World Chess hall of fame
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Inducted 2026 1984-Present
Switzerland
Biography
Alexandra Kosteniuk is one of the most successful female players of the 21st century, holding the title of women’s world chess champion from 2008 to 2010. A chess prodigy, Kosteniuk won the Russian Women’s Rapid Chess Championship at the age of 12. She finished second in the 2001 Women’s World Chess Championship when she was only 17, losing the final match only at the tie-break stage. Kosteniuk was European Women’s Chess Champion in 2004 and is a two-time Russian Women’s Chess Champion (2005 and 2016). She also finished first in the Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship in 2021. Kosteniuk, who now represents Switzerland, won team gold medals for her native Russia in the 2010, 2012, and 2014 Chess Olympiads.
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