Female chess players in the modern era generally compete in a mix of open and women's tournaments. With women representing a low fraction of all chess players throughout history, it has been uncommon for women to win open tournaments where women and men are mixed together, particularly at the higher levels. Championship tournaments, both at adult and youth levels, are even rarer for women to win in part because women and men are typically divided into different sections at these events, heavily reducing the number of female players competing against male players.
María Teresa Mora was among the first notable instances of a woman winning an open tournament, becoming Cuban national champion in 1922. Mora was the only student of José Raúl Capablanca, the World Champion at the time. Vera Menchik's 1926 victory at the Hastings Major Reserve, a tier below the highest master level, is regarded as the first high-level tournament victory by a woman. Nona Gaprindashvili is credited with the first elite tournament victory by a woman, winning the Lone Pine International more than 50 years later in 1977. It was this victory that led her to become the first woman to earn the Grandmaster (GM) title a year later. The next Women's World Champion, Maia Chiburdanidze, was the first woman to win an elite round-robin tournament, winning two in the mid-1980s. Her second such victory, in Banja Luka, was mostly against other GMs.
Judit Polgár, widely acknowledged as the greatest female chess player in history, has won the most high-level open tournaments among women by far. Some of her strongest victories in classical came in the four-player double round-robin Crown division in Hoogeveen, where she won four times and regularly faced competition averaging near or above 2700-level. The strongest ten-player elite round-robin tournaments (known as super-tournaments) won by women were the 1994 Madrid Torneo Magistral and 2000 Japfa Classic in Bali by Judit Polgár, and the 2018 Biel Grandmaster Tournament by Hou Yifan. All of these tournaments featured opposition above 2600-level on average. The biggest and strongest Swiss tournament victory by a woman was the 2016 London Rapid Superplay in which Valentina Gunina claimed the title in a field of 475 players, facing an opposition rated over 2500 on average. In classical Swiss events, Gaprindashvili's 1977 success at Lone Pine and Sofia Polgar's 1989 "Sack of Rome", in which she scored 8½/9 against mostly GMs at age 14, are the strongest and most notable victories.
The only two world championships won by women were both by Judit Polgár, who was the 1988 U-12 World Youth Champion and the 1990 U-14 World Youth Champion. Humpy Koneru was the U-12 Asian Youth Champion in 1999. At adult levels, the highest-level national championships won by women were the 1991 Hungarian national championship by Judit Polgár, the 2000 Lithuanian national championship by Viktorija Čmilytė, and the 2006 Austrian national championship by Eva Moser. Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant, the oldest woman to earn the GM title, has won the Scottish national championship three times.
Header | Explanation |
---|---|
Player | Winner's name |
Rtg | Winner's FIDE rating for the event. Cases with no applicable FIDE rating are italicized and classical ratings are substituted. |
Tournament | Tournament name |
G | Game time control (C = classical, R = rapid, B = blitz, O = online) |
Date | Month that the tournament finished |
Prize | Prize received by the winner |
Fmt | Tournament format (RR = round-robin, D-RR = double RR, Sch = Scheveningen team, KO = knock-out) |
Ch | Is the event a championship at national, continental, or world level? (Y = yes, N = no) |
Pts | Winner's score |
Rds | Rounds in tournament (played by the winner) |
Opp | Average rating of the opponents |
# | Number of players in the tournament |
= | Was first place shared? (Y = shared [lower-alpha 1] , N = either sole first, or a tie for first was broken with tiebreaks or play-off) |
Ref | Main reference |
Only notable instances are listed.
