Kosteniuk Alexandra (23.04.1984)

Russian Grandmaster (2004) and Woman Grandmaster (1998) living in Florida (USA). The 12th Women’s World Champion (2008-2010), European Women Champion 2004, Russian Women Champion in 2005, European Girls U10 in 1994 and European Girls U12 in 1996.  In 2001, she was finalist of the Women’s World Championship 2001 but was defeated by Zhu Chen. In 2010 she was eliminated in the third round by Ruan Lufei.Best results: Second in the Russian Women Championship 2000 and 2004; equal second in Paris Open 2002 and in the World Open 2003.  In 2004 she won the bronze medal at the Olympiad, was the World’s best rated among the girls in October 2004 and was the European Women’s Champion 2004. In 2010 she won the Women’s World Blitz Championship and in 2011 the SportAccord Rapid Women’s Championship.

A member of the Russian team which won the gold in the 2008 and 2010 Women Olympiads and in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 European Women Team Championships.

Her book How I became a Grandmaster at 14 (2002) has been published in three languages. Also author of Diary of a Chess Queen (2009). Media has been named her the “Anna Kournikova of Chess”. She has been on the front page of many Western magazines and newspapers and maintains a chess website http://www.kosteniuk.com/. Best ELO:2540 in 2006.