Dina Belenkaya, aSt. Petersburg-based streamer, has joined aroster ofchess influencers bydoing popular streams while maintaining aprofessional chess career — afeat that only ahandful ofchess players could manage. World Chess spoke with Belenkaya about her chess career andher experience ofbeing thechess influencer, andher suggestions on how tobecome one.
Please tell us about your mother’s role inyour chess development. Did she teach you how toplay? Is it true that your mom was Anish Giri’s coach? Asachild, did you think about adifferent path foryour life?
Yes, my mom is achess coach. She’s always been teaching children inSaint Petersburg. Over thelast 30 years, she must have trained thousands ofchildren. One ofthem was indeed Anish Giri. It’s kind ofsad that her most talented player isn’t me, right? Thanks toher, I learned toplay when I was three andstarted my first competition at5.
I did nothave any specific career inmind asachild. However, I knew that I wanted totake on some challenges anddiscover theworld, andintheend, chess allowed me todo it.
Where did you study andwhere did you learn so many languages?
I mainly studied languages attheuniversity inSaint Petersburg,
two semesters inFrance, andprivate lessons. I now consider myself trilingual (French, English , Russian) even if I don’t really like this term since I believe that you cannot fully understand thesubtlety ofalanguage that is notyour mother tongue.
It took me approximately ten years foreach, andtheroad is still long tocompete with native speakers, especially when I’m commentating toalocal audience. You can always see intheevent’s chat some people complaining about some exotic translation you’re making! Butthat’s part ofthegame.
Thebest hack is toset aspecific goal andadeadline. I knew that I was going tostudy inFrance andI needed toprepare inafew months, so I had theproper pressure todo it.
Motivation andgoals are thebest, we all know aguy oragirl who fall inlove with aforeigner andbecome bi-lingual inashort period because they wanted tolive with him orher, it’s thesame spirit.
How did theidea ofstreaming come toyou instead ofgoing into, say, big sports?
Like many players, I had much free time during Covid since thecompetitions were stopped andI was invited tosome online tournaments (Isolated queens run byAlexandra Botez).
I saw some potential inthis activity because I had asmall community already following me, andit was anopportunity toget better atcommentating, creating content. Streaming is like creating your media andallows you tomaster alot ofnew skills inashort period: editing, writing, doing your makeup really fast ;)
After thefirst year oftrial, I decided toinvest more time inthis activity, mainly tobuild awonderful community. Instreaming, you have what everyone sees butinthebackground; you have alot ofpeople totally implicated inyour channel andmaking you want togive even better content.
Then my sister, who was always atrue artistic soul, joined me tocreate specific content on my channel. So we became even closer thanks tothat, andhaving theluxury towork with someone you love is indescribable.
Can you remember your first streams? How exciting were they?
My first stream was atotal mess, tobe honest. Managing all ofthetools, speaking for3 hours… So it’s notalways easy atfirst. ButI remember theadrenaline andpleasure ofrunning your live event. What’s addictive is being able tointeract with people without any barriers. This interaction gives you alot ofemotion, primarily positive buteven sometimes challenging.
There were notmany people back then, butI found afew very supportive souls who could push me todo more.
Regarding thegrowth ofthechannel, it’s astep-by-step process. First, you have asmall group composed ofpeople already following you on social media andIRL mixed with some strangers andyou manage tobuild asmall community. Then, after this community becomes more federated, you gain some traction thanks toyour content, andone day you manage todrive alot more people. Thelast step is tomeet bigger streamers that will help you tohave even more exposure.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram
м
It seems that you mentioned that you once wanted tobecome anactress. It’s true? Why are you so interested inthis profession andwhy did you decide nottofollow this path?
Well, I have always admired alot ofgreat actresses Like Natalie Portman, buttobe honest, when I was young, I was more doing some Mr. Bean faces inthemirror. I think that what I wanted was todo achallenging job where I could practice languages andinteract with people. When you think ofit, streaming is notthat different from acting: you are setting up ashow andneed todeliver agood performance.
Butwith all ofmy chess training andlanguage lessons, I never had time totake some acting classes. Maybe I should do it now toimprove my performances asacommentator andstreamer; who knows.
You can easily imagine what thework routine ofateacher ordoctor consists of. Can you tell us what yours is made of? What rhythm do you exist in? Do you have aschedule for, weekend?
