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The Women's World Championship was established exclusively for women by FIDE, the World Chess Federation (founded in 1924), in 1927. The official World Chess Championship title began in 1886, but no women took place in any world championship title until 1927. In 1897, the first Women's International Chess Congress was organized in London with 20 of the best women players in the world. The round-robin Congress was won by Mary Rudge (1842-1919) of Bristol, winning 18 games, drawing 1, and losing none. She was the first unofficial women's world chess champion. Vera Menchik (1906-1944) On February 16, 1906, Vera Frantsevna Menchik (Mencikova) was born in Moscow, Russian Empire. Her father was Czechoslovakian (Bohemian) and her mother was English. She learned how to play chess at age 9. In 1921, the family (Vera, her sister Olga (1907-1944), and her mother) moved to Hastings, England where she joined the Hastings Chess Club in 1923 and soon became a pupil of Geza Maroczy (1870-1951). By 1925, she was considered the strongest lady player in Britain. However, she was not British and could not enter the national competition. In 1925, Vera defeated Edith Charlotte Price (1872-1956), British ladies' champion, twice in matches. In January, 1926 Vera won the first British Girls' Open Championship at the Imperial Club in London. Her sister, Olga, took 3rd place. In January, 1927 Vera won the London ladies championship with a perfect 5-0 score. Her sister Olga took 2nd place. In July 1927, Vera Menchik won the first Women's World Championship with 10 wins and 1 draw (to Edith Mitchell in the last round). The event took place during the first Chess Olympiad (July 18-30, 1927), held in London, England. The event was a 12-player round robin. It was not billed in advance by FIDE as being for the women's world chess championship until after the event (September 1927). At the time, it was just called ‘the Women's Tournament.' The Women's Tournament was an alternative to a Women's Chess Olympiad. At that time, no one thought there was any interest for a women's Olympiad. The entry fee for the Women's Tournament was one British pound (about $40 in today's currency). Vera Menchik won 20 British pounds (about $800 in today's currency) for winning the tournament. In 1929, she played at the international tournament in Carlsbad. She was the first woman to compete in a major international tournament of top masters. She came in last place. In July 1930, Menchik won the 2nd Women's World Chess Championship with 6 wins, 1 draw, to Paula Wolf-Kalmar (1880-1931), and 1 loss, to Wally Henschel (1893-1988). The event took place during the 3rd Chess Olympiad (July 13-27, 1930), held in Hamburg, Germany. The event was a 5-player double round-robin tournament. The other four players were Wolf-Kalmar, Henschel, Beskow, and Stevenson. In 1931, Vera Menchik married Rufus Streatfeild Stevenson (1878-1943). In July 1931, Vera Menchik-Stevenson won the 3rd Women's World Chess Championship with 8 wins and no draws or losses. The event took place during the 4th Chess Olympiad (July 11-26, 1931), held in Prague. The event was a 5-player double round-robin. The other four players were Wolf-Kalmar, Henschel, Beskow, and Stevenson. In July 1933, Menchik won the 4th Women's World Chess Championship with 14 straight wins and no draws or losses. The event took place during the 5th Chess Olympiad (July 12-23, 1933), held in Folkestone, England. The event was an 8-player double round-robin. The other players were Price, Gilchrist, Mchell, Tonini, Schwartzmann, D'Autremont, and Harum. In 1934, Menchik won the Women's World Chess Championship after defeating Sonja Graf (1908-1965) in a match, scoring 3 wins and 1 loss. The match was played in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The world championship match was arranged by the two players and not under the auspices of FIDE. Some sources say that this match was not for the women's world championship title. In August 1935, Menchik won the 5th Women's World Chess Championship with 9 wins and no draws or losses. The event took place during the 6th Chess Olympiad (August 16-31, 1935), held in Warsaw, Poland. The event was a 10-player round-robin. The other players were Gerlecka, Harum, Olga Menchik, Thierry, Hermanova, Holloway, Skjonsberg, Kowalska, and Shannon. In August 1937, Menchik won the 6th Women's World Chess Championship, scoring 14 points (2nd place winner was Claris Benini (1905-1976), who scored 10 points). Menchik won 14 games straight. The event took place during the 7th Chess Olympiad (July 31 to August 14, 1937), held in Stockholm. The event had 26 women players with 14 rounds. In late 1937, Menchik won the Women's World Chess Championship after defeating Sonja Graf again in a match, held in Semmering, Austria. Menchik won 9, drew 5, and lost 2, for a score of 11.5-4.5. The world championship match was arranged by the two players and not under the auspices of FIDE. In 1939, she became manager of the British National Chess Centre. It was later bombed and destroyed in a German air raid. Vera was also serving on the editorial staff of Chess magazine as games editor. In September 1939, Menchik won the 7th Women's World Chess Championship with 18 points (17 wins and 2 draws). The event took place 8th Chess Olympiad (August 24-Septemer 19, 1939), held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event was a 20-player round-robin. 