Natalia Zhukova is a Chess Grandmaster from Ukraine with Elo ratings exceeding 2200 from FIDE, making her one of the best female chess players of all time.
Full Name: Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova
Title: Grandmaster (GM) Achieved in 2010
Woman Grandmaster (WGM) Achieved in 1996
International Master (1996)
Place of birth: Dresden, East Germany
Born: June 5, 1979
Federation: Ukraine
Ratings
World ranking: 3387
Rapid: 2250
Blitz: 2296
Classical: 2335
Peak rating: 2499 (May 2010)
Profiles
Most Frequently Played Openings
With The White Pieces
- Queen’s Gambit Declined
- King’s Indian
- Slav Defense
With The Black Pieces
- French Defense
- Queen’s Pawn Game
- Ruy Lopez
Biography
Natalia Zhukova is a chess Grandmaster born on June 5, 1979, in Dresden, East Germany, and lives in Odessa, Ukraine. Zhukova was awarded the grandmaster title in 2010 and the International Master title in 1996. As of May 2010, his Peak rating was 2499.
The Beginning
Zhukova’s first competitive tournament was at the World Youth Championship in Mamaia in 1991 at the age of 12, where she shared 3rd-4th place in the Girls’ Under-12 Group with a score of 7.5 out of 12 games.
Zhukova triumphed at the Girls’ Under-14 European Youth Championship in Szombathely in 1993, scoring 7.5 out of 9 games. With a score of 7/9 points, Zhukova won the Girls’ Under-16 European Championship in Herculane in 1994.
With a score of 7/9 points, Zhukova won the girls’ Under-16 World Championship in Szeged in 1994. In addition, with a score of 9/12 points, Zhukova placed second in the Girls’ Under-20 World Championship in Halle in 1995. That same year, Zhukova made her Interzonal debut, finishing in the middle of the field with 6.5/13 points.
Notable Achievements
In 2019, Zhukova won the Ukrainian women’s championship. International accomplishments include; Zhukova finished first and second in Belgrade in 1998, scoring 6/9. Zhukova scored 7/10 points at the Groningen Women’s Festival in 1998.
In 1999, Zhukova also won the EU Cup for Women in Nova Gorica with a score of 5.5/7 points. Furthermore, Zhukova finished second in the 1999 Alushta Women’s Zonal with a score of 6.5/9. In 2000 and 2015, Zhukova won the European Women’s Championship.
Notable Games
Julia Novkovic vs. Natalia Zhukova – European Club Cup Round 2 – Rhodes GRE, October 21, 2013
Nino Batsiashvili vs. Natalia Zhukova – European Championship Round 10 – Chakvi GEO, May 29, 2015
Tatjana Molchanova vs. Natalia Zhukova – Russian Team Championship Round 1 – Dagomys RUS, April 02, 2009
Did you enjoy reading about Natalia Zhukova? If you did, you might be interesting in reading about other female players such as Judit Polgar, Qiyu Zhou, and Hou Yifan.
Sources
- http://www.chessmetrics.com/
- http://www.olimpbase.org/
- http://en.chessbase.com/post/ivanchuk-wins-yet-another-super-tournament
- https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/06/13/7218049/
- https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-elections/2748306-cec-counts-100-percent-of-vote-in-ukraines-parliamentary-elections.html
- https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/articles/2019/07/21/7221526/
- https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2020/09/16/7266534/
