There was plenty of star power at the recent N.C. Open – 6 Grandmasters and 10 International Masters, if you’re keeping score.

But the most recognizable face arguably belonged to IM Irina Krush – three-time U.S. Women’s Champion and a mainstay on the national chess stage for more than a decade.

Krush, 27, burst on the national chess scene in 1998 when she won the U.S. Women’s title at age 14. Now, her current full-time pursuit is obtaining the Grandmaster title – for which she already has one of the three norms needed.

As for coming to North Carolina to play, Krush was encouraged by fellow participant GM Giorgi Kacheishvili, the receptive nature of the event’s organizers and the strong field already slated to play.

“Plus, I got a great airfare – you have to look at that,” she joked.

Born in the Ukraine, Krush moved to Brooklyn at age 5, and still lives there. And just like no chess game is the same, there is no typical day for Krush.

She may be playing in a tournament in the U.S. or abroad (more than 20 tournaments already in 2011), working a summer chess camp, managing the New York Knights of the U.S. Chess League or unwinding at home after a hectic travel schedule.

“Even at home there is no set schedule,” she says. “There is always something to take care of – the car needs repair or the laundry needs to be done.”

She is also venturing into the coaching ranks – although she adds she’s keeping that to a minimum right now with just a handful of students.

“Chess is so popular at the scholastic level,” Krush explained. “Every coach I know is having no trouble attracting students.”

At home, Krush does make time for her family. Her parents still live in Brooklyn. Growing up an only child, Krush’s parents had another daughter when she was almost 19. Her sister Jenny, now 8, is a high priority.

“I like to spend time with her,” she said. “We read together, do homework. I enjoy it.”

Outside of chess, Krush admits she’s a big reader – and that means real books; no e-readers here. “I like to have the book in my hands. I spend a lot of my budget on books.”

Recently, she read “Journey into the Whirlwind” and “Within the Whirlwind,” the memoirs by gulag survivor Eugenia Ginzburg.

But it’s chess that takes up most of her time. To get the GM title, Krush says she is working on fixing small holes in her game and looking for good opportunities to gain her final GM norms.

“There are some events designed just to gain title norms,” she said. “I actually do better at regular tournaments where norms are available.”

Gaining title norms at the N.C. Open was not an option for Krush. But she said the two rounds a day were quite “intense.” A final-round loss kept Krush from winning the Charlotte event.

As for her perfect tournament event, Krush reels off locales like Gibraltar – off the coast of Spain – allowing her to indulge in another hobby, photography.

“I’ve loved to play in China or India,” she says. “I’m attracted to exotic locations.”

It’s doubtful that Charlotte – or anywhere in North Carolina – would qualify as an exotic locale. But with the strength and success of the N.C. Open (and maybe future cheap airfares to the state), we’ll see more of Irina Krush in the future.