2nd place went to Sonja Graf with 16 points. Due to the outbreak of World War II, there was no Women's Chess Championship until late 1949. Meanwhile, Menchik died in London in 1944 in a German air raid (V1 rocket hit her home). Menchik won every Woman's World Championship tournament: London 1927 (10 wins and 1 draw) Hamburg 1930 (6 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw), Prague 1931 (8 wins), Folkestone 1933 (14 wins), Warsaw 1935 (9 wins), Stockholm 1937 (14 wins), and Buenos Aires 1939 (17 wins, 2 draws). She only lost one game (to Henschel at Hamburg in 1930) in 83 world championship games from 1927 to 1944. She won 78 games, drew 4 games, and lost only one game in 8 world championship tournament events (not counting the one or two matches with Sonja Graf), for a 96.3% winning percentage. Vera Menchik was killed, along with her sister Olga, her sister's husband, and Vera's mother, in a bombing raid on June 26, 1944, at the age of 38. A V-1 buzz bomb hit her home at 47 Gauden Road in the Clapham area of South London. At the time of her death, she was the games editor of Chess magazine and women's world champion. She was World's Women Champion from 1927 until her death on June 26, 1944. She has been the longest reigning Women's World Chess Champion (17 years). She would have extended it longer if she had not been killed. Of interest is that Vera Menchik represented Russia in the first Women's World Championship. She then represented Czechoslovakia (she could not speak the language) in the Women's World Championships from 1930 to 1937. She then represented England in the 1939 Women's World Chess Championship. In her lifetime, she played and beat Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander (1932), Abraham Baratz, Albert Becker (1929), Eero Book (1938), Edgard Colle, Max Euwe (1930), Harry Golombek, Mir Sultan Khan, Frederic Lazard, Jacques Mieses (1928), Stuart Milner-Barry (1934), Karel Opocensky, Brian Reilly, Samuel Reshevsky (1935), Friedrich Samisch (1929), Philip Sergeant (1938), Lajos Steiner (1936), George Alan Thomas (1932), Theodore Tylor (1933), William Winter (1932), and Frederick Yates (1928). All are now members of the Menchik Club. Vera Menchik was the first woman who could play successfully against the best male players. In 2011, she was inducted in the World Chess Hall of Fame. Lyudmila Rudenko (1904-1986) On July 27, 1904 Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko was born in Lubny, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine). She learned how to play chess at age 10 from her father. Rudenko was an excellent chess player and an excellent swimmer. In 1920, she won the Odessa championship in the women's 400 meter breaststroke. In 1925, she took 2nd in the Ukrainian 400 meter breaststroke championship. Rudenko was trained as an economic adviser in Odessa. She did not compete in chess tournaments before she moved to Moscow in 1925 to work for an economic planning committee of the Soviet Union. In 1927, she participated in the USSR Women's Chess Championship, in which she placed 5th. In 1928, she won the Moscow Women's Championship ahead of reigning USSR Women's Champion, Olga Rubtsova. Rudenko scored a perfect 12-0, winning all her games. In 1929, she moved to Leningrad. She won the Leningrad Women's Championship seven times (1932, 1936, 1947, 1957, 1958, 1962, and 1963). From 1941 to 1944, during the siege of Leningrad, she organized the evacuation of the children of factory workers. She gathered up over 300 children as she could in pioneer camps and kindergartens, and got them safely out of Leningrad and the suburbs. In June 1946, Rudenko, on board 12, defeated Rowena Bruce (1911-1991) in both their games in the USSR vs. Great Britain radio chess match. In January 1950, Rudenko won the 8th Women's Chess Championship, scoring 11.5 points out of 15 (9 wins, 1 loss, and 5 draws). Her only loss was the American player Gisela Kahn Gresser (1906-2000). The event was a 16-player round robin. The 16 players were from 12 different countries, with the four Soviet players taking the top four spots. After the tournament, she was awarded the International Master (IM) and Woman