Rusudan Goletiani
Encyclopedia
Rusudan Goletiani (born September 8, 1980 in Sukhumi
, Abkhaz ASSR
, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
) is a Georgian-American chess
player. She won the 2005 U.S. Women's Chess Championship
and the Woman's Chess Champion for the Americas Continents (North and South America combined). She has achieved the FIDE International Woman Grandmaster title. She now lives in Westchester County in New York
state.
Goletiani won the Soviet Junior Championship for Girls Under-12 in 1990 when she was nine years old. In 1990, she was the Soviet Representative in the World Youth Chess tournament for Peace in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
. In 1994, she won the World Championship for Girls Under-14 in Hungary
. In 1995, she won the World Championship for Girls Under-16 in Brazil
. In 1997, she won the World Championship for Girls Under-18 in Yerevan
, Armenia
.
Goletiani qualified to the World Chess Championship, scheduled to begin on November 25, 2000 in New Delhi
, India
, by tying for first with Grandmaster
Nino Khurtsidze
in a zonal tournament in Georgia in May, 2000. However, there were lengthy times when she was not able to compete in chess events because of the Georgian civil war
at the beginning of the nineties and the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia, where she was born.
After her arrival in the United States in May, 2000, she was prohibited from playing in the U.S. Chess Championship
for four years in a controversial ruling by Tom Brownscombe who was the USCF
scholastic coordinator at the time. When Beatriz Marinello
was elected USCF
President in August 2003, her very first act as president was to fire Brownscombe. As a result, Goletiani was allowed to compete for the U.S. Championship for the first time and she promptly won the Woman's Championship, defeating Tatev Abrahamyan
2–0 in a playoff.
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
, Abkhaz ASSR
Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
The Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic or Abkhaz ASSR was an autonomous republic of the Soviet Union within the Georgian SSR. It came into existence in February 1931, when the Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia , originally created in March 1921, was transformed to the status of...
, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) is a Georgian-American chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player. She won the 2005 U.S. Women's Chess Championship
U.S. Women's Chess Championship
The U.S. Women's Chess Championship tournament is to determine the woman chess champion of the United States.-List of U.S. Women's Chess Champions:*1937 Adele Rivero*1938 Mona May Karff*1940 Adele Rivero*1941 Mona May Karff*1942 Mona May Karff...
and the Woman's Chess Champion for the Americas Continents (North and South America combined). She has achieved the FIDE International Woman Grandmaster title. She now lives in Westchester County in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state.
Goletiani won the Soviet Junior Championship for Girls Under-12 in 1990 when she was nine years old. In 1990, she was the Soviet Representative in the World Youth Chess tournament for Peace in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
. In 1994, she won the World Championship for Girls Under-14 in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. In 1995, she won the World Championship for Girls Under-16 in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In 1997, she won the World Championship for Girls Under-18 in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
.
Goletiani qualified to the World Chess Championship, scheduled to begin on November 25, 2000 in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, by tying for first with Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
Nino Khurtsidze
Nino Khurtsidze
Nino Khurtsidze is a Woman Grandmaster of chess. She resides in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2005 she was the number two rated woman chess player in Georgia with a FIDE rating of 2420. She won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship in 1993 and 1995.In 2004 she came second behind Evgeny Shaposhnikov in...
in a zonal tournament in Georgia in May, 2000. However, there were lengthy times when she was not able to compete in chess events because of the Georgian civil war
Georgian Civil War
The Georgian Civil War consisted of inter-ethnic and intranational conflicts in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia , as well as the violent military coup d'etat of December 21, 1991 - January 6, 1992 against the first democratically elected President of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia and his...
at the beginning of the nineties and the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia, where she was born.
After her arrival in the United States in May, 2000, she was prohibited from playing in the U.S. Chess Championship
U.S. Chess Championship
The U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
for four years in a controversial ruling by Tom Brownscombe who was the USCF
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
scholastic coordinator at the time. When Beatriz Marinello
Beatriz Marinello
Beatriz Marinello is a Woman International Master chess player from the United States. She was president of the United States Chess Federation from 2003 to 2005 and a member of the executive board from 2003 to 2007.-Life:...
was elected USCF
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
President in August 2003, her very first act as president was to fire Brownscombe. As a result, Goletiani was allowed to compete for the U.S. Championship for the first time and she promptly won the Woman's Championship, defeating Tatev Abrahamyan
Tatev Abrahamyan
Tatev Abrahamyan is one of the youngest top-rated U.S. women's chess players, along with Alisa Melekhina, Sabina Foisor, and Abby Marshall. She tied for first in the 2005 U.S. Women's Chess Championship, but lost the playoff match to Rusudan Goletiani...
2–0 in a playoff.