Those who are familiar with chess, the name of Alexander Kosteniuk should be known. This representative of the beautiful half of humanity won the title of grandmaster of chess at a young age. Moreover, the title was obtained both among women and among men.
Fourteen year old grandmaster
On April 23, 1984, Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk was born in Perm. And in 1985, her family moved to the capital of Russia. Already in Moscow, the girl fell in love with chess. This feeling was persistently instilled in her father. Board logic game has become her favorite thing. Due to the fact that the father became the first coach for the girl, Alexandra at the age of 7 became the champion of the capital. Three years later, she won the title of Olympic champion. And four years later, Alexandra Kosteniuk, for whom chess became the main occupation, achieved the titles of “grandmaster” (among women) and “international master”. Her case is special. After all, before Alexandra, no one had achieved such dizzying results.
Leaps and bounds to success
The two thousandth year brought the Queen of Chess the title of international master among men.
In 2004, the chess competitions held in Dresden made Alexander the European Chess Champion.
In November of the same year, Kosteniuk Alexandra became the 10th woman in the world to receive the honorary title of international grandmaster among men. Then she was only 20 years old.
In 2005, the chess player Alexandra Kosteniuk received the title of champion of Russia in chess (among women).
In August 2006, there was a random chess competition between our heroine and Elizabeth Petz (random chess is a variant of the game when the initial positions of the pieces are determined randomly).
In 2008, I had to defend the champion title. Catherine Lagno, who encroached on this title, lost to Alexandra.
Two years after receiving the world title, the girl had to defend him. And she did it with great success.
Chess Queen - Fashion Model
Thanks to her fame in the world of sports and her photogenic appearance, the girl was able to appear in advertisements of various brands. To popularize chess, Alexandra Kosteniuk poses in a bikini against the backdrop of a rook, horse, queen. She wanted to show that the pieces on the board can be moved by everyone, including people with a bright appearance.
The most interesting photo shoot Kosteniuk - pictures in the men's magazine "Penthouse". Four pages with her photographs and interviews are dedicated not only to smart, but also charming chess players. Although Alexandra claims that there was no photo shoot. She just sent the most suitable pictures to the editorial office of the magazine (of course, for a certain monetary reward). In addition, the Queen of Chess starred in many commercials, and some magazines can boast that on their pages is the World Chess Champion.
Alexandra's parents
Thanks to the support of her parents, Kosteniuk Alexandra became the champion. Her father, Kosteniuk Konstantin, always believed in his daughter. And from the age of five he began to train her. This led to the fact that Sasha became the champion of the capital at the age of seven! To deal exclusively with his daughter, the head of the family quit his job (he held the post of teacher at the military academy), money was not enough. And washing cars on the embankment, and other part-time jobs, the purpose of which was to send his daughter to the world championship, once brought Konstantin to a casino, where he accidentally bet on a certain number and won. One and a half thousand dollars was enough to send Sasha to the World Cup. And after receiving the title, sponsors appeared, and it became easier with finances.
The discipline characteristic of a military man was a fundamental part in the career of a young chess player. All wins and losses were clearly analyzed. Konstantin forced his daughter to memorize various openings. It even came to solving chess problems blindly. Also, thanks to her father, Alexandra became incredibly famous from a young age. Konstantin Kostenyuk willingly talked with reporters, invited television figures and helped his daughter write books for self-promotion. And Sasha, who was a very modest and shy child, was only required to play well and smile more often.
Alexandra's mother worked as a teacher in a kindergarten. After her husband’s dismissal, she believed that they would get out of a difficult financial situation. Several years passed, and now Natalya Kostenyuk teaches children to play chess. In her Alexandra studio, children from three to eight years old learn the secrets of a logical game. The special technique that Natalya began to develop even at the time when Alexandra Kosteniuk was just starting to walk, will certainly make the kids future grandmasters.
The chess queen also has a sister. Oksana followed in the footsteps of Alexandra and also became a chess player. But I didn’t reach the peaks. She is three years younger than Sasha, studying at the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University. Occasionally participates in tournaments, flickering in the chess press.
Loving wife and mom
The first marriage of Alexandra Kosteniuk was in the year of adulthood. The successful businessman Diego Garces had his eye on a charming chess player when she was only 16 years old. In Lausanne, they met. In 2000, a chess tournament was held in this city, where Diego played with Ponomarev. Despite his advantage, Garces lost, and then went for a walk and met Alexandra. And after that, the girls flew to all the tournaments. At the time of meeting she was 16, and he was 41. Despite this, they got married two years later. 5 years after marriage, they had a daughter, who was named in honor of Diego's grandmother - Francesca Maria.
2007 April 11 (two months ahead of schedule). For a long time she was in the hospital under the supervision of doctors. And until the baby got to her feet, Alexandra Kosteniuk and her husband did not spread about such joyful news. Kstai, a young grandfather, Konstantin Kostenyuk, calls his granddaughter Froska.
Grandmasters Union
The first marriage of Alexandra Kosteniuk ended in the fact that she left Garces to Pavel Tregubov. The grandmaster, who has been living in France for a long time, is only 12 years older than his wife. Compared to the previous husband, this is a small difference (the difference with Diego Garces is 25 years).
Pavel Tregubov and Alexandra Kostenyuk got married.
Books written by a chess player
Father, Konstantin Kostenyuk, always supported his daughter. His support, not only in sports, but also in the field of literature, helped the girl a lot. In just two years, the Queen of Chess wrote her first book, “How to Become a Grandmaster at 14”. It was released in three languages - English, Spanish and Russian. Then the following books appeared:
- How to teach chess: a preschool chess textbook. Co-authored with his mother.
- Chess Queen Diaries.
Personal life of Alexandra Kosteniuk
Kosteniuk Alexandra, whose personal life is not limited to traveling around countries and cities and participating in chess tournaments, leads a rather interesting way of life. Clever and beautiful, she promotes activity, proper nutrition, rejection of bad habits. Running 10 kilometers a day, she wants to take part in a marathon. According to Alexandra, she would have starred in a movie. But most of all, she wants to get into the "Ice Age".
Sasha had teaching experience. Once she led a detachment in a children's camp. According to the chess player, it was unbearable. Therefore, Kosteniuk Alexandra decided not to experiment anymore.