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Alexandra Obolentseva

Sasha Obolentseva, 2009
Full name Alexandra Sergeevna Obolentseva Александра Сергеевна Оболенцева
Country Russia
Born June 21, 2001
Tula, Russia
Title Woman Candidate Master (2010) Woman FIDE Master (2011)
Peak rating 2005 (March 2013)

Alexandra "Sasha" Sergeevna Obolentseva (Russian: Александра Серге́евна Оболенцева; born June 21, 2001 in Tula, Russia) is a Russian chess player. She was awarded the title Woman Candidate Master (WCM) by FIDE after finishing third in the World Youth Championship 2010. She won the Russian Youth Championship three times: in 2009 in category girls under 8 years, in 2011 in category girls under 10 years, and in 2012 at age ten in category girls under 12 years.

In November 2011, Alexandra won the World Youth Championship to become World Champion in category girls under 10 years. For her 2011 achievements, FIDE awarded her the title Woman FIDE Master (WFM).

Chess career

Alexandra began playing chess in September 2007 at six years of age, in Sport School No. 4 of Tula. Her coach was Golovin Nikolay Mihajlovich.

2008

Alexandra's first competition was the Tula championships in 2008. There, she won first place and became the champion of Tula. She proceeded to take part in several other competitions:

Alexandra met with Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, and after this began to sharpen her game.

2009

In 2009, Alexandra began playing in other, more adult, chess tournaments. In January, she took part in the 6th International Chess Festival, Moscow Open 2009, in Tournament D. She won first place, edging out the nearest competitor by a full point.

Alexandra at the Moscow Open, 2009

As winner of the festival she earned the right to participate at the World School Chess Championship in Thessaloniki, Greece in May 2009. There, she took fifth place in a group of girls under 9 years, and first place in a subgroup under 8 years.

In June, Alexandra, "one of the top world girls talents", competed in the Russian U8 championship in Kostroma. The event finished on June 1, Children's Day holiday, with a total of 143 young players participating. Alexandra won the competition with a score of seven wins and two draws.

In July, Alexandra participated in the International Chess Festival in Obninsk, in Tournament D, where she took first place in the open tournament among children under 8 years. In August, she participated in Tula regional finals again, under 10's age group. In a hard struggle, she won first place and became the champion of the Tula area among girls under 10 years.

In November, Alexandra participated in the World Youth Chess Championships in Antalya, Turkey, in category girls under 8 years. After a bitter struggle she took eighth place.

2010

In February 2010, Alexandra again participated in the 7th International Chess Festival, Moscow Open 2010. After losing in the deciding set to Camila Zamalova, Alexandra took third place.

At the Russian Youth Championship, which took place in April in Sochi, Alexandra competed in the up to 10 years category, in competition with older girls. She finished sixth and retained the right to play in the Premier League in 2011.

Third at World Youth Ch., 2010

In May, Alexandra participated in an "International chess tournament for the prizes GM Alexey Fedorov's" in Gomel, Belarus, the team of the Tula region. She played in the under-11 open tournament and took first place. The Tula team also took first place in the team event.

In July, Alexandra took part in the International Chess Festival "Volga Cup 2010" in Kostroma, Russia, where play was also open to an older age under 11 years. She took second place among girls, being surpassed only by the Russian under 10 years champion, Alexandra Dimitrova.

After participating in the Volga Cup, she took part in the 6th World School Chess Championship in Kayseri, Turkey. With less than 7½ points and having beaten Khanim Balajayeva from Azerbaijan in the sixth round, Alexandra came in second place on tie-break, missing Khanim at first place.

In August, Alexandra again took part in the championships in Tula region. To help prepare for future tournaments, she decided to play in the tournament category boys under 11 years. Losing only half a point, she took first place.

Alexandra participated at the European Youth Chess Championship 2010 in Batumi, where she arrived with her mother only and without a chess coach, and had the unusual and unfortunate result of finishing in 17th place. But within three weeks at the World Youth Chess Championship 2010 in Halkidiki, Greece, and under the strong hand of her new coach, Wulfson Vladimir, she showed a very different result: After six rounds she had a brilliant start in the tournament with six points. With a few draws and the loss of one game before the last round, Alexandra had every chance of taking first place. Unfortunately, her loss in the final round to Abdumalik Zhansaya of Kazakhstan left her in third place.

In accord with her results from the World Youth Chess Championship 2010, Alexandra was awarded the title "Woman Candidate Master (FIDE)".

2011

In April 2011 in Sochi, Alexandra again took part in the Russian Youth Chess Championship among girls under 10 years. This time she took first place, becoming Champion of Russia for the second time.

Once again, at the European Youth Chess Championship in Albena, Bulgaria in September, she performed unsuccessfully, finishing in 16th place. However, in November at the World Youth Chess Championship in Caldas Novas, Brazil, she captured first place to become World Champion among girls under 10 years.

In accord with her results from the World Youth Chess Championship 2011, Alexandra was awarded the title "Woman FIDE Master".

2012

In April 2012 in Sochi, Alexandra competed once again in the Russian Youth Championship, this time in category girls under 12 years. Scoring six wins and three draws, and for the third time, Alexandra became Champion of Russia.

Alexandra then went to Romania for the 8th World School Individual Chess Championship. With seven wins and a single draw, she became the FIDE World Girl School Champion for 2012 in category girls under 11 years.

In August 2012 in Prague, Alexandra competed once again in the European Youth Chess Championship 2012, this time in category girls under 12 years. Scoring six wins and two draws, Alexandra took third place.

Personal life

Alexandra studies in the Tula Lyceum No. 2, in the sixth class. One of her grandmothers, Nina Obolentseva, also plays chess and has a FIDE rating.

Sample game

a b c d e f g h
8
8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Alexandra decides after eight moves to unleash a kingside attack: 9.g2-g4
a b c d e f g h
8
8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
a b c d e f g h
Position after 20.Bd3-f5: White wins the e6-pawn

A. Obolentseva-A. Anfinogenova, Moscow Open 2011
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 Bf5 5.Qb3 b6 6.e3 e6 7.Bd2 Be7 8.h3 0-0 9.g4 Be4 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.h4 Nxd2 12.Kxd2 dxc4 13.Bxc4 b5 14.Bd3 a5 15.Qc2 h6 16.g5 h5 17.Ke2 Qe8 18.g6 f6 19.Qb3 Bd6 20.Bf5 Kh8 21.Qxe6 Qxe6 22.Bxe6 Re8 23.d5 c5 24.Nd2 c4 25.f4 Bb4 26.Ne4 Na6 27.a3 Bc5 28.f5 Rad8 29.Ng3 Nc7 30.Rad1 Nxd5 31.Ne4 Rxe6 32.fxe6 Be7 33.Nc3 Nc7 34.Rxd8+ Bxd8 35.Rd1 Nxe6 36.Rd6 Kg8 37.Rxe6 Kf8 38.Kf3 b4 39.Nd5 c3 40.axb4 cxb2 41.Nc3 axb4 42.Nb1 f5 43.Kg3 Be7 44.e4 fxe4 45.Rxe4 Bd6+ 46.Kf3 Be7 47.Ke2 Ke8 48.Kd3 Kd7 49.Kc2 Bf6 50.Rxb4 Ke6 51.Kd3 Kf5 52.Ke3 Kxg6 53.Kf3 Kf7 54.Kg3 Be5+ 55.Kh3 Kf6 56.Rb5 g6 57.Nd2 Bf4 58.Ne4+ Ke6 59.Ng5+ Kf6 60.Rxb2 1-0

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