Alexander Alekhine vs Alexandra Kosteniuk
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
The record, side by side
| Alexander Alekhine | Alexandra Kosteniuk | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1892 | 1984 |
| Died | 1946 | living / not documented |
| Country of birth | France | Russia |
| Star sign | Scorpio | Taurus |
Who they are
Alexander Alekhine
When Alexander Alekhine arrived in Buenos Aires in September 1927 to challenge José Raúl Capablanca for the World Championship, the chess world expected a formality. Capablanca had not lost a competitive game in eight years. Grandmasters whispered that chess had reached its apex in the Cuban — that the game, played perfectly, would always draw, and that Capablanca was the player who played perfectly. Alekhine, a Russian émigré living in France, was a fine attacking player, perhaps the best combinational talent of his generation, but attacking chess against someone who never made errors was considered…
Full biography of Alexander Alekhine →
Alexandra Kosteniuk
Alexandra Kosteniuk arrived at the 2008 Women's World Chess Championship in Nalchik, Russia, as a player who had spent a decade on the edge of the title without claiming it. She had been a silver medalist in 2001 at only seventeen, a candidate multiple times, and a recognizable figure across the global chess circuit. In Nalchik she finally converted potential into the crown, defeating Hou Yifan in the final to become Women's World Chess Champion and cementing her place among the greats of the game. She was twenty-four years old and had been working toward…
Full biography of Alexandra Kosteniuk →
What they share
- Both are held here under Sports.
- Same sub-field: Chess.
Where they part
- Born in different countries: France and Russia.
- 92 years separate their births (1892 and 1984).
- Their lifetimes never overlapped.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Alexander Alekhine or Alexandra Kosteniuk?
- Alexander Alekhine. Alexander Alekhine was born in 1892, Alexandra Kosteniuk in 1984.
- What field is each of them in?
- Alexander Alekhine is filed under Sports (Chess). Alexandra Kosteniuk is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- No - their lifetimes do not overlap.