International Master (WIM) titles. She was the first woman awarded the IM title. In 1952, she won the USSR Women's Championship, held in Tbilisi. In 1953, she was awarded the Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. In August-September 1953, Rudenko lost her world chess championship title to Elisabeth Bykova. Rudenko won 5, drew 2, and lost 7 games in the match, held in Moscow. In 1955, she won the Uzbekistan women's chess championship. In August-September 1956, Rudenko took 3rd in the Triangular Women's World Championship Title Match, behind Rubtsova and Bykova. In 1956, she won the open chess championship of Ukraine. In 1976, she was awarded the newly created title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM), at the age of 72. She is the oldest female to be granted a WGM title. On March 4, 1986, she died in Leningrad. During her chess career, she played in 17 USSR women's chess championships. In 2015, Rudenko was inducted in the World Chess Hall of Fame. Elisabeth Bykova (1913-1989) On November 4, 1913, Elisaveta (Elisabeth) Ivanovna Bykova was born in Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Oblast, Russian Empire. She learned how to play chess at age 12 after the family moved to Moscow. In 1936, Bykova graduated from the Institute of Economic Planning. In 1938, she won the women's Moscow championship. In June 1946, Bykova, on board 11, defeated Eileen Tranmer (1910-1983) in both games of the USSR vs. Great Britain radio chess match. In 1946, Bykova won the Women's Soviet Championship. She won it again in 1947 and 1950. In January 1950, Bukova took 3rd place in the Women's World Championship tournament, held in Moscow. The winner was Ludmilla Rudenko, followed by Olga Rubtsova. In 1950, she was awarded the title of Woman International Master (WIM). In October-November 1952, Bykova won the first Women's Candidates Tournament in Moscow, scoring 11.5 out of 15. This tournament determined the challenger for the next Women's World Chess Championship, and a match with Rudenko. In September 1953, Bykova defeated current women's world champion Lyudmila Rudenko for the Women's World Chess Championship, scoring 7 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws. The event was held in Moscow. Bykova was awarded the title of International Master (IM). She became the third Women's World Champion. In September 1956, Bykova lost her women's world championship title to Olga Rubtsova, who had won the 1955 Women's Candidates Tournament. In February-March 1958, Bykova again won the Women's World Chess Championship after defeating Rubtsova 8.5 to 5.5 (7 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses). The event was held in Moscow. In December 1959-January 1960, Bykova defended her title by defeating Kira Zvorykina (who had won the 1959 Women's Candidates Tournament), scoring 6 wins, 2 losses, and 5 draws. The event was held in Moscow. In September-October 1962, she lost her title to Nona Gaprindashvili. Nona won by a score of 7 wins, 4 draws, and no losses. The match was held in Moscow. In 1976, she was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. On March 8, 1989, Bykova died in Moscow. In 2013, she was inducted in the World Chess Hall of Fame. Olga Rubtsova (1909-1994) On August 20, 1909, Olga Nikolaevna Rubtsova was born in Moscow. In 1927, Olga, at the age of 17, won the first Soviet Women's Chess Championship, held in Moscow. She also won it in 1931, 1937, and 1948. In 1936, Olga graduated as an engineer from Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School. In January 1950, Olga took 2nd place in the Women's World Chess Championship, won by Lyudmila Rudenko. In October 1955, Rubtsova won the Women's Candidates Tournament and qualified to play in the Women's World Championship. The event was held in Moscow. Instead of directly playing current women's world champion Bykova in a match, FIDE decided that the championship should be held between the three top women players in the world — Bykova, Rubtsoava, and Rudenko. In September 1956, Olga Rubtsova won the Women's World Chess Championship after finishing ahead of Elisaveta Bykova and Lyudmila Rudenko. in a match-tournament, held in Moscow. Each played an 8-game match with each other. Rubtsova scored 10 points, followed by Bykova with 9.5 points, and Rudenko with 4.5 points. She became the fourth Women's World Chess Champion. In September 1958, she lost the title after a match with Bykova. In 1972, Olga became the first Women's World Correspondence Chess Champion. The event started in 1968, which also included Lyudmila Rudenko and Elisabeth Bykova. She is the only person to become world champion at over-the-board chess and correspondence chess. In 1976, she was awarded the Woman Grandmaster title. On December 13, 1994, Olga Rubtsova died in Moscow. Rubtsova is the