Dina Belenkaya On Love, Chess Career, Rivalry In Lie Detector Chess

WGM Dina Belenkaya is the latest guest to sit in the hot seat for Lie Detector Chess, the popular Chess.com series that turns up the tension with a polygraph and a panel of friends asking very personal questions.

Belenkaya is a U.S.-based Russian woman grandmaster with a peak FIDE rating of 2364, who has frequently appeared as a commentator on Chess.com. Over the last couple of years, Dina has carved out a space for herself as one of the most entertaining personalities in chess streaming and content creation.

Her humorous videos have earned her a massive following on her social media platforms, boasting over half a million followers on her YouTube channel, more than 650,000 followers on Instagram, and 100,000 on Twitch.

Belenkaya has developed a close friendship with Andrea and Alexandra Botez, but in Chess.com's newest episode of Lie Detector test, the sisters used the opportunity to ask her and "BFF" WGM Nemo Zhou the tough questions.

It started off light with what the cast dubbed "clickbait questions", touching upon the rivalry with fellow creators GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman. Belenkaya confirmed she likes both of them, and the polygraph backed her up. "I hope Levy will become a grandmaster. It will be an inspiration for all of us," she said.

I hope Levy will become a grandmaster. It will be an inspiration for all of us.
—Dina Belenkaya

Andrea used the opportunity to ask "Am I your best friend?", in which Belenkaya responded "You're one of my best friends."

When asked whether she now prioritizes her content creation over her chess career, as so many chess professionals now do, Belenkaya didn’t hesitate: yes, she does.

"It's generally very hard to improve at chess at a certain level. And time is not in your favor. I don't want to say it's easier to rise as a content creator, because it's very hard to, but if you were to compare, make a career in content creation or in a professional like chess, I think I personally have more future in the content creation."

Belenkaya was asked whether she thinks she is a better chess player than Alexandra, responding "Yes, by far." Her explanation was thoughtful.

"I genuinely think Alex is more talented than me,” she said. “She’s just talented at everything she does. But I’ve spent my whole life competing in chess professionally. I have four times more games in the database than she does. I'm obviously a better chess player and knowing that Alexandra is not gonna pursue improving at chess, I will remain a better chess player. ”

I genuinely think Alex is more talented than me.

—Dina Belenkaya on Alexandra Botez

Belenkaya said her underperformance "kills her inside" knowing the time she spends competing compared to others: "That's why I had a lot of pressure that I needed to prove myself or, I'd rather say, I had a lot at stake to lose if I were not to perform the best way I could."

When the conversation shifted to her personal life, Belenkaya was asked if she believes she’ll marry her boyfriend, FM Peter Giannatos, founder of the Charlotte Chess Center. Without hesitation, she answered “Yes”. The polygraph agreed.

She also shared another detail: She loves that he is higher rated than her. "It excites me," she said.

Andrea wanted to know whether Dina has ever used her chess skills to flirt with someone. "Oh, all the time," she said, adding, "Literally, me and my boyfriend would spend like all nights playing blitz."

Dina admitted that she is a "little bit" turned on by guys being good at chess, but skills are not all that matters. "I think, unlike most women and fellow colleagues in the field, I have not really been attracted by certain chess players just because they are better compared to others," she said.

"I know professional female chess players who date super strong masters just because they're turned on by their chess skills. Then if you take them as a person, there would be nothing attractive about them."

I know professional female chess players who date super strong masters just because they're turned on by their chess skills.
—Dina Belenkaya

Chess.com's Lie Detector Chess series has previously featured guests such as WFM Anna Cramling, who revealed her true feelings about her career; IM Anna Rudolf, who opened up about mean comments on social media and the "lipstick scandal;" and GM Magnus Carlsen, who appeared last year together with GM David Howell. 

The Botez sisters have also faced their own moments in the polygraph chair, such as when Alexandra candidly revealed sibling rivalry, family tensions, and even her Carlsen crush. Her younger sister Andrea also appeared, speaking about the Rozman feud, dating life, and self-image.