Let's make this birthday one to remember.

41 years old (Born on December 24, 1983)

Happy Birthday, Irina Krush! May your day be filled with more joy than the moment you first captured America's chess crown back in 1998. You've been crushing opponents ever since—winning again and again in 2007, 2010, and once more for good measure in 2012. Clearly, you're not just playing chess; you're mastering it!

Here's wishing you a birthday as brilliant as your best moves on the board—and may this year bring even greater victories (and fewer stalemates). Keep inspiring us all by proving that when life gives you pawns—you turn them into queens! Happy Birthday!