mother of Woman Grandmaster Elena Fatalibekova (1947- ). In 2015, she was inducted in the World Chess Hall of Fame. Nona Gaprindashvili (1941- ) On May 3, 1941, Nona Gaprindashvili was born in Zugdidi, Soviet Georgia. In October-November 1961, Nona, age 20, won the fourth Women's Candidates Tournament, held in Vrnjacka Banja, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). She scored 13 points (10 wins, 6 draws, no losses). In September-October 1962, Nona defeated Elisabeth Bykova in the Women's World Chess Championship, scoring 9-2 (7 wins, 4 draws, and no losses). She thus became the fifth women's world chess champion, and, at age 21, the youngest up to that time. The event was held in Moscow. In 1963/64, she won at Hastings. In 1964, she won the Women's Soviet Championship. She also won it in 1973, 1981, 1983, and 1985. In September-October 1965, Nona defeated Alla Kushnir (1941-2013), scoring 8.5-4.5 (7 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses), for the Women's World Championship title. The event was held in Riga. In April-May 1969, Nona defeated Alla Kushnir, scoring 8.5-4.5 (7 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses), for the Women's World Championship title. The match was played in Tbilisi and Moscow. In May-June 1972, Nona defeated Alla Kushnir, scoring 8.5-7.5 (5 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses), for the Women's World Chess Championship title. The match was played in Riga. In October-November 1975, Nona defeated Nana Alexandria (1949- ), scoring 8.5-3.5 (8 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses), for the 17th Women's World Championship title. The match was held in Pitsunda and Tbilisi. In 1975, she had a perfume named after her. In 1977, she tied for 1st place at the Lone Pine International with 3 other grandmasters. In 1978, Nona became the first woman to be awarded the Grandmaster title. In 1978, Nona lost to Maya Chiburdanidze, scoring 6.5-8.5 (2 wins, 4 losses, 9 draws), for the Women's World Championship title. The match was played in Tbilisi. Gaprindashvili was world champion for 16 years. In 1995, she won the Women's World Senior Championship. She also won it 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2013, she was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Her current FIDE (Elo) rating is 2316. Maya Chiburdanidze (1961- ) On January 17, 1961, Maya Chiburdanidze was born in Kutaisa, Soviet Georgia. She started playing chess at age 8. In 1976, she became the USSR girls' champion. In 1976, she finished 2nd in the Tbilisi Women's Interzonal, thus qualifying for the 1977 candidates matches. In 1977, she became the USSR women's champion and was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. In January 1978, she won the women's candidates tournament after defeating Alla Kushnir in the finals. She was awarded the International Master (IM) title. In 1978, Maya defeated Nona Gaprindashvili in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-6.5 (4 wins, 9 draws, and 2 losses). The event was held in Tbilisi, Georgia. She became the 6th women's world champion, and, at age 17, the youngest world chess champion up to that time. In 1981, Maya tied with Nana Alexandria in the Women's World Championship Match, both scoring 8-8 (4 wins, 4 losses, and 8 draws). With a tie, Chburdanidze retained her title. The match was held in Borsomi and Tbilisi. Maya had little time to study chess before the match, as she was in medical school. In 1984, Maya defeated Irina Levitina (1954- ) in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-5.5 (5 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses). The match was held in Volgograd. In 1984, she was awarded the grandmaster (GM) title. She is the second woman, after Gaprindashvili, to be awarded the GM title. In 1986, Maya defeated Elena Akhmilovskaya (1957-2012) in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-5.5 (4 wins, 9 draws, and 1 loss). The match was played in Sofia, Bulgaria. In 1988, Maya defeated Nana Ioseliani (1962- ) in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-7.5 (3 wins, 11 draws, and 2 losses). The match was held in Telavi, Soviet Georgia. In 1991, Maya lost to Xie Jun of China in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 6.5-8.5 (2 wins, 9 draws, and 4 losses). The match was played in Manila. Maya had been world champion for 13 years. In 2014, she was inducted in the World Chess Hall of Fame. Xie Jun (1970- ) On October 30, 1970, Xie Jun was born in Baoding, Hebei, China. Xie Jun was a strong player of Chinese chess (xiangqi) in early childhood and was selected by the Chinese government to switch to international, or western-sytle, chess. In 1984, she became Chinese girls' chess champion. In 1988, she tied for 2nd-4th places at the World Junior Girls' Championship, held