At 41, chess grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk remains a top competitor, sharing insights from her decades-long journey in an interview with The Hindu in Mumbai. She discusses her early achievements, the impact of computers on the game, and her passion for team tournaments like the Global Chess League. Kosteniuk emphasizes how chess has become the core of her life.
Alexandra Kosteniuk became a grandmaster in 2004 at age 19, joining only the tenth woman to achieve the title. She has won the World Championship in 2008 by defeating 14-year-old Hou Yifan in the final, the World Cup, and the World Rapid Championship in 2021. Kosteniuk also contributed to Russia's gold medal-winning teams at the Chess Olympiads in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
Reflecting on her World Championship final at 17 against Zhu Chen in 2001, Kosteniuk said, "I didn’t think much of it at the time. You just live the moment. But now when you think about it, it seems unbelievable." She started playing chess in 1989 at age five, long before computers transformed the game. "When I started, there were no computers. Or rather, there were computers, but not this much, not this kind," she noted. Today, chess demands extensive memorization and computer analysis, reducing creativity, though Kosteniuk prefers the creative aspects and has adapted to stay competitive.
Kosteniuk values team events, which drew her to the Global Chess League (GCL). "When you have won so many individual titles, one more isn’t anything special. But if you win as a team, it gives you a lot more," she explained. In the 2024 GCL in London, her performance helped Triveni Continental Kings retain the title, following a less successful debut with Chingari Gulf Titans in Dubai 2023. The 2025 GCL in Mumbai featured a stronger team atmosphere, with morning blitz sessions among teammates.
Unlike the Olympiad, where teammates are long-known, GCL teams form via draft. Kosteniuk appreciates the organizers' efforts to make GCL a mainstream product, calling it "a small step in the right direction." At 41, rapid formats like GCL motivate her, as they suit her energy levels better than classical chess. She views chess as more than a game: "It’s my world, it’s the core of my life." In 2013, she became the first woman to win the Swiss men's championship, affirming that women can compete against men in this intellectual sport, despite challenges.
