Career
Born in Kishinev to a Ukrainian father and an Armenian mother, both pedagogues and chess coaches, Skripchenko started playing chess when she was 6 years old. In 1991, Moldova became independent from the Soviet Union. This meant that Skripchenko could take part for the first time in the World Youth Championships.
Despite separating from Lautier in 2002, she became a French citizen in 2001 and continued to make France her home.
Skripchenko then married French Grandmaster Laurent Fressinet and in January 2007, gave birth to a daughter. In 2001, at 25 years old, she celebrated her biggest success ever, winning the Women"s European Individual Championship.
Held in Krasnoturinsk, the nine-round single round-robin tournament featured ten of the strongest female players in the world. Skripchenko reached the quarter-finals at the Women"s World Championship in 2000, 2001 and 2010.
Living in Paris and representing France in tournaments since 2002, Skripchenko has become a noted ambassador for the game in Europe.
She competed in the Men"s French Individual Championship (2002, 2003). Her career victories also include three Nationale ladies titles (which she earned with Baden-Oos in 2003, 2004, and 2005) and five European Club Cup victories with Cercle d"échecs de Monte-Carlo (in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2013). Almira Skripchenko has taken part in several Olympiads (with Moldova, then with France), each time playing on her team"s top board.
Skripchenko has also played in major poker tournaments.
In 2009, she finished seventh in a World Series of Number Limit Texas hold "em tournament, winning $78,664. As of 2011, her live poker tournament winnings exceed $250,000.
Skripchenko also plays shogi.