in Adelaide. In 1988, she tied for 2nd place in the women's world junior chess championship. In 1990, China hosted the second part of the Women's Candidates Final Chess match. The players were Yugoslav GM Alisa Maric and GM Xie Jun. Xie Jun won and went on to be the challenger for the women's world championship match. In 1991, Xie Jun defeated Maya Chiburdanize in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-6.5 (4 wins, 9 draws, and 2 losses). The match was held in Manila. In 1993, she defeated Nana Ioseliani in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-2.5 (7 wns, 3 draws, and 1 loss). The match was held in Monaco. In the summer of 1994, Xie Jun was awarded the Grandmaster (GM) title. In 1996, Xie Jun lost to Susan Polgar in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 4.5-8.5 (2 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses). The match was played in Jaen, Spain. In 1997, Alisa Galliamova of Russia won the 1997 Women's Candidates tournament, with Xie Jun as runner-up. In August, 1998, China hosted the Women's Candidates Final Match between Russian GM Alisa Galliamova and GM Xie Jun. Galliamova refused to play as she objected that the entire match was scheduled to be played in China. However, China was the only country to bid for the match. The match was declared forfeited to Xie Jun. In 1999, FIDE ruled that Susan Polgar had forfeited her Women's World Champion title and arranged a new title match between the two Candidates finalists, Xie Jun and Alisa Galliamova. Xie Jun won the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-6.5 (5 wins, 7 draws, and 3 losses). The match was played in Kazan, Tatarstan and Shenyang, China. Thus, Xie Jun regained her title. In November-December 2000, Xie Jun won the 61-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship. The event was held in New Delhi, India. Xie Jun defeated Qin Kanying (1974- ) in the final, scoring 2.5-1.5. In 2001, Xie Jun, reigning champion, put her active chess career on hold at the time and decided not to defend her title. Susan Polgar (1969- ) On April 19, 1969, Zsuzsanna (Zsuzsa or Susan) Polgar was born in Budapest. At age 4, she won her first chess tournament, the Budapest Girls' Under-11 Championship, scoring 10-0. In 1982, at the age of 12, she won the first World Under-16 (Girls) Championship, held in Le Havre, France. In 1984, at age 15, she was the top-rated female chess player in the world. In 1986, Susan Polgar became the first woman in history to qualify for the "men's" World Chess Championship. In January 1991, she became the first woman to earn the Grandmaster title in the conventional way of achieving three Grandmaster norms and an Elo rating over 2500. In 1992, she won both the Women's World Blitz and the Women's World Rapid Championship. She also won the Women's Interzonal in Shanghai. In 1993, China hosted the Women's Candidates Tournament, which was won by Susan Polgar. In 1993, she entered the Women's World Championship cycle, but was eliminated at the candidates' final match with Nana Ioseliani. In 1994, Susan Polgar tied for 1st place with Chiburdanidze in the 9-player double-round robin Candidates tournament at Tilburg, the Netherlands. In 1995, Susan Polgar won the playoff from the Candidates, which qualified her as challenger in the women's world championship. In early 1996 Susan Polgar defeated Xie Jun in the Women's World Championship Match, scoring 8.5-4.5 (6 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses). The match was played in Jaen, Spain. In November 1998, she was scheduled to play and defend her title against Xie Jun of China. However, Susan requested a postponement because she was pregnant and FIDE was unable to find a satisfactory sponsor. Other objections by Susan was that she was not given enough time to recuperate, the prize fund was too small, and the match was to be held entirely in China, the home country of her challenger. When Susan Polgar refused to play under these conditions, FIDE declared that she had forfeited her title. Susan Polgar sued in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Luasanne, Switzerland. In March 2001, the case was settled. She has not participated in subsequent Women's World Championship cycles. Zhu Chen On March 13, 1976, Zhu Chen was born in Wenzhou, China. In 1988, Zhe Chen became the first Chinese player to win an international chess competition when she won the World Girls Under-12 Championship in Romania. In 1994, she won the World Junior Girls Chess Championship. She won it again in 1996. In 1994, she also won the World Women Under-20 Championship. In November-December 2001, Zhu Chen won the Women's World Chess Championship after winning the 64-player knock-out tournament, held in Moscow. She beat Alexandra Kosteniuk in the final by 5 to 3 (5 wins, 3 losses, no