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Kosteniuk 
Photograph copyright © 2004, Chessgames.com
 
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Number of games in database: 401
Years covered: 1996 to 2008
Current FIDE rating: 2516
Highest rating achieved in database: 2540
Overall record: +168 -114 =114 (56.8%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.
      5 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Sicilian (78) 
    B33 B97 B90 B43 B67
 Ruy Lopez (47) 
    C78 C67 C92 C84 C95
 French Defense (25) 
    C00 C11 C03 C15 C10
 Caro-Kann (19) 
    B12 B19 B18 B10 B16
 Sicilian Najdorf (19) 
    B97 B90 B96 B99 B92
 Sicilian Richter-Rauser (17) 
    B67 B66 B62 B61 B65
With the Black pieces:
 Sicilian (68) 
    B62 B89 B90 B51 B32
 Semi-Slav (21) 
    D45 D47 D44 D43 D46
 Sicilian Richter-Rauser (20) 
    B62 B63 B60 B66
 Queen's Gambit Declined (18) 
    D30 D31 D37
 Ruy Lopez (11) 
    C84 C89 C88 C78 C68
 Nimzo Indian (10) 
    E55 E21 E34 E49 E37
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Kosteniuk vs C P Gouw, 2000 1-0
   The World vs Kosteniuk, 2004 0-1
   A Ushenina vs Kosteniuk, 2008 0-1
   Kosteniuk vs McShane, 2003 1-0
   Kosteniuk vs L Bergez, 2001 1-0
   Kosteniuk vs Onischuk, 2005 1-0
   Kosteniuk vs Xu Yuanyuan, 2001 1-0
   A Stefanova vs Kosteniuk, 2004 0-1
   Kosteniuk vs Acs, 2003 1-0
   E Repkova vs Kosteniuk, 2006 0-1

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   Kosteniuk! by larrewl
   A Kosteniuk by ghjensen
   Beautiful Women, Beautiful Chess by Dredge Rivers

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ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK
(born Apr-23-1984) Russia

[what is this?]
Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk was born on April 23rd, 1984, in Perm, Russia. She was taught the game at the age of five by her father, Konstantin Vladimirovich Kosteniuk. Her younger sister, Oxana Kosteniuk is a WFM (http://ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?...).

In September 2008, she scaled the summit of women’s chess when she became the 14th Women's World Chess Champion after winning the final of the Women's World Championship (2008) against Yifan Hou by 2.5 to 1.5.

A WGM since age 14, an IM at 16, and a GM at 20, Kosteniuk has featured prominently in various regional and world age title competitions, including winning the Girls U10 European Championship in Herculane in 1994, the Girls Under 12 European Championship in Rimavaska Sobota in 1996, and the Girls Under 12 World Championship in Minorca in 1996. In 2001, at the age of 17, she was runner up to Zhu Chen for the Women’s World Championship.

In 2000 and 2004, Kosteniuk was second in the Russian Women’s Championships but went one better in 2005 when she won that Championship with a score of 9/11 and a 2691 performance rating. Other prominent tournament successes include winning the First European Women’s Championship that was held in Dresden in 2004, and equal second behind Koneru Humpy in the 2005 North Urals Cup.

Kosteniuk became the inaugural Fischerandom (Chess960) Women's World Champion in 2006, and successfully defended her title in 2008 against Kateryna Lahno.

She has captured the public's eye by appearing in a Russian film, doing many product promotions, fashion modeling, and appearing in fashion magazines. She produces a popular series of chess podcasts, and maintains a chess website http://www.kosteniuk.com/


