Irina Berezina | |
Country: | Soviet Union Russia (1992–93) Australia |
Birth Date: | 7 July 1965 |
Birth Place: | Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
International Master (1999) Woman International Master (1993) | |
Peakrating: | 2304 (January 2000) |
Fideid: | 3201937 |
Irina Berezina (also known as Irina Feldman and Irina Berezina-Feldman; born 7 July 1965) is an Australian chess International Master and trainer, and five-time Oceania women's chess champion. She was born in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Berezina tied for first place in the Women's Zonal 12 Championship in Jakarta in 1993,[1] and as a result was awarded the FIDE title of Woman International Master (WIM).
In 1995 she won the Asian-Pacific Women's Zonal Championship in the Genting Highlands, Malaysia[2] and went on to play in the 1995 Women's Interzonal Championship in Kishinev, Moldova, where she scored 5.5 points from 13 games.[3]
Berezina was chosen to represent Australia in chess at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel. However, she suffered critical injuries when the Maccabiah bridge collapsed underneath the Australian contingent.[4]
Berezina won the Australian Women's Championship in 1999.[5] In the same year, she achieved the title of International Master (IM) by coming equal second in the inaugural Oceania Zonal Championship held on the Gold Coast, Australia.[6] She won the Oceania Women's Zonal Championship five times: in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2013.
She competed in the Women's World Chess Championship three times: in 2006,[7] [8] 2012, and 2015.
Berezina played on board one of the Australian national team at seven Women's Chess Olympiads, in 1994, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2014.[9]
She has a degree in Chess Coaching from Kiev Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, and is a co-owner of "Chess Masters", a chess coaching business in Sydney, with her husband, IM Vladimir Feldman.
In 2005 Berezina was accredited as a FIDE Trainer by FIDE.