Irina Krush

Irina Krush is an eight-time U.S. Women’s Champion (1998, 2007, 2010, 2012–2015, 2020) and currently the third highest-rated woman in the United States. Originally from Ukraine, Krush immigrated to the United States at the age of five in 1989. She has represented the U.S. Women’s National Team since 1998, winning team silver in the 2004 Chess Olympiad and team bronze in 2006. Krush recently earned a team bronze medal in the 2024 Budapest Olympiad. In 2013, Krush became the first and only American woman to earn the Grandmaster title, a feat that made her the first recipient of the prestigious Cairns Queens Chess Award in 2024, a $100,000 prize awarded to U.S. women who achieve the rank of Grandmaster. In addition to her eight U.S. Championship titles, Krush also won the 2022 and 2023 American Cup.