 page 1 of 17; games 1-25 of 401  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. Kosteniuk vs L Kritz 0-127 1996 Ch Moscow (open)C29 Vienna Gambit
2. Kosteniuk vs N Kosintseva 1-068 1996 Ch World (cadets) (under 12) (g)C29 Vienna Gambit
3. K Rybenko vs Kosteniuk 1-042 1996 Volgograd opC44 King's Pawn Game
4. E Mirzoeva vs Kosteniuk  0-170 1996 Cup G.KasparovC26 Vienna
5. M Perez-Candelario vs Kosteniuk  0-127 1997 It (open) (juniors)D03 Torre Attack (Tartakower Variation)
6. A Yangel vs Kosteniuk  0-133 1997 RUS-ch (Women)A88 Dutch, Leningrad, Main Variation with c6
7. Kosteniuk vs J Kochetkova  1-037 1998 Ch Russia (w) (1 liga)B20 Sicilian
8. Bosboom-Lanchava vs Kosteniuk 0-128 1998 Olympiad (w)A41 Queen's Pawn Game (with ...d6)
9. Kosteniuk vs M Lomineishvili 1-026 1999 It (w)B40 Sicilian
10. Kosteniuk vs Romanishin  0-171 1999 Bled openB40 Sicilian
11. S Nadyrhanov vs Kosteniuk  ½-½21 2000 Chigorin MemorialB31 Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation
12. Kosteniuk vs Stellwagen 1-031 2000 CorusC00 French Defense
13. Kosteniuk vs Kiriakov  0-145 2000 Monarch AssuranceC03 French, Tarrasch
14. Kosteniuk vs C P Gouw 1-018 2000 CorusC00 French Defense
15. Kosteniuk vs Chiburdanidze  ½-½72 2000 WCCB12 Caro-Kann Defense
16. V Yandemirov vs Kosteniuk  1-066 2000 Chigorin MemorialA07 King's Indian Attack
17. D Stojanovski vs Kosteniuk  ½-½25 2000 CorusB60 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer
18. Kosteniuk vs V Burmakin  ½-½28 2000 Chigorin MemorialB09 Pirc, Austrian Attack
19. M Bosboom vs Kosteniuk 1-028 2000 CorusA10 English
20. P Cramling vs Kosteniuk 1-0106 2000 WCCA81 Dutch
21. Kosteniuk vs A Romero Holmes  0-165 2000 CorusC00 French Defense
22. Kosteniuk vs Sutovsky  ½-½29 2000 Monarch Assurance 9thB57 Sicilian
23. Kosteniuk vs E Shaposhnikov  1-040 2000 Chigorin MemorialB85 Sicilian, Scheveningen, Classical
24. Kosteniuk vs V Georgiev  0-130 2000 CorusB31 Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation
25. Kosteniuk vs Khurtsidze  0-146 2000 WCCB41 Sicilian, Kan
 page 1 of 17; games 1-25 of 401  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Kosteniuk wins | Kosteniuk loses  
 

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 39 OF 39 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Sep-25-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  percyblakeney: Mig is quite negative in his <Kosteniuk_wins_yawn>-article. He calls the title Women’s World Champion an <embarrassment for our sport> and wants the money to be placed in open events instead: <I'm all for affirmative action to encourage women and other extreme minorities in the chess world to play at every level. I just don't think having them play against each other all the time so they stay weaker is the right way to go about it>.

Hou and Koneru will maybe play in a women’s World Championship every second year (while mainly participating in events for both sexes), and that is hardly the same thing as playing in women only events <all the time>, as Mig puts it. Looking through the games of the event I think Kosteniuk played very well, she could have scored an even better result if she hadn’t settled for draws in some games where she didn’t need to win. Maybe it was the best performance ever in her career. Possibly with exception for the plus score in Aeroflot Open 2006, where she drew among others Wang Yue, Bu Xiangzhi, Motylev, Khalifman, Korotylev, and won against Kazhgaleyev and Kempinski. Then her weakest opponent was rated 2596.

When Mig writes <I have trouble pretending to care too much about these tournaments and matches between 2500's> it’s worth mentioning that Koneru had a higher rating than for example van Wely and Nepomniachtchi, and Hou Yifan is the by far strongest player in the world born in 1994. It could surely be interesting to follow their games also for Mig. After all he has reported enthusiastically about events where Nakamura has faced opposition rated from the 2100s to the 2400s, as the National Open 2007. So I think Mig at least could respect players like Koneru, Hou, Stefanova, Cramling and Kosteniuk enough not to yawn at their games…

http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt...

Sep-25-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Red October: well he gave his daily dirt a whole new meaning
Sep-25-08   Bobsterman3000: <percyblakeney> Thanks for those comments on Mig. Let's just say that he's never struck me as a particularly objective commentator.

I don't see why women shouldn't have their own WC, either. Golf has an entirely separate series of tournaments for women, and it attracts sponsors fairly well...

Sep-25-08   shintaro go: http://www.kosteniuk.com/en/downloa...

