The 2008 women’s world chess champion, one of the most recognizable players in the world has joined the ranks of Russian players leaving their country. The Swiss Chess Federation confirmed in a press release that Kosteniuk, who holds dual Russian-Swiss citizenship, will play under their banner from Jan. 1, 2024 onwards.
Kosteniuk, who is often referred to as the “chess queen” in online circles, is living in France and already plays for SD Zurick in the Swiss Team Championship. She last played for Russia in December 2021. She will likely be joined by Mariya Manko, a 15-year-old Ukrainian prodigy, and 18-year-old WIM Sofiia Hryzlova, who both fled to Switzerland last year.
The change in Kosteniuk’s case will only come into effect in 2024 to avoid having to pay a 10,000 euro transfer free to the Russian Chess Federation, as the move is free of charge after a two-year waiting period. This means that the grandmaster will miss out on the 2023 European Team Championship.
The 38-year-old grandmaster is one of the most accomplished players of her generation with a grandmaster title and an ELO rating of 2520. Currently rated #9 on the women’s world rankings, Kosteniuk was the women’s world chess champion between 2008 and 2010, and she won the women’s rapid chess championship as recently as 2021.
In some ways, this move serves as an example that while history doesn’t repeat itself, it certainly rhymes: in 1976, Viktor Korchnoi defected from the Soviet Union, not returning home after the 1978 Amsterdam tournament, becoming a Swiss citizen in 1978, joining their chess federation two years later.
