Russian chess grandmaster Alexander Grischuk’s wife, Kateryna Lagno, is also a chess grandmaster; she is a chess prodigy who got the title “Woman Grandmaster” at 12. Even more, both have competed against each other in world tournaments on many occasions.
Aside from similar professional interests, both had failed relationships in the past- Grischuk and Lagno are one-time divorcees. Also, their respective ex-spouses were notable chess figures as well.
With his wife, Kateryna, the three-time World Blitz Chess Champion shares parenthood of four children, including a stepson. You probably want to know more about Alexander’s wife and their relationship. Scroll through the full article.
Alexander Grischuk’s Wife, Kateryna, Is The Women’s World Blitz Champion
Grischuk’s wife, Kateryna, is a Russian (formerly Ukrainian) chess prodigy who started competing at seven and became a Ukrainian U-10 champion.
In 2002, at 12 years, four months, and two days, Lagno completed her WGM norm, becoming the youngest, beating Judit Polgar’s record. Later, in 2007, she transcended to the “grandmaster” title.
As a teenager, she won two European Individual Women’s Championship titles (in 2005 and 2008). Lagno, who represented Ukraine (until 2014) and Russia (2014 onwards), won two gold medals in the Chess Olympiad (2005 and 2014).
Having earned her first-ever Women’s World Blitz Championship title in 2010, she won her second title in 2018, finishing without losing any games; it came only a month after she gave birth to her fourth child.
Her third (second consecutive) victory in the Blits championship came in 2019, thus becoming the woman with the most wins.
Moreover, the Lviv native holds five wins in the Women’s European Team Championship; she won in 2013, representing the Ukrainian team, and the other four (2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021) with Russia.
The two-time gold medalist in the Women’s World Team Championship is
As of January 2024, she has a FIDE rating of 2552 and has a world ranking of #407.
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Where Is Kateryna Lagno From? Age And Height
Kateryna Aleksandrovna Lagno was born to Valentina and Alexander Lagno on December 27, 1989, in Lviv, Ukraine. She grew up in Kramatorsk with her younger brother before moving to Donetsk.
She enrolled at a famous chess school there and studied alongside future grandmasters like Zahar Efimenko, Ruslan Ponomariov, and Sergey Karjakin.
As of February 2024, she is 34 years old. Comparatively, Kateryna is six years younger than her chess grandmaster husband, Alexander Grischuk, who was born on October 31, 1983.
Lagno, 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm), has green eyes and light brown hair.
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When Did Alexander Grischuk And His Wife, Kateryna Marry?
Grischuk and his sweetheart Lagno have not disclosed their wedding details. Sources report that the duo married somewhere in the mid-2010s.
Even if they keep their courtship under wraps, it’s evident that their shared interest in chess brought them together. Moreover, since both are divorcees, it probably aligned their understanding and feelings.
Aside from being a power couple and each other’s supporters, they have been opponents in games, too. In round eight of the Satty Zhuldyz Chess Festival Blitz 2023, the couple faced each other, ending in a draw.
Do The Chess Master Couple Have Kids?
Yes, Alexander and Kateryna are parents of four kids, including a daughter, Masha, from his ex-wife and a stepson from his current wife’s previous relationship.
The only known biological child of the duo is their fourth child, a daughter, Aglaia. They welcomed Agalaia on September 27, 2018; she will be six years old in September 2024.
Further details about their kids are not out.
Interestingly, in November 2018, Kateryna returned to her professional chess career only a month after giving birth to their youngest daughter. She competed in the 2018 Women’s World Championship, losing to eventual winner Ju Wenjun.
Following a month, she won her second Word Blitz Women’s Championship in December 2018.
During an interview with FIDE Chess in July 2021, when asked if her children are into chess, Kateryna mentioned that her youngest son might be interested, but her husband ‘didn’t want it to be a serious one.
| Marital Status | Married |
| Children | 4 |
| Wife Name | Kateryna Lagno (Kateryna Oleksandrivna Lahno) |
| Daughter’s name | Masha, Aglaia |
Are They Active On Instagram?
Alexander and his wife, Kateryna, seemingly are not fond of social media platforms. They do not have any Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter profiles.
Grischuk’s Ex-Wife Is Also A Chess Grandmaster
Before Kateryna, Alexander had a marital relationship with Ukrainian chess grandmaster Natalia Zhukova (b. June 5, 1979).
She is a two-time European Women’s Champion. In 1996, then-17-year-old Zhukova was the youngest woman to represent the Ukrainian women’s level.
While together, the former duo welcomed a daughter, Maria (or Masha), in February 2007.
There is no exact date or reason for the divorce of Alexander and Natalia, but many online sources mentioned them as husband and wife until 2009. Probably, their relationship turned sour afterward.
Now, Zhukova lives in the United States with her new husband; they married on June 21, 2022.
She took to Instagram to share the news of their wedding, featuring a picture from the Texas County wedding registry office with hashtags like #weddingday and #loveforever.
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Alexander Grischuk’s Wife Is A One-Time Divorcee
Like Grischuk, his wife Lagno went through a failed marriage. She married Robert Fontaine, a French chess grandmaster and TV reporter. They exchanged vows on February 25, 2009.
Later, she moved to France with her then-husband. She became the World Blitz Champion in 2010, a year after her marriage. Together, they even shared a son.
However, after several years, the two divorced, so Kateryna moved to Russia in 2014.
Why Did Grischuk’s Wife, Kateryna Lagno, Choose Russia Over Ukraine?
In the summer of 2014, Lagno applied for membership in the RCF (Russian Chess Federation), to change her representation from Ukraine to Russia. As a result, she took Russian citizenship, opting out of her home country.
However, it fired up some claims entitling her as a “traitor.” In that wake, she made a statement clarifying her decision,
“For me, half Russian, speaking Russian and simply remembering our history, Russia is as close as Ukraine. The only thing I would like to emphasize is that my transition has nothing to do with the political situation in Ukraine.”
Moreover, she added that there were none of any influence or threats regarding her change of nationality:
“No one was pushing or pulling me, and the fact that I want to change my federation, together with changing my residence, has been known for a year.”
As a part of her transfer, the RCF paid €20,000 in compensation to the Ukrainian Chess Federation and €5,000 for FIDE.
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