The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE, is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the governing body of international chess competition. FIDE was founded in Paris, France, on July 20, 1924. Its motto is Gens una sumus, Latin for 'We are one Family'. In 1999, FIDE was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As of December 21, 2023, there are 201 member federations of FIDE.
Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster, widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time. In 1991, Polgár achieved the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years and 4 months, at the time the youngest to have done so, breaking the record previously held by former world champion Bobby Fischer. She was the youngest player ever to break into the FIDE top 100 players rating list, ranking No. 55 in the January 1989 rating list, at the age of 12.
Machgielis "Max" Euwe was a Dutch chess player, mathematician, author, and chess administrator. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion, a title he held from 1935 until 1937. He served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.
Nona Gaprindashvili is a Georgian chess Grandmaster. Noted for her aggressive style of play, she was the women's world chess champion from 1962 to 1978, and in 1978 was the first woman ever to be awarded the FIDE title of Grandmaster. She was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Presidential Order of Excellence in 2015.
Vera Francevna Mencikova, was a Russian-born Czechoslovak chess player who primarily resided in England. She was the first and longest-reigning Women's World Chess Champion from 1927 to 1944, winning the championship eight times primarily in round-robin tournaments. In an era when women primarily competed against other women, Menchik was the first and only woman competing in master-level tournaments with the world's best players.
Anna Olehivna Muzychuk is a Ukrainian chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (GM). She is the fourth woman in chess history to attain a FIDE rating of at least 2600. She has been ranked as high as No. 197 in the world, and No. 2 among women. Muzychuk is a three-time world champion in fast chess, having won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship once in 2014 and the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship twice in 2014 and 2016. In classical chess, she was the 2017 Women's World Championship runner-up.
Elisabeth Pähtz is a German chess Grandmaster. She has been among the strongest German female chess players since her youth. In 2002, Pähtz became the World Youth Champion of the girls' under-18 age group, and in 2005, the World Junior Girls Champion. She won the 2018 European Women's Championship in rapid chess. In 2021, she scored what was reported to be her third grandmaster norm; however, the validity of one of her earlier presumed norms was in doubt. After a lengthy process, FIDE made an individual decision on her case in December 2022, making Pähtz the first German woman to earn the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM).
Hou Yifan is a Chinese chess grandmaster, four-time Women's World Chess Champion and professor at Shenzhen University. She is the second highest rated female player of all time. A chess prodigy, she was the youngest female player ever to qualify for the title of grandmaster and the youngest ever to win the Women's World Chess Championship.
The Women's World Chess Championship is a chess match played to determine the Women's World Chess Champion. It has been administered by FIDE since its inception in 1927, unlike the absolute World Chess Championship, which only came under FIDE's control in 1948.
Ingrid Louise Visser was a Dutch female volleyball player, a member of the Netherlands women's national volleyball team in 1994–2011, a participant of the 1996 Olympic Games and 1995 European Champion.
The Women's Chess Olympiad is an event held by FIDE since 1957, where national women's teams compete at chess for gold, silver and bronze medals. Since 1976 the Women's Chess Olympiad has been incorporated within Chess Olympiad events, with simultaneous women's and open tournaments.
Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen is a Lithuanian politician and chess player who is currently the speaker of the Seimas. Awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 2010, she was European women's champion in 2011, and is a two-time Lithuanian champion.
Renate Jansen is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club Twente and the Netherlands national team.
Käty van der Mije-Nicolau, born Alexandra Ekatarina Nicolau, was a Dutch-Romanian chess player and Woman Grandmaster. She was the Romanian national champion six times before moving to the Netherlands in 1974. In the Netherlands, she was the national champion in 1974 and the years 1976 to 1979. Her best worldwide rank among women was fifth.
Anna-Maja Kazarian is a Dutch chess player and Twitch live streamer who holds the titles of FIDE Master (FM) and Woman International Master (WIM). She was the 2020 Dutch Women's Internet Chess Champion and has also been an under-16 girls' European Youth Champion. Kazarian has a peak FIDE rating of 2320, which she achieved in 2016. She has represented the Netherlands at the Chess Olympiad and the European Team Chess Championship.
Ilse van Staden is a South African-born Ireland women's rugby union player born in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.
Ingrid Yadyra Aliaga Fernández is a Peruvian chess player who holds the title of Woman International Master. She is an eight-time winner of the Peruvian Women's Chess Championship and has represented Peru at five Chess Olympiads.
Jennifer Yu is an American chess player. She was awarded the title Woman Grandmaster by FIDE in 2018. Yu is a two-time U.S. women's champion, winning in 2019 and 2022.
Women represent a small minority of chess players at all ages and levels. Female chess players today generally compete in a mix of open tournaments and women's tournaments, the latter of which are most prominent at or near the top level of women's chess and at youth levels. Modern top-level women's tournaments help provide a means for some participants to be full-time professional chess players. The majority of these tournaments are organized by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and revolve around the World Championship cycle, which culminates in a match to decide the Women's World Chess Champion. Beyond those events, among the most prominent women's tournaments are women's and girls' national and continental championships.
Gundula Heinatz is a German and Switzerland chess Woman International Master (1993) who won East Germany Women's Chess Championship (1990) and two times Swiss Women's Chess Championship.
