Alexandra Kosteniuk is the ONLY Women Competing Against 15 Male Dominated Line Up Including Magnus Carlsen

The dates have been announced for the second edition of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. It’s an online competition, spread across the year, comprising 9 tournaments (10 tournaments in 2021) in total. Though all the eyes are on the top chess players competing with one another, the surprising touch to this year’s edition is the participation of a former female world chess champion.

Alexandra Kosteniuk is the surprise we are talking about in Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2022. What could be more fun than watching a former female world chess champion compete against the top 15 men in the chess world? The Russian Grand Master says, “It?s going to be a tough one, but am looking forward to it nevertheless!”

However, the fact that she is the only woman to make it to the chess lineup for Meltwater Champions Chess Tour is quite inspirational. She is a remarkable chess player and would be a tough competition for every member of the lineup.

Who is Alexandra Kosteniuk?

The Russian Grand Master is one of the best female chess players of all time. She was the female world chess champion from 2008 to 2010 and apart from winning many Russian championships, she was also the European women’s champion in 2004.

In the online world, she is known by the name ‘ChessQueen’. Alexandra Kosteniuk is a versatile chess celebrity indulged in streaming, writing, modeling, and along with being the ambassador for chess education, she has also appeared in a couple of films.

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Meltwater Champions Chess Tour 2021

The 2021 edition of the tournament was an amazing hit. It was a nail biting competition for 90 days, in which Magnus Carlsen came out as the winner in the end. Carlsen defeated his chief rival Wesley So in the finals to win 1 million dollars. The second and third place were backed by Teimour Radjabov and Levon Aronian, respectively.

Carlsen has already started the year with winning his 8th Tata Steel title and will now look to defend the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour trophy. However, the major attraction of the tournament would be the Russian Grand Master Alexandra Kosteniuk.

By making it to the lineup, she has already acclaimed a lot of respect, but do you think she be able to defeat the top 15 men in chess? Let us know in the comments below.