Noroutine atall, which is complicated tounderstand forpeople doing some 9 to5 jobs. I generally train inthemorning, then prepare tostream intheafternoon andstart thebroadcast intheevening. Butyou have toimagine that I had never worked inacorporate environment, had aboss, working schedules aside from when I was studying. I don’t even know all theblank holidays! Therefore, I can reply toanemail on Saturday at2 am, which can disturb some people!
How did you prepare tocomment on theWorld Cup? Maybe you did some preparation oftopics fordiscussion?
Tocommentate 20% ofthejob is related topreparation. Knowing theplayers, understanding thecontext ofthetournament. ButSince I am aplayer myself, I’m already following competitions daily. Then 80% ofthejob is tobe good on thespot andbe generous with thepeople listening toyou. It’s amix between acting andteaching performance.
Resting is themost crucial part because theaudience can perceive even asmall change inyour mood, andyou need toalways be atyour best, even attheend ofalong day.
Nospecific numbers! Can you tell us what constitutes achess streamer/host’s salary?
Unfortunately, I’m notabillionaire yet, even inruble! You have different sources ofincome: Twitch andYoutube give you aregular cash flow andyou improve it thanks totheevents you’re participating inandthepartnerships.
What’s interesting forme is thegrowth ofTwitch andYoutube inthis equation, which is also why I’m dedicating most time tothis activity over thelast months.
You’ve streamed hundreds oftimes. Butanyway. Nervous before turning it on? Were you nervous while commenting on theWorld Cup?
Always, butthemore you do it, themore you understand that stress is normal andcan even be anally. Notbeing stressed is amyth, andeven big commentators always have pressure, especially inaninternational event.
I’ve been commentating regularly over thelast three years, andnow I try toexperiment tofind my style… Theroad is still long, butI hope tobecome better.
Bytheway, about theWorld Championship match. What do you think about thesituation with Dubov? How do you feel about this patriotic uprising “you (aRussian player) can’t root forMagnus (andwork inhis team inthematch vs aRussian)”?
It seems that thesituation around thescandal with Danya Dubov is greatly exaggerated. On theother hand, such publicity can be beneficial asit adds more drama. When Andrea Botez asked Magnus attheWorld Championships how theknight moves, ahuge drama immediately arose, andthemore there is, themore people are attracted tochess. Danya has always impressed me with aspecial approach toeverything. Asforthis situation: he had already worked with Magnus before, so I don’t see anything criminal here. Danya himself said that Karjakin helped Rajabov, anAzerii, intheCandidates Tournament. So you can blame anyone fornotbeing apatriot like this...
Is it easy foryou towork with your sister? Do you have work / creative disputes?
Nodispute atall, we are very close andit’s apleasure towork together. We have some passionate chat from time totime about some type ofcontent, about how toposition ourselves aswomen inregard totheTwitch community, which can be harsh sometimes.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram
You said inone interview that you get upset when you see/hear sexist comments about your appearance. Are you going todo something about it? (Change image/answer haters)
Yes, it’s always hard, butyou learn tocope with negative comments with time. Unfortunately, I am often reduced tomy appearance andgender alot, andsince I’m advocating forwomen’s empowerment into thechess world, it’s notagood example.
Some articles depict me only as“abeautiful woman also playing chess”, others as“one more sexy streamer”...
What is hard is that even if you do notrecognize yourself inthis image, you are always afraid that this is theone you are unintentionally giving theaudience.
If I am notmistaken, you will have awomen’s tournament “Pride oftheAmazons” on December 18th. What’s theidea behind thetournament? Does theidea contradict theidea that men andwomen should play on equal terms?
I consider my contribution towomen’s chess one ofmy most important goals asachess ambassador. Forexample, on December 18, I hosted atournament with thesupport ofMotiva, acompany that makes breast implants forwomen. Since thefall of2021, she has become aFIDE partner. Bytheway, next year has been declared byFIDE as“TheYear ofWomen inChess”. It was anhonor forme toorganize awomen’s tournament, tohelp women prove themselves.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram
Alexandra Kosteniuk recently said inaninterview: “If we want tosupport female chess players, it’s better toleave alifeline called women’s tournaments.” Do you also see women’s tournaments asaway ofequalizing men andwomen inthechess world?
