Alexandra Kosteniuk

Alexandra Kosteniuk is a Grandmaster and the 12th Women's World Chess Champion, having won the title in 2008 in Nalchik. Born in 1984 in Perm, Russia, she learned chess at age five from her father and earned her Women's Grandmaster and Men's International Master titles by age 17. She received the full Grandmaster title in 2004.

Her competitive record is extensive: European Women's Champion (2004), two-time Russian Women's Champion, Women's World Rapid Champion (2021), Women's Chess World Cup winner (2021), and Olympic gold medalist with the Russian women's team in 2010, 2012, and 2014. In 2013, she became the first woman to win the Swiss Chess Championship open section. She now competes under the Swiss flag, having obtained citizenship in 2023.

Beyond the board, Kosteniuk is a prolific content creator and chess entrepreneur. She streams on Twitch under the handle chessqueen, maintains an active YouTube channel, and runs the Chess Queen brand (a registered trademark since 2007). She is involved with Chess King Labs, which develops chess training software including Chess King and Chess Assistant. She also founded AzbukaChess, a preschool chess school in Moscow for children ages 3 to 7.

Kosteniuk holds a peak FIDE rating of 2561 and carries a current rating around 2491. She is active on all major social platforms and continues to compete at the highest level while producing chess content and educational materials.