draws). She became China's second women's world chess champion after Xie Jun. She was also awarded the full Grandmaster title. In 2004, as the reigning champion, she declined to defend her title due to a jammed schedule and her pregnancy. In 2006, she obtained Qatari citizenship and since then plays for Qatar. She had married grandmaster Mohammad Al-Modiahki of Qatar and moved there, where she still lives. Antoaneta Stefanova (1979- ) On April 19, 1979, Antoaneta Stefanova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. She learned chess at the age of 4. In 1989, she won the under-10 girls' section at the World Youth Chess Championships in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. In 1992, she won the European under-14 girls championship. In 1995, she won the Bulgarian women's championship. In June 2002, she won the 3rd European Individual Women's Championship in Varna, Bulgaria. In July 2002, she was awarded the full Grandmaster title. In June 2004, she won the 64-player Women's World Chess Championship knockout tournament, held in Elista, Kalmykia (and home to Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the president of FIDE). She beat Ekaterina Kovalevskaya (1974- ) in the final, scoring 2.5 to 0.5, becoming the 10th Women's World Champion. In 2006, she participated in the Women's World Chess Championship 64-player knockout tournament, held in Ekaterinburg, Russia. She was knocked out in the 2nd round by Iweta Radziewicz. In 2012, she won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship. In 2012, she was the runner-up of the Women's World Chess Championship, losing to Anna Ushenina in the final on the tie-break. Xu Yuhua (1976- ) On October 29, 1976, Xu Yuhua was born in Jinhua, China. In 2001, she was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. In March 2006, Xu Yuhua won the Women's World Chess Championship 64-player knock-out tournament, held in Ekaterinburg, Russia. She defeated Alisa Galliamova (1972- ) in the final, scoring 2.5 to 0.5. She was the 11th Women's World Chess Champion. She is China's 3rd women's world chess champion, after Xie Jun and Zhu Chen. After this event, she was awarded the full Grandmaster title. In 2008, she participated in the Women's World Chess Championship 64-player knock-out tournament. She got knocked out in the 2nd round by Svetlana Matveeva. In 2009, she won the 2nd FIDE Women Grand Prix, held in Nanjing. Her current FIDE rating is 2465. Alexandra Kosteniuk (1984- ) On April 23, 1984, Alexandra Kosteniuk was born in Perm, Soviet Union. She learned to play chess at the age of 5. In 1994, she won the European Under-10 Girls Championship. In 1996, she won both the European and the World Under-12 Girls Championships. In 1996, she won the Russian women's championship in rapid chess. In 1998, she was awarded the Woman Grandmaster title. In 2000, she was awarded the International Master title. In 2001, she reached the final of the World Chess Championship, but was defeated by Zhu Chen, losing 3-5. In 2004, she won the European women's championship. In November 2004, she was awarded the International Grandmaster title, becoming the 10th woman to receive the GM title. In 2005, she won the Russian Women's Championship, held in Samara, Russia. In 2006, she became the first Chess960 (Fischer random) women's world champion. She won it again in 2008. In August-September 2008, Kosteniuk won the 64-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship after beating 14-year-old Hou Yifan in the final, scoring 2.5-1.5 (1 wins and 3 draws). The event was held in Naichik, Russia. She was the 12th Women's World Chess Champion. Some of the women chess players expected to play in Naichuk boycotted the tournament to protest the war that was then going on in nearby Georgia. In 2010, as the reigning world champion, she was eliminated in the 3rd round by Ruan Lufei in the Women's World Chess Championship. That event was won by Hou Yifan. In 2013, she became the first woman to win the Swiss Chess Championship. In the same year, she won the women's Swiss Championship. In 2015, she won the women's Swiss Championship again. Hou Yifan (1994- ) On February 27, 1994, Hou Yifan was born in Xinghua, China. In 2006, at the age of 12, she participated in the FIDE Women's World Championship in Yekaterinburg. In January 2007, she was awarded the title of Woman Grandmaster. In June 2007, she became China's youngest National Women's Champion ever. In August 2008, Hou Yifan was awarded the Grandmaster (GM) title at the age of 14 years, 6 months, and 2 days, the youngest ever female to qualify for the GM title. In August-September 2008, Kosteniuk won the 64-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship after beating 14-year-old Hou Yifan in the final, scoring 2.5-1.5 (1 wins and 3 draws). The event was held in