Asoftoday, I totally agree with her asthere is still aneed tohave tournaments forwomen. Thereason is that we have much better male players than women players interms ofpercentage. It’s good tohave some tournaments reserved forwomen.
Butwhat interests me is more about what could happen inthenext 20 years. If we have more women playing chess, we might increase thefemale audience following chess andcreate many more women champions that will be more andmore able tobeat men. It will also attract more sponsors, helping more women tolive only out ofchess, andcreating some new role models that will push more little girls tostart playing, creating avirtuous circle that intheend, maybe, will manage toallow men andwomen toplay on equal terms inthesame competition.
It’s thesame about theplace ofwomen inbusiness. 50 years ago, it was impossible toconsider awoman being theCEO ofaFortune 500 company. Now maybe 15% ofit is driven bywomen. There was apositive trend ofwomen studying, affirmative action, role models that inspired ageneration ofyoung women tobe more ambitious etc…
Your work is closely connected with aconstant presence inpublic space. Please tell us inthis regard– what is your relationship with your appearance? Do you fully accept yourself? Are you satisfied with yourself? How much attention do you pay toit? If you tell me what exactly you like (sports, cares, cosmetics, some beauty bloggers), it will be cool.
Ofcourse, I pay alot ofattention tomy appearance asit is part oftheshow andmy image. When anevent takes me asacommentator, they forsure look atmy skills andwant tohave afeminine figure that will add up totheshow, andI’m aware ofthat.
Inappropriate comments about my appearance orstyle are always hurtful, andyou have tolearn tobuild up your resistance toany negativity. Butthemost hateful comments are notrelated tomy appearances butwhen my appearance only defines me. Being feminine is essential, butI want tobe recognized only bymy efforts, notmy image.
You have interesting looks forstreaming! Please tell us where you dress, does someone help you, are you inspired bysomeone?
Thechallenge is notthestyle itself, butthenumber ofclothes you need tomaintain therhythm! If I have ten shows inarow, I need ten different outfits, while inreal life I would have reused some ofthem.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram
What is your average screen time perday? Are you getting tired ofyour phone?
My biggest challenge is reducing my screen time, butI have toface that it is almost impossible asall my activities need ascreen. Forexample, I need tobe infront ofacomputer when I train orstream, andmost ofmy businesses andsocial media require aphone.
ButI try todisconnect asmuch asI can, doing some walks orabit ofsport tochange my mind, butI found it hard todo regular detox.
How sensitive are you tocomments on social media? Do you often feel offended andunpleasant, orhave you already increased your armor?
Atfirst, it was very hard because thereality is that when you stream andhave some social media you have hundreds ofmessages andcomments perday and10% ofthem are negative. Insome events, it can go up to30%. They can be related toyour appearance, how you talk, your skills etc…
Butwith time, you realize that some ofthem are constructive orhelp you inaway toidentify some areas where you need toget better. Andforthepurely negative ones, well, I like toremind those people that I am theone commentating orplaying andif they are better, they are welcome tostand up andtry todo what I do if they can.
Intheend, it’s part ofthegame andyou need tolearn todeal with it bydissociating the“public Dina” who is criticized andthereal me that they don’t know. Butthis distinction is sometimes thin so thenegativity often hurts.
Asaperson whose work is largely tied toapublic image, how do you cope with situations/days when you feel sad orwant tosend everything tohell?
I will say that my sister andmy community are my best allies toovercome tough days. You need toremember that many people like what you are doing andwhy you are doing this. One great moment is worth ten negative situations.
Do you have any ideas on how tomake chess Great again? Andis it necessary?
Well, awar between Russia andtheUS would help, right? More seriously, I think we saw that chess could become more mainstream thanks totheQueen’s gambit TV show, which increased thenumber ofbeginners worldwide.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram
Imagine foramoment aworld without theInternet. What would you do init?
Well, theinternet has profoundly modified chess butthis sport existed centuries before its apparition. I would be ahappy chess player, reading books andtraining chess on thereal board.
Please tell us what anideal weekend forDina Belenkaya looks like inher favorite city?
Sleeping until noon, having 4 hours toprepare myself… I guess aluxury forme is just having unlimited time that I don’t have anymore. Theperfect mix forme is learning, doing sport, anddisconnecting.
Посмотреть эту публикацию в Instagram
