Alla Shulimovna Kushnir (Hebrew: אלה שולימובנה קושניר‎; Russian: Алла Шулимовна Кушнир; born 11 August 1941, Moscow - dead 2 August 2013, Tel Aviv) was a Russian–born Israeli chess Woman Grandmaster.

Biography

Alla Kushnir immigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel in 1974.

Chess career

Kushnir was thrice Women's World Chess Championship Challenger. She lost matches for the title to Nona Gaprindashvili:

• +3 –7 =3 at Riga 1965;
• +2 –6 =5 at Tbilisi–Moscow 1969;
• +4 –5 =7 at Riga 1972.

In tournaments, she took 1st-3rd at Sukhumi Candidates Tournament (joint Lazarevic and Zatulovskaya) 1964, won at Beberjik 1967, won at Subotica (Candidates Tournament) 1967, 2nd at Belgrad 1968, tied for 1st-2nd (with Nikolau)at Sinaia 1969, tied for 2nd-3rd (with Vobralova, won by Ivanka) at Wijk aan Zee 1971, won at Belgrad 1971 (ahead Gaprindashvili), won at Moscow 1971, won at Vrnjačka Banja 1973, 3rd at Voronezh 1973 (behind Zatulovskaya and Saunina), won at Roosendaal Interzonal 1976 (joint Akhmilovskaya).

Kushnir was a three-times winner of the Women's Chess Olympiads: in 1969 and 1972 she won the tournament as a player in the Soviet team, both times showing the best result at the 2nd board and in 1976 she won it as a player of the Israeli team, also showing the best result at the 1st board.

She ended 5th USSR Women's Champion in Lipetsk (1959), 3rd-4th with Volpert USSR Women's Champion in Baku (1961), 2nd-3rd with Volpert USSR Women's Champion in Riga (1962), 3rd-4th with Koslovskaya (match playoff Kushnir beat Koslovskaya: 4-2) USSR Women's Champion in Baku (1963), tied 1st place with Ranniku USSR Women's Champion in Beltsy (1970). Kushnir in the match playoff to beat 4.5-3.5 Ranniku at Moscow (Febreary 1971)

Awarded the WIM title in 1962 and the WGM title in 1976.