Player | Rtg | Tournament | G | Date | Prize | Fmt | Ch | Pts | Rds | Opp | # | = | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
María Teresa Mora (CUB) | N/A | Cuban Championship | C | 1922 | ? | ? | Y | ? | ? | N/A | ? | ? | [1] |
Vera Menchik (TCH) | N/A | Hastings Major Reserve | C | Dec 1926 | ? | RR | N | 6½ | 9 | N/A | 10 | Y | [2] |
Vera Menchik (TCH) | N/A | British CF Major Open | C | Aug 1931 | ? | RR | N | 9 | 11 | N/A | 12 | N | [2] |
Nona Gaprindashvili (USSR) | 2430 | Lone Pine International | C | Mar 1977 | $5750 | Swiss | N | 6½ | 9 | 2450 | 48 | Y | [3] |
Maia Chiburdanidze (USSR) | 2385 | New Delhi Bhilwara IGM | C | Feb 1984 | ? | RR | N | 7½ | 11 | 2409 | 12 | N | [4] |
Maia Chiburdanidze (USSR) | 2400 | Banja Luka International | C | Apr 1985 | ? | RR | N | 8½ | 13 | 2459 | 14 | N | [5] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2365 | World Youth CC U-12 | C | Jul 1988 | N/A | Swiss | Y | 9 | 11 | N/A | 37 | N | [6] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2365 | London Duncan Lawrie Mixed | C | Oct 1988 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2339 | 10 | N | [7] |
Sofia Polgar (HUN) | 2295 | Magistrale di Roma | C | Feb 1989 | ? | Swiss | N | 8½ | 9 | 2436 | ? | N | [8] |
Susan Polgar (HUN) | 2510 | León Torneo Magistral | C | Jun 1989 | ? | RR | N | 8 | 11 | 2429 | 12 | Y | [9] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2540 | World Youth CC U-14 | C | Jul 1990 | N/A | Swiss | Y | 9 | 11 | N/A | 42 | N | [10] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2550 | Hungarian Championship | C | Dec 1991 | ? | RR | Y | 6 | 9 | 2507 | 10 | N | [11] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2575 | Hastings Congress | C | Dec 1992 | ? | D-RR | N | 9 | 14 | 2564 | 8 | Y | [12] |
Maia Chiburdanidze (GEO) | 2510 | Women–Veterans Vienna | C | Jun 1993 | ? | Sch | N | 9 | 12 | 2488 | 12 | N | [13] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2630 | Madrid Torneo Magistral | C | May 1994 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2625 | 10 | N | [14] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2635 | Women–Veterans Prague | C | Jul 1995 | ? | Sch | N | 6½ | 10 | 2586 | 10 | Y | [13] |
Pia Cramling (SWE) | 2510 | Women–Veterans Prague | C | Jul 1995 | ? | Sch | N | 6½ | 10 | 2586 | 10 | Y | [13] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2630 | Isle of Lewis Festival | R | Jul 1995 | ? | D-RR | N | 5 | 6 | 2578 | 4 | Y | [15] |
Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (GEO) | 2455 | Women–Veterans London | C | Aug 1996 | ? | Sch | N | 6½ | 10 | 2536 | 10 | Y | [13] |
Maia Chiburdanidze (GEO) | 2525 | Lippstadt Grandmaster | C | Jul 1997 | ? | RR | N | 8½ | 11 | 2456 | 12 | N | [16] |
Nino Khurtsidze (GEO) | 2390 | Georgian Championship | C | 1998 | ? | Swiss | Y | ? | ? | ? | ? | N | |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2665 | US Open Championship | C | Aug 1998 | $3750 | Swiss | N | 8 | 9 | 2330 | 155 | Y | [17] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2665 | Hoogeveen Essent Crown | C | Oct 1998 | ? | D-RR | N | 5 | 6 | 2563 | 4 | N | [18] |
Hoang Thanh Trang (VIE) | 2453 | First Saturday | C | Dec 1999 | ? | RR | N | 9 | 13 | 2418 | 14 | N | [19] |
Humpy Koneru (IND) | 2229 | Asian Youth CC U-12 | C | Dec 1999 | N/A | Swiss | Y | ? | ? | N/A | ? | N | [20] |