The King and Queen of chess

Sep-26-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Woody Wood Pusher: Fischer may be the best chess champion of all time, but Kosteniuk is by far the best looking!
Sep-26-08   TheTamale: <Woody Wood Pusher: Fischer may be the best chess champion of all time, but Kosteniuk is by far the best looking!> Good God! I just spent 15 minutes perusing the photos on her web site, and I'm seeing crosseyed. Maybe this is an inappropriate comment, but she's not just beautiful, she's smoking hot. Me-youch!
Sep-26-08   frogbert: <After all he has reported enthusiastically about events where Nakamura has faced opposition rated from the 2100s to the 2400s, as the National Open 2007.>

mig's american. nakamura is american. i don't think you need to dig deeper than that. and at least it's called "the national open" in this case, not "world series" or similar clever names used for national leagues over there. :o)

Oct-09-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  A.G. Argent: If you ask me, it's unfortunate that Ms. Kosteniuk has played only one of the Polgar sisters so far and that was only one game against Zsuzsa which ended in a draw at the '04 women's Olympiad. I realise the Three Sisters ain't playing that much lately and therefore there's little chance of any one of them meeting her in a tournament but surely there would have to be gathering interest in Alexandra playing an exhibition match or some such, versus either of the sisters, what with each of their richly deserved places in chess and Ms. K's status as newly crowned Women's champ and her over-all rising star. I mean, the kid's on a roll. And if Zsuzsa and she are now ranked bang-bang, one and two respectively in the US, why not a little tussle between them? Women's chess could defintely stand the attention or is it perfectly preposterous to even suggest such a thing? But it would be a pretty glamorous pairing though, eh?
Oct-25-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  gambitfan: One of my favourite players !
Nov-13-08   JYMMI: Looking pretty: http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q0lTtPVTG40/S...
Nov-18-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Isn't she in one of those straight-to-video graduate school type films, by a russian film maker? Done a couple of years ago? I know she isn't Meryl Streep, but it would be fun to see her in a movie, just out of curiosity. Maybe Karpov could play her father, in a turbulent father-daughter relationship, as Moro and Grischuk vie for her hand?
Nov-18-08   DCP23: <timhortons: is she married to a grandmaster?>

No. Her husband is not a chessplayer and doesn't have a rating.

Jan-11-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/bro...
Jan-11-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Wild Bill: <Tim Hortons>

Diego Garces (Mr. Kosteniuk) is not a grandmaster, but he plays chess. It seems the couple met over the board when Sasha was 16 years old: Kosteniuk vs Diego Garces, 2000

Jan-11-09   Granny O Doul: I think Mark was a bit harsh there. I think Black is definitely chess-player strength.
Jan-11-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  BishopofBlunder: <Jim Bartle: "The best women's chess player in the world flipped a dirty diaper into the trash as she pondered her next move after a dominating year." (Miami Herald)

I'd say "best women's chess player" is dubious at best.>

Well, she is the current world champion. Granted, the best woman chess player in the world is undoubtedly Judit Polgar, but she doesn't play in women events. So I don't think calling the current woman's World Champion the "best woman chess player" is that much of a stretch.

Jan-11-09   Jim Bartle: Semantics, I guess.
Feb-25-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  sergeidave: It would be amazingly interesting to see Alexandra play in men's tournaments, like Judit and Yifan. Please do so, Alexandra!! Is there any remote posibility??
Mar-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Travis Bickle: This was The Mainz Rapid tournament from 2008 and Alexndra played a male GM here with an elo over 100 points better than hers and she won.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Mwz...

Mar-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  percyblakeney: <It would be amazingly interesting to see Alexandra play in men's tournaments, like Judit and Yifan>

She has played quite a bit in open tournaments, apart from rapid events like Cap d'Agde (2008) and Ordix Open (2005 and 2008) there's Corus B 2003 and 2005, Aeroflot Open 2002 and 2006, Lausanne Young Masters 2001 and 2003, Russian Championships, US Open and a match against Karjakin in 2003.

Her best result in these events must be Aeroflot Open 2006, where she finished with a plus score after draws against Wang Yue, Motylev, Khalifman and Bu Xiangzhi. Lately she became a mother and has played a bit less, even if she did win the Women's World Championship last year.

Mar-22-09   DCP23: <Travis Bickle> Thanks for the link, didn't see this video before.
Apr-23-09   WhiteRook48: Happy Birthday!!
(I didn't know Kosteniuk shared a birthday with Anthony Miles)
Apr-23-09   SamAtoms1980: Happy birthday Alexandra, you're a pretty, sweet woman.
Apr-23-09   Raisin Death Ray: 25! Make a wish!
Apr-24-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Skepticus: A day later, but Happy Birthday, pretty and smart woman!
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