Alexandra Kosteniuk

Chess Player

In her teens, Russian chess champion Alexandra Kosteniuk was often compared to tennis star Anna Kournikova: a young talent who was not shy about showing off her good looks. Trained by her father, Kosteniuk began playing chess as a little girl, and became a European champion before she was 10 years old. She became an International Woman Grandmaster in 1998, an International Master (competing against men) in 2000, and an International Grandmaster in 2004. She and her father published a book, How I Became Grandmaster at Age 14, and followed it with her own line of chess games and DVDs. In later years she has become a mentor for other young chess players, pitching the game with her motto "Chess is cool."

Other chess experts include Bobby Fischer, Deep Blue and The Turk.