Alexandra Kosteniuk
| Alexandra Kosteniuk | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Full name |
Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (Александра Константиновна Костенюк) |
| Country |  Russia |
| Born | April 23, 1984 Perm, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster |
| Women's World Champion | 2008–10 |
| FIDE rating | 2439 (No. 44 on the November 2011 FIDE rating list for women) |
| Peak rating | 2540 (April 2006) |
Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (Russian: Александра Константиновна Костенюк; born April 23, 1984 in Perm) is a Russian chess Grandmaster and a former Women's World Chess Champion.
Contents |
[edit] Chess career
Kosteniuk learned to play chess at the age of five after being taught by her father. She has a younger sister named Oxana, who is a FIDE master level chess player.
In 2001, at the age of 17, she reached the final of the World Women's Chess Championship, but was defeated by Zhu Chen. Three years later, she became European women's champion by winning the tournament in Dresden, Germany. She also won the 2005 Russian Women's Championship, held in Samara, Russia, finishing with a score of +7 =4 -0. In August 2006, she became the first Chess960 (Fischer random) women's world champion after beating Germany's top female player Elisabeth Pähtz 5.5-2.5. She defended that title successfully in 2008 by beating Kateryna Lahno 2.5-1.5.[1] However, her greatest success so far has been to win the Women's World Chess Championship 2008, beating in the final the young Chinese prodigy Hou Yifan, with a score of 2.5-1.5.
In November 2004, she was awarded the International Grandmaster title, becoming the tenth woman to receive the highest title of the World Chess Federation, FIDE. Before that, she had also obtained the titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master. She is 44th on the November 2011 FIDE women's Elo rating list with a rating of 2439.
Kosteniuk's mottos have been "chess is cool" and "beauty and intelligence can go together". With these as a backdrop, Kosteniuk has been promoting chess in the capacity of a fashion model and ambassador of chess in order to spark interest in the game around the world.[2]
In the Women's World Chess Championship, 2010 she was eliminated in the third round by Ruan Lufei and thus lost her title.
[edit] Personal life
Kosteniuk is married to Swiss-born Diego Garces, who is of Colombian descent, and 25 years older than she is.[3] On April 22, 2007 Alexandra gave birth to a daughter, Francesca Maria. Francesca was born 2½ months premature, but after an 8-week stay in the hospital has made a full recovery.
Alexandra is today a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.[4]
[edit] Notable games
- The World vs Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2004, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation. English Attack (B90), 0-1
- Alexandra Kosteniuk vs Alexander Onischuk, Corus, Group B 2005, Spanish Game: Classical Variation (C65), 1-0
- Anna Ushenina vs Alexandra Kosteniuk, WWCh. 2008, Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical, Noa Variation (E34), 0-1
[edit] Bibliography by Kosteniuk
- Kosteniuk, Alexandra (2001). How I became a grandmaster at age 14. Moscow. ISBN 5829300435.
- Как стать гроссмейстером в 14 лет. Moscow, 2001. 202, [2] с., [16] л. ил. ISBN 5-89069-053-1.
- Как научить шахматам : дошкольный шахматный учебник / Александра Костенюк, Наталия Костенюк. Moscow : Russian Chess House, 2008. 142 с ISBN 978-5-94693-085-7.
- Kosteniuk, Alexandra (2009). Diary of a Chess Queen. Mongoose Press. ISBN 978-0-9791482-7-9.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alexandra Kosteniuk |
- Kosteniuk's website
- Interview with Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk on LatestChess site
- Photo collection of Kosteniuk
- Alexandra Kosteniuk rating card at FIDE
- Alexandra Kosteniuk player profile at ChessGames.com
- Kosteniuk wins WMSG blitz title
- ChessBase: Alexandra Kosteniuk is Women's World Champion
- The crowning of Kosteniuk as a World Champion
- Alexandra Kosteniuk's chess tips
| Preceded by Xu Yuhua |
Women's World Chess Champion 2008–2010 |
Succeeded by Hou Yifan |
