Ivona Jezierska

Ivona started playing chess when she was 11-years-old in her native Poland and at 14 was chosen to play for the club Polonia Warszawa. She was brought to the capital for training and soon competed in tournaments all over Eastern Europe and even Sweden. She tied for third in the 1978 Polish Championship and not long after moved to the United States, settling in Los Angeles.

Ivonna competed in several U.S. Women’s Championships, with her best result a tie for third in 1984. She played for the United States in the 1984 and 1986 Chess Olympiads, almost winning a board prize in the latter for her score of 8 ½ – 3 ½. Ivonna also represented the United States in the 1995 Women’s Interzonal in Chisinau, Moldova.

Ivonna initially worked for the magazine Players Chess News when she moved to Los Angeles but later found her calling as a chess teacher and has worked in this field for many years. She founded her own company Chess4SuccessLA which offers both online and in person chess instruction.