Naichik, Russia. In December 2010, she won the 64-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship in Atakya, Hatay Province, Turkey at the age of 16. She beat Humpy Konera in the semi-final, and Ruan Lufel in the final, scoring 5-3. That made Hou Yifan, age 16, the youngest world chess champion, male or female, in history. In November 2011, she defeated Koneru Humpy of India in the Women's World Chess Championship, scoring 5.5-2.5 (3 wins and 5 draws). The match was held in Tirana, Albania. Humpy had qualified by winning the FIDE women's Grand Prix series. In 2012, she was eliminated in the second round of the 64-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship, held in Khanty Mansiysk, Western Siberia, Russia. The event was won by Anna Ushenina. In September 2013, she defeated women's world champion Anna Ushenina in the Women's World Chess Championship Match, held in Taizhou, China. Hou Yifan scored 5.5 to 1.5. In 2015, she opted not to play in the 2015 Women's World Chess Championship due to a prior chess tournament commitment to play an event in Hawaii. In March 2016, Hou Yifan defeated women's world champion Mariya Muzychuk in the Women's World Chess Championship Match, held in Lviv, Ukraine. She scored 6 to 3. In 2017, Hou Yifan decided not to enter the Women's World Chess Championship because of dissatisfaction with FIDE's Women's World Championship system. She wanted FIDE to restructure the Women's World Championship system the same way the men's cycle is structured. Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina (1985- ) On August 30, 1985, Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She learned chess at age 7. In 2000, she became the Ukrainian Girls' (under 2) champion at age 15. In 2001, she was awarded the Woman International Master (WIM) title. In 2003, she was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. In 2007, she was awarded the International Master (IM) title. In November-December 2012, she won the 64-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship, held in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. She defeated Antoaneta Stefanove in the first set of tie-breaks in the final round. After the tournament, she was awarded the Grandmaster (GM) title. In 2013, she lost her title after losing a match with Hou Yifan. In 2015, she was eliminated in the second round of the Women's World Championship Knockout tournament for being late. She had just played a draw against Marie Sebag of France and had gone to lunch. She was late in returning for the first tie-break game, which she lost by forfeit. FIDE has a zero tolerance rule of no lateness (even by a few seconds) at all for a game, otherwise, an automatic forfeit. In June 2016, she won the European Women's Championship. He current FIDE rating is 2449. Mariya Olegivna Muzychuk (1992- ) On September 21, 1992, Mariya (Maria) Olegivna Muzychuk was born in Lviv, Ukraine. She learned chess at a very early age. In 2002, she won the under-10 girls' section of the European Youth Chess Championship, held in Peniscola, Spain. In 2005, she was awarded the Woman International Master (WIM) title. In 2007, she was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (GM) title. In 2008, she was awarded the International Master (IM) title. In 2012, she won the women's Ukrainian Chess Championship. She also won it in 2013. In March-April 2015, she won the 64-player knock-out Women's World Chess Championship, held in Sochi, Russia. She defeated Russian Natalia Pogonina (1985- ) in the final round. She score 2.5-1.5. As a result of this victory, she was awarded the title of Grandmaster (GM). In 2016, she lost her world title against Hou Yifan in the Women's World Chess Championship, scoring 3-6. In 2017, she decided not to participate in the Women's World Chess Championship in Tehran because of the requirement to wear a hijab. Her current FIDE rating is 2546. Tan Zhongyi (1991- ) On May 29, 1991, Tan Zhongyi was born in Chongqing, China. In 2000, as an 8-year-old, she won the World Youth Under-10 Girls Chess Championship, held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain. In 2001, as a 9-year-old, she again won the World Youth Under-10 Girls Chess Championship, held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain. In 2002, she won the World Youth Under-12 Girls Chess Championship, held in Heraklion on the island of Crete. In September 2008, Tan Zhongyi (2387) played in the Women's Knockout Chess Championships, held in Nalchik, Russia. She was knocked out in round 2 by Grandmaster Pia Cramling (2544). The winner of that event was Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia, who knocked out Hou Yifan of China in the final round. In 2012, she won the Women's World University Chess Championship, held in Guimaraes, Portugal. In 2013, she won the 3rd