Professional chess player! Almira Skripchenko was born in Moldova, 1976. Daughter of an Ukrainian father and an Armenian mother, both of which pedagogues and chess coaches. She started playing when she was 6 years old. She was soon crowned champion at Under-16 level and in 1993, she took the bronze at Under-18. She is a proud French citizen from 2001. Same year she had her biggest success ever, winning the Ladies European Individual Chess Championship. She made it succeeding with poker, too. Skripchenko played in major poker tournaments. In 2009 she finished seventh in a World Series of Poker No Limit Texas Holdem tournament. For 2011, her live winnings exceed $250,000.

Written by Ina Rkh
Last update: 09/04/2015