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:

Videos by FIDE:

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

Links:

• Official website
• Games in PGN