Alexandra Kosteniuk new Women World Champion

After losing the final seven years ago to a Chinese player (Zu Chen), 24-year-old Alexandra Kosteniuk from Russia yesterday became Women World Champion of Chess by beating another Chinese player: 14-year-old Hou Yifan from China. Kosteniuk drew the fourth game in the match to bring the final score on 2.5-1.5.

Photo: Ilya Akhobekov | ?Ǭ© FIDE

Kosteniuk's first classical chess world title, worth US$ 60,000, was a deserved one. She was clearly the better player in the final, where her Chinese opponent was unstable in all games. After being outplayed in the first game, Hou Yifan miraclously escaped with a draw twice but winning with Black proved too hard a task.

But we shouldn't forget how young the Chinese finalist still is and therefore it's only praise that she deserves. Both a devilish tactician and a fierce fighter, Hou Yifan is surely a potential future world champion and definitely comparable to Magnus Carlsen in that sense.

Kosteniuk showed mature chess, a deep positional understanding, excellent preparation and strong nerves, especially in the complicated middelgame of the fourth game of the final, taking into account what had happened in games two and three. A true world champion!

Here's the last game of the final (you can find games 1 and 2 here and game 3 here):



And so the new Women World Champion of Chess, the successor of yet another Chinese player (Xu Yuhua), is Alexandra Kosteniuk. She's the 12th world champion in chess history, after Vera Menchik (1927?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1944), Lyudmila Rudenko (1950?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1953), Elisabeth Bykova (1953?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1956), Olga Rubtsova (1956?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1958), Elisabeth Bykova (1958?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1962), Nona Gaprindashvili (1962?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1978), Maya Chiburdanidze (1978?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1991), Xie Jun (1991?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1996), Susan Polgar (1996?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú1999), Xie Jun (1999?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú2001), Zhu Chen (2001?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú2004), Antoaneta Stefanova (2004?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú2006) and Xu Yuhua (2006?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú2008).

Kosteniuk at the press conference after the final | Photo Ilya Akhobekov



Alexandra Kostantinovna Kosteniuk was born April 23, 1984 in Perm, Russia. She learned to play chess at the age of five after being taught by her father. She also has a little sister named Oxana Kosteniuk, who is a master level chess player and works as a chess reporter.

In 2004 Kosteniuk won the Women European Championship and in November of the same year she achieved the International Grandmaster title, becoming the 10th of the 11 women who have received the highest title awarded by FIDE.

But Kosteniuk has always had some extra fame as the first real "chess babe" and she never denied it: her mottos have been "chess is cool" and "beauty and intelligence can go together".

Kosteniuk is married to Swiss-born Diego Garces, who is of Colombian descent, and 25 years her elder. On April 22, 2007 Alexandra gave birth to a daughter, Francesca Maria. Alexandra's website, which is maintained by her husband, covers the chess events she is participating in and offers up to date information about her. (Text based on Kosteniuk's Wikipedia article.)

The fourth game of the World Championship Final...

...another Scheveningen on the highest level!
The new world champion: Alexandra Kosteniuk (24), Russia
A great runner-up: Hou Yifan (14), China | Photos Evgeny Atarov ?Ǭ© FIDE



Scores, Final:

Nat.

Name

Rtg

G1

G2

G3

G4

R1

R2

B1

B2

SD

Tot.

RUS

Kosteniuk, Alexandra

2510

1

?Ǭ?

?Ǭ?

?Ǭ?

2.5

CHN

Hou, Yifan

2557

0

?Ǭ?

?Ǭ?

?Ǭ?

1.5

Videos by FIDE:





Here's the full schedule, from 64 names (11 did not participate) to 1 winner:

Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6
1 Xu Yuhua
	Xu Yuhua
64 Solomons
		Matveeva
32 Khurtsidze
	Matveeva
33 Matveeva
			Ushenina
16 Paehtz
	Paehtz
49 Kadimova
		Ushenina
17 Ushenina
	Ushenina
48 Le Thanh Tu
				Kosteniuk
8 Kosintseva,T
	Kosintseva,T
57 Muminova
		Kosintseva,T
25 Zatonskih
	Zatonskih
40 Bosboom Lanchava
			Kosteniuk
9 Kosteniuk
	Kosteniuk
56 Pourkashyan
		Kosteniuk
24 Korbut
	-
41 Gvetadze
					Kosteniuk
4 Stefanova
	Stefanova
61 Zapata
		Stefanova
29 Bojkovic
	Ju, Wenjun
36 Ju, Wenjun
			Stefanova
13 Zhukova
	Rohonyan
52 Rohonyan
		Gaponenko
20 Gaponenko
	Gaponenko
45 Zhang Jilin
				Cramling
5 Cramling
	Cramling
60 Sanchez Castillo
		Cramling
28 Tania
	Tan Zongyi
37 Tan Zongyi
			Cramling
12 Ruan
	Ruan
53 Zakurdjaeva
		Ruan
21Javakhisvili
	Amura
44 Amura
2 Koneru
	Koneru
63 Alaa El Din
		Koneru
31 Lomineishvili
	-
34 Khukhashvili
			Koneru
15 Hoang Thanh
	Hoang Thanh
50 Arribas
		Hoang Thanh
18 Socko
	Socko
47 Foisor,S
				Koneru
7 Zhao Xue
	Zhao Xue
58 Zuriel
		Shen Yang
26 Shen Yang
	Shen Yang
39 Kachiani-G
			Shen Yang
10 Cmilyte
	Cmilyte
55 Golubenko
		Kosintseva,N
23 Kosintseva,N
	Kosintseva,N
42 Mohota
					Hou Yifan
3 Hou Yifan
	Hou Yifan
62 Khaled
		Hou Yifan
30 Rajlich
	Mongontuul
35 Mongontuul
			Hou Yifan
14 Chiburdanidze
	Nguyen, Thi
51 Nguyen, Thi
		Sedina
19 Krush
	Sedina
46 Sedina
				Hou Yifan
6 Sebag
	Gasik
59 Gasik
		Mkrtchian
27 Mkrtchian
	Mkrtchian
38 Moser
			Mkrtchian
11 Muzychuk
	Muzychuk
54 Velcheva
		Harika
22 Harika
	Harika
43 Nebolsina

Links:

• Official website
• Games in PGN