-results.com - 44th Chess Olympiad 2022 Women |url=https://chess-results.com/tnr653632.aspx?lan=1 |access-date=2023-01-05 |website=chess-results.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105114020/https://chess-results.com/tnr653632.aspx?lan=1|archive-date=2023-01-05}}</ref> She also competed as part of the US team in the Women's [[World Team Chess Championship]] in 2009 and 2013.

She played for the team Manhattan Applesauce in the [[U.S. Chess League]] in 2015; she previously played for the New York Knights (2005–2011, 2013).<ref>{{cite web |title=Irina Krush Profile |url=http://uschessleague.com/player.php?p=irina-krush |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114163149/http://uschessleague.com/player.php?p=irina-krush |archive-date=January 14, 2020 |access-date= |website=US Chess League}}</ref> Krush and her ex-husband, Canadian Grandmaster [[Pascal Charbonneau]],<ref name="bird" /> have played in the United Kingdom league for Guildford-ADC.

In May 2020, Krush played for the USA team in the [[FIDE]] Online Nations Cup.<ref name="New York Times" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://fide.com/news/503 |title=FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup Rosters: Team USA |website=[[FIDE.com]] |date=April 29, 2020 |access-date=}}</ref>

=== Writing ===
Krush frequently contributes articles to ''[[Chess Life]]'' magazine and ''uschess.org.''  Her article on earning her grandmaster title in 2013 was honored as the "Best of US Chess" that year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 28, 2014 |title=Best of CLO #1- Krush on Baku |url=https://www.uschess.org/index.php/January/Best-of-CLO-1-Krush-on-Baku.html |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=The United States Chess Federation}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Krush attended [[Edward R. Murrow High School]] in Brooklyn. She graduated in International Relations from [[New York University]] in 2006.<ref>[http://main.uschess.org/content/view/152/203 Top Player Bios: GM Irina Krush]. United States Chess Federation.</ref>

Krush identifies as a "Christian Jew", embracing both her Jewish heritage and Christian faith since her conversion in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jewish Christian U.S. chess champion |url=https://wng.org/articles/jewish-christian-u-s-chess-champion-1617296692 |website=wng.org |access-date=November 27, 2020}}</ref>

In March 2016, Krush appeared on the talk show ''[[Steve Harvey (TV series)|Steve Harvey]]'' along with two actresses impersonating Krush. The trio answered questions from host [[Steve Harvey]] and guest [[Hillary Clinton]] regarding her life and chess career. Harvey successfully identified the real Irina Krush.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/hillary-clinton-looking-for-irina-krush |title=Hillary Clinton: looking for Irina Krush |website=Chessbase.com |first=Frederic |last=Friedel |date=April 1, 2016}}</ref>

In March 2020, she was hospitalized and treated for a "moderate" [[COVID-19]] infection,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thechessmind.net/blog/2020/3/21/irina-krush-diagnosed-with-covid-19.html |title=Irina Krush, Diagnosed with COVID-19 |work=The Chess Mind |first=Dennis |last=Monokroussos |date=March 21, 2020}}</ref> then released to recover under quarantine at home.  While quarantined, she played in the Isolated Queens Swiss, an online women's [[blitz chess]] tournament.  She scored 7.5/10 in the tournament, putting her in joint second place, a half point behind tournament winner GM [[Alexandra Kosteniuk]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://new.uschess.org/news/kosteniuk-crowned-isolated-chess-queen-krush-recovers-covid-19/ |title=Kosteniuk crowned Isolated Queen as Krush recovers from COVID-19 |work=[[Chess Life Online]] |last=Shahade |first=Jennifer |author-link=Jennifer Shahade |date=March 25, 2020}}</ref>

On January 18, 2023, Krush (and her former chess opponent [[Carissa Yip]]) appeared on a primetime special of ''[[The Price Is Right (franchise)|The Price Is Right]]''. Krush won the Clock Game, but she failed to advance to the Showcases.<ref>{{Cite web |title=57SP |url=https://tpirepguide.com/?p=20067 |access-date=2023-12-03 |website=The Price is Right Episode Guide}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{FIDE}}
* {{USCF}}
* {{OlimpBase FIDE ratings|Krush,%20Irina}}
* {{OlimpBase women's player}}
* {{Chessgames.com player}}
* {{365Chess.com player}}
* {{cite web |url=http://main.uschess.org/content/view/6626/358/ |title=Interview with Irina Krush |first=Betsy |last=Dynako |publisher=Chess Life Online |date=July 31, 2007}}
* {{cite web |first=Jim |last=Perry |title=Interview with Irina Krush |url=http://jeremysilman.com/chess_interviews/Krush_interview.html |publisher=[[Jeremy Silman]] |access-date=April 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418012241/http://jeremysilman.com/chess_interviews/Krush_interview.html |archive-date=April 18, 2012 |url-status=unfit}}
*{{YouTube|h=irina_krush}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach|achievements}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Esther Epstein]]
| title = [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Chess Champion]]
| years = 1998
| after = [[Anjelina Belakovskaia]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Anna Zatonskih]]
| title = [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Chess Champion]]
| years = 2007
| after = [[Anna Zatonskih]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Anna Zatonskih]]
| title = [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Chess Champion]]
| years = 2010
| after = [[Anna Zatonskih]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Anna Zatonskih]]
| title = [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Chess Champion]]
| years = 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
| after = [[Nazí Paikidze]]
}}
{{Succession box
| before = [[Jennifer Yu (chess player)|Jennifer Yu]]
| title = [[U.S. Women's Chess Championship|U.S. Women's Chess Champion]]
| years = 2020
| after = [[Carissa Yip]]
}}
{{S-end}}

{{American chess grandmasters}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krush, Irina}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American female chess players]]
[[Category:American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:Converts to Christianity from Judaism]]
[[Category:Chess Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Female chess grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess Woman Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess Olympiad competitors]]
[[Category:Chess players from Odesa]]
[[Category:Edward R. Murrow High School alumni]]
[[Category:New York University alumni]]
[[Category:Soviet emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]
[[Category:21st-century American chess players]]