Maria Kursova

Maria Kursova (Russian: Мария Курсова, Armenian: Մարիա Կուրսովա; born 3 January 1986) is a Russian-Armenian chess player. She was awarded the title of Woman Grandmaster by FIDE in 2007. Kursova was world girls champion and European girls champion in her age category.

Maria Kursova
Kursova at the European Team Championships in Warsaw 2013
CountryRussia
Armenia
Born (1986-01-03) 3 January 1986
Severodvinsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
TitleWoman Grandmaster (2007)
Peak rating2366 (July 2007)

Career

Born in Severodvinsk,[1] Kursova won the World Youth Chess Championships in the Girls U10 category in 1996. She also won three medals at the European Youth Chess Championships: in 1998 she took the bronze medal in the Girls U12 section,[2] three years later Kursova won the Girls U16 title, and in 2003 she tied with Natalia Pogonina for first place, placing second on countback, in the Girls U18 event.[3]

Kursova competed in the Women's World Chess Championship 2006 as one of the FIDE president nominees. Kursova defeated Zhao Xue in the first round to advance to the second. She lost to Ekaterina Kovalevskaya and was therefore eliminated from the competition.

Kursova switched her national federation to Armenia in 2011.[4][5] She won the Armenian women's championship in 2012[6] and 2018.[7] Kursova played for the Armenian team in the Women's Chess Olympiad, Women's World Team Chess Championship, and Women's European Team Chess Championship.[8]

Personal life

Kursova is married to Arman Pashikyan, also a chess player.[5][9]

References
  1. Стипендиатка Банка Москвы Мария Курсова — среди студентов-победителей чемпионата России по шахматам (in Russian). Bank of Moscow. 18 October 2005. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  2. European Youth Chess Championship 1998 Girls-U12. chess-results.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  3. European Youth Championship Girls - U18. chess-results.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  4. Player transfers in 2011. FIDE. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  5. "WGM Maria Kursova to Present Armenia". armenpress.am. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  6. "Maria Kursova wins Armenian Women's Chess Championship". PanARMENIAN.Net. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  7. "The chess champions of Armenia are known". msy.am. Republic of Armenia Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  8. Maria Kursova team chess record at OlimpBase. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  9. "Bride from the North: Armenia's naturalized Russian wins national chess title". ArmeniaNow. 23 June 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
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