FROM ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK’S WEBSITE:

“I am Alexandra Kosteniuk,
a International Woman Grandmaster (WGM) (1998) and an International Master among men (IM)(2000) and a Women’s Vice World Champion (2001). I was born in the Russian city of Perm on April 23, 1984. I have been living in Moscow since 1985. Currently I study at the Russian State Academy of Physical Education. When I graduate from the Academy I will become a certified professional chess trainer. I really enjoy teaching chess, perhaps it was inherited from my dad. My dad – Konstantin Vladimirovich – was my original trainer, it was he who taught me to play chess and worked with me for several hours a day. I am very grateful to him for everything I have achieved in chess is his merit. My dad sacrificed much for me. He abandoned a very promising and brilliant career of an army officer in order to help me and to accompany me to tournaments. Strange it may seem but he doesn’t have any international degrees, but he plays chess very good. And I think he is the best trainer I’ve ever known. That’s why, if you can’t play chess or if you want to improve your skills in chess, I recommend you to apply just to my father, by the way, he gives online lessons. I also gave online lessons on ICC, but now unfortunately I don’t have time for it, because of the preparation for the regular World Chess Championship, which will take place in London(December 2003).

I improved in chess rapidly. My first great achievements came in Junior tournaments. In 1994 I became a European Champion among girls under the age of 10, and a month later shared first and second places at the World Championship under the age of 10. Later, I had the same major achievements in other age categories. There were many of such victories and I’ll show them in a table there.

In 1997, I became a Woman International Master (WIM) at the age of 13, they say that I reached this mark slightly quicker than Maya Chiburdanidze, but I don’t give much significance to that. I scored all necessary WGM norms in February of 1998 that is at the age of 13 years and 10 months but the title was officially given to me in November 1998 at the 33rd World Olympiad in Kalmykiya. There is a table of my other major achievements at International tournaments. My current ELO rating as of January 1, 2002 is 2469.

I also have many other interests but chess, I write poems (some of them are published in my book), and I like sport in all its forms. When I graduate from the Physical Education Academy, I will be only 20, that is why I hope to enter one of the best universities of the world (of course if I earn enough money for such education). I adore studying.

    On the 26th of December (in Russian) and on the 15th of January (in English) my first book How I became Grandmaster at age 14 will come out. My dad and I have been working on it for almost two years, and I feel that its genre is very original. It is a manual in which I teach to play chess and at the same time I tell how I learnt to play chess starting from the age of 5. The book contains many annotated games and pictures, including colored ones. I hope that it won’t disappoint you. I think that many parents will purchase it as a present for their children. Perhaps not everyone who reads it will become a Grandmaster at the age of 14, but many readers will learn to play this most intelligent and most beautiful game in the world. Good luck!

    I am eager to hear your feedback and suggestions concerning my site, which will surely be answered by me or by my assistants who administrate the site. At my site you can put questions online to an administrator on duty or discuss news at the forum of the site. You are also welcome to my fan club!

Yours truly,

Alexandra

“Want to know in details what other people think about the book by Alexandra Kosteniuk?

Attention, you chess fans! Alexandra Kosteniuk‚s new book „How I became grandmaster at the age 14‰ is out! On the 26th of December Alexandra’s book was published in Russian, and on the 15th of January the book was published in English. Spanish version will be published very soon.

The book features:

* How I became a Grandmaster at the age of 14

* Secrets of the Russian chess school

* My best games

* Instructive positions”