China Women Masters Tournament. In 2014, she won the Asian Women's Blitz Championship, held in Sharjah, UAE. In 2015, she won the Chinese Women's Chess Championship in Xinghua, China. Also in 2015, she won the 5th China Women Masters Tournament. In August 2015, she won the Asian Women's Rapid Championship, held in Al Ain, UAE. In 2016, she won the women's gold medal for board 4 at the 42nd Chess Olympiad, held in Baku. In the 2017 Women's World Chess Championship, a 64-player knock-out tournament, 9th seed Tan Zhongyi (2502) defeated GM Anna Muzychuk (sister of former women's world chess champion Maria Muzychuk) in the final round. They finished the classical games 2-2 with one win each. The match then went into a rapid tie-break. Tan won the two-game tie-break by drawing the first game with Black and winning the second game with White. This also earned her the title of Grandmaster. The tournament was played in Teheran, Iran, from February 10-28, 2017. Her coach was Yu Shaoteng. She became the 16th Women's World Champion and China's fifth Women's World Chess Champion (after Xie Jun, Zhu Chen, Xu Yuhua, and Hou Yifan. To get there, Tan knocked out ex-World Women's champion Anna Ushenina, top-seed Ju Wenjun, Harika Dronavalli of India (she took 3rd place for the 3rd time in a row), and, finally, Anna Muzychuk. In 6 rounds, Tan had to play and survive 4 tie-breaks and 2 Armageddon games. In the first round, Tan knocked out Sabina-Francesa Foisor of the United States. Foisor returned to the U.S. and on April 9, 2017, she won the U.S. Women's Chess Championship in St, Louis. Sabina-Francesca may not have been in the right frame of mind during the tournament, as her mother, International Master Cristina Foisor, a 5-time Romanian chess champion, and twice World Championship Candidate, had died a few weeks before the championship. To get to the final round, Tan had to play 28 tough games, but Muzychuk easily won all her matches, scoring 9 out of 10 without a single tie-break. The final tie-break game took place in the Espinas Palace Hotel. The Women's World Chess Championship attracted worldwide attention because the participants were made to wear a hibab, or headscarf, during play. Another issue was that the Iranians failed to pay the prize-fund. Nazi Paikidze, the 2016 U. S. women's champion, publically protested FIDE's decision to grant the championship to a country where women are forced to follow the rules of wearing a hijab, and decided not to participate. Irinia Krush also declined to participate, concerned about personal safety. Mariya Muzychuk from Ukraine and Koneru Humpy of India also decided not to play because they did not think Tehran was a suitable venue. In 2018, Tan Zhongyi will defend her title against Ju Wenjun (1991- ). Ju Wenjun won the 2016 FIDE Women's Grand Prix (a series of 6 tournaments) and earned the challenger spot for the Women's World Chess Championship 2018. Ju Wenjun is the second highest rated woman in the world, after Hou Yifan. Here is a list of Women's World Chess Champions and their years of reign: Vera Menchik (1927-1944) Lyudmila Rudenko (1950-1953) Elisaveta Bykova (1953-1956) Olga Rubtsova (1956-1958) Elisaveta Bykova (1958-1962) Nona Gaprindashvili (1962-1978) Maya Chiburdanidze (1978-1991) Xie Jun (1991-1996) Susan Polgar (1996-1999) Xie Jun (1999-2001) Zhu Chen (2001-2004) Antoaneta Stefanova (2004-2006) Xu Yuhua (2006-2008) Aleandra Kosteniuk (2008-2010) Hou Yifan (2010-2012) Anna Ushenina (2012-2013) Hou Yifan (2013-2015) Mariya Muzychuk (2015-2016) Hou Yifan (2016-2017) Tan Zhongyi (2017- ) Here is a list of the Women's World Chess Championships: London 1927 — Menchik Hamburg 1930 — Menchik Prague 1931 — Menchik Folkestone 1933 — Menchik Rotterdam 1934 — Menchik in a 4-game match with Graf Warsaw 1935 — Menchik Stockholm 1937 — Menchik Semmering 1937 — Menchik in a 16-game match with Graf Buenos Aires 1939 — Menchik Moscow 1950 — Rudenko Moscow 1953 — Bykova Moscow 1956 — Rubtsova Moscow 1958 — Bykova Moscow 1959 — Bykova Moscow 1962 — Gaprindashvili Riga 1965 — Gaprindashvili Tbilisi/Moscow 1969 — Gaprindashvili Riga 1972 — Gaprindashvili Pitsunda/Tbilisi 1975 — Gaprindashvili Tbilisi 1978 — Chiburdanidze Borjomi/Tbilisi 1981 — Chiburdanidze Volgograd 1984 — Chiburdanidze Sofia 1986 — Chiburdanidze Telavi 1988 — Chiburdanidze Manila 1991 — Xie Jun Monaco 1992 — Xie Jun Jaen 1996 — Susan Polgar Kazan/Shenyang 1999 — Xie Jun New Delhi 2000 — Xie Jun Moscow 2001 — Zhu Chen Elista 2004 — Stefanova Yekaterinburg 2006 — Xu Yuhua Nalchik 2008 — Kosteniuk Hatay 2010 — Hou Yifan Tirana 2011 — Hou Yifan Khanty-Mansiysk 2012 — Ushenina Taizhou 2013 — Hou Yifan Sochi 2015 — Muzychuk Lviv 2016 — Hou Yifan Tehran 2010 — Tan Zhongyi Please report broken or duplicate links to the Webmaster. 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