Max Euwe vs Alexandra Kosteniuk
Two chess prodigies, compared on what is actually documented: field, era, country and record. No invented numbers.
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The record, side by side
| Max Euwe | Alexandra Kosteniuk | |
| Field | Sports | Sports |
| Sub-field | Chess | Chess |
| Born | 1901 | 1984 |
| Died | 1981 | living / not documented |
| Country of birth | Netherlands | Russia |
| Star sign | Aries | Taurus |
Who they are
Max Euwe
In December 1935, in a match played across fifteen Dutch cities, a mild-mannered Amsterdam schoolteacher and mathematician accomplished one of the most stunning upsets in chess history. Machgielis "Max" Euwe defeated Alexander Alekhine — the dazzling, terrifying, seemingly invincible World Champion — by a score of 15.5 to 14.5, claiming the title of 5th World Chess Champion. The chess world was stunned. Alekhine was widely considered the strongest player alive; Euwe was a respected amateur — gifted, studious, but surely not in Alekhine's category. The match proved otherwise. For two years, the most powerful chess…
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: Netherlands and Russia.
- 83 years separate their births (1901 and 1984).
- Their lifetimes never overlapped.
Questions people ask
- Who came first, Max Euwe or Alexandra Kosteniuk?
- Max Euwe. Max Euwe was born in 1901, Alexandra Kosteniuk in 1984.
- What field is each of them in?
- Max Euwe is filed under Sports (Chess). Alexandra Kosteniuk is filed under Sports (Chess).
- Were they contemporaries?
- No - their lifetimes do not overlap.