Marie Sebag (FRA) | 2193 | French Youth CC U-14 | C | 2000 | N/A | ? | Y | ? | ? | N/A | ? | N | [21] |
Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU) | 2329 | Lithuanian Championship | C | Mar 2000 | ? | Swiss | Y | 6½ | 9 | 2421 | 54 | N | [22] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2658 | Bali Japfa Classic | C | Apr 2000 | $20000 | RR | N | 6½ | 9 | 2624 | 10 | N | [14] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2658 | Malmo Sigeman & Co | C | May 2000 | ? | D-RR | N | 4 | 6 | 2609 | 4 | Y | [23] |
Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU) | 2433 | Wijk aan Zee Corus Reserve | C | Jan 2001 | ? | Swiss | N | 7 | 9 | 2396 | 42 | N | [24] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2686 | Hoogeveen Essent Crown | C | Oct 2001 | ? | D-RR | N | 3½ | 6 | 2639 | 4 | Y | [25] |
Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL) | 2497 | Surabaya Wismilak International | C | Jul 2002 | $2000 | RR | N | 9½ | 11 | 2441 | 12 | N | [26] |
Olga Alexandrova (UKR) | 2430 | Alushta Title Tournament | C | Oct 2002 | ? | D-RR | N | 9½ | 12 | 2407 | 7 | Y | [27] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2685 | Benidorm Hotel Bali Stars | R | Nov 2002 | ? | RR | N | 8 | 11 | 2554 | 12 | N | [28] |
Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (GEO) | 2413 | Scottish Championship | C | Apr 2003 | £375 | Swiss | Y | 7 | 9 | 2292 | 18 | Y | [29] |
Kateryna Lagno (UKR) | 2439 | Ukraine Title Tournament | C | Aug 2003 | ? | D-RR | N | 9½ | 14 | 2490 | 8 | N | [30] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2722 | Hoogeveen Essent Crown | C | Oct 2003 | ? | D-RR | N | 4 | 6 | 2679 | 4 | N | [31] |
Svetlana Petrenko (MDA) | 2364 | Moldova Championship | C | Feb 2005 | ? | RR | Y | 10 | 13 | 2307 | 14 | N | |
Viktorija Čmilytė (LTU) | 2459 | Lithuanian Championship | C | May 2005 | ? | RR | Y | 8 | 11 | 2387 | 12 | N | [32] |
Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO) | 2318 | Haarlem BDO Master | C | Aug 2005 | ? | RR | N | 6½ | 9 | 2344 | 10 | N | [33] |
Iweta Rajlich (POL) | 2421 | First Saturday | C | Feb 2006 | ? | RR | N | 8½ | 12 | 2423 | 13 | N | [34] |
Eva Moser (AUT) | 2395 | Austrian Championship | C | Sep 2006 | ? | RR | Y | 6 | 9 | 2402 | 10 | N | |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2710 | Hoogeveen Essent Crown | C | Oct 2006 | ? | D-RR | N | 4½ | 6 | 2737 | 4 | Y | [35] |
Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (IND) | 2425 | Leonardo di Bona Memorial | C | Apr 2007 | ? | Swiss | N | 6½ | 9 | 2459 | 23 | N | [36] |
Humpy Koneru (IND) | 2575 | HSG Open | C | Jun 2007 | ? | Swiss | N | 7½ | 9 | 2440 | 74 | N | [37] |
Humpy Koneru (IND) | 2572 | Kaupthing Open | C | Jul 2007 | €3000 | Swiss | N | 7 | 9 | 2455 | 88 | N | [38] |
Eva Moser (AUT) | 2397 | Jena Schwarzer Bär Cup | C | Feb 2009 | ? | Swiss | N | 7 | 7 | 2222 | 54 | N | [39] |
Ana Matnadze (GEO) | 2414 | Open Las Palmas | C | Apr 2009 | ? | Swiss | N | 8½ | 9 | 2150 | 57 | N | [40] |
Humpy Koneru (IND) | 2603 | Czech Coal Match | C | Nov 2009 | ? | Sch | N | 5½ | 8 | 2564 | 8 | N | [41] |
Hou Yifan (CHN) | 2570 | Kuala Lumpur Open | C | Apr 2010 | ? | Swiss | N | 7½ | 9 | 2457 | 111 | N | [42] |
Judit Polgár (HUN) | 2686 | Ajedrez UNAM Quadrangular | R | Nov 2010 | ? | KO | N | 6 | 8 | 2775 | 4 | N | [43] |
