Alisa Melekhina
Alisa Melekhina Biography
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About Alisa Melekhina
Alisa Melekhina (born June 26, 1991) is one of the top female chess players in the United States, a classically trained ballerina, and an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Melekhina is a frequent contender in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship, and has represented the United States in numerous World Youth and Junior Chess Championships, where she has placed in the top ten. She placed fifth at the 2014 US Women's Championships. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School aged 22, in May 2014.
Melekhina was born in Simferopol in 1991. She immigrated with her parents to the United States when she was only two months old. They originally settled in Brooklyn, New York while her father completed his dental re-accreditation. They moved to Philadelphia five years later, where Melekhina has resided since. Melekhina was taught to play chess by her father and only coach at age 5, and played in her first tournament when she was 7. She also began taking Vaganova-style ballet lessons at that age, and has been dancing ballet and pointe since. At age 6, she authored "The Frog Princess," a translation of a popular Russian fairy tale, making her a published author at age 8.