Dina Belenkaya

Dina Belenkaya is a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and one of the most popular chess content creators in the world. Born in Russia and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, she learned chess at age three from her mother and earned her WGM title in 2016 through norms at French open tournaments. Her peak FIDE rating is 2364, and she is a four-time St. Petersburg women's champion.

Belenkaya began streaming chess on Twitch in April 2020 during the pandemic and quickly became one of the biggest personalities in online chess. She has over 515,000 YouTube subscribers (ranked #2 among chess YouTubers by Favikon in 2026), more than 1 million Instagram followers, and over 529,000 TikTok followers. She was nominated for Best Chess Streamer at The Streamer Awards in 2023.

Beyond her own channels, Belenkaya is a regular commentator for Chess.com events, covering both online and over-the-board tournaments including the FIDE Candidates and Grand Prix. In 2024, she launched the Russian Chess School, an online academy on Skool.com featuring weekly group training, 1-on-1 play sessions, and daily study plans at $49/month.

Known for her blitz skills (Chess.com blitz rating around 2600), charismatic personality, and mix of education and entertainment, Belenkaya is one of the most compelling examples of a chess player successfully building a full career in content creation.