Humpy Koneru (IND) | 2600 | Czech Coal Match | C | Nov 2010 | ? | Sch | N | 6 | 8 | 2464 | 8 | N | [44] |
Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (SCO) | 2464 | Scottish Championship | C | Jul 2011 | £1200 | Swiss | Y | 7 | 9 | 2147 | 37 | N | [45] |
Iweta Rajlich (POL) | 2422 | First Saturday | C | Apr 2012 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2396 | 10 | N | [46] |
Tania Sachdev (IND) | 2400 | Czech Coal Match | C | Dec 2012 | ? | Sch | N | 6 | 8 | 2431 | 8 | N | [47] |
Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) | 2489 | Swiss Championship | C | Jul 2013 | ? | Swiss | Y | 6½ | 9 | 2277 | 70 | N | [48] |
Hou Yifan (CHN) | 2673 | Corsican Circuit | R | Oct 2014 | ? | KO | N | 10 | 14 | 2546 | 16 | N | [49] |
Davaademberel Nomin-Erdene (MGL) | 2303 | Novi Sad Miljo Vujovic Memorial | C | Jul 2015 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2405 | 10 | N | [50] |
Davaademberel Nomin-Erdene (MGL) | 2430 | Milan Edoardo Crespi Memorial | C | Dec 2015 | ? | Swiss | N | 7½ | 9 | 2302 | 29 | N | [51] |
Ekaterina Atalik (TUR) | 2378 | Prague Open | C | Jan 2016 | $600 | Swiss | N | 8 | 9 | 2310 | 171 | N | [52] |
Davaademberel Nomin-Erdene (MGL) | 2468 | Novi Sad Hotel Sajam | C | Feb 2016 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2440 | 10 | N | [53] |
Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (SCO) | 2368 | Scottish Championship | C | Jul 2016 | ? | Swiss | Y | 7 | 9 | 2240 | 34 | N | [54] |
Valentina Gunina (RUS) | 2491 | London Rapid Superplay | R | Dec 2016 | £5000 | Swiss | N | 9 | 10 | 2504 | 475 | N | [55] |
Lei Tingjie (CHN) | 2531 | Sevilla Open | C | Jan 2018 | ? | Swiss | N | 8 | 9 | 2279 | 310 | N | [56] |
Hou Yifan (CHN) | 2666 | Biel GMT | C | Jul 2018 | ? | RR | N | 6½ | 9 | 2644 | 10 | N | [57] |
Annie Wang (USA) | 2321 | Pan-American Junior Champ. | C | Aug 2019 | N/A | Swiss | Y | 7 | 9 | 2248 | 51 | N | [58] |
Maria Eizaguerri Floris (ESP) | 2304 | Spanish Youth CC U-18 | C | Jul 2021 | ? | Swiss | Y | 7½ | 9 | 2110 | 189 | N | [59] |
Eline Roebers (NED) | 2173 | Brugse Meesters | C | Aug 2021 | ? | Swiss | N | 7½ | 9 | 2178 | 138 | N | [60] |
Eline Roebers (NED) | 2365 | Untergrombach Open | C | Jan 2022 | €1000 | Swiss | N | 6½ | 7 | 2172 | 135 | N | [61] |
Vaishali Rameshbabu (IND) | 2411 | Heraklion Fischer Memorial | C | May 2022 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2376 | 10 | N | [62] |
Eline Roebers (NED) | 2369 | Dutch Youth CC U-18 | C | May 2022 | ? | Swiss | Y | 6 | 7 | 2078 | 15 | N | [63] |
Davaademberel Nomin-Erdene (MGL) | 2398 | Agria Festival | C | Jul 2022 | ? | Swiss | N | 5 | 7 | 2277 | 57 | N | [64] |
Sophie Milliet (FRA) | 2363 | Perpignan Classique U2400 | C | Oct 2022 | ? | Swiss | N | 7 | 7 | 2155 | 58 | N | [65] |
Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI) | 2523 | Espot B-Cup | O | Jun 2023 | ? | KO | N | N/A | N/A | 2525 | 8 | N | [66] |
Dinara Wagner (GER) | 2447 | Sportland NRW Cup | C | Jun 2023 | ? | RR | N | 7 | 9 | 2418 | 10 | N | [67] |
Polina Shuvalova (FIDE) | 2506 | IM SCC | O | Oct 2023 | $5450 | RR/KO | N | N/A | N/A | 2386 | 16 | N | [68] |
Carissa Yip (USA) | 2399 | North American Junior Champ. | C | Dec 2023 | N/A | Swiss | Y | 8 | 9 | 2012 | 104 | N | [69] |
Divya Deshmukh (IND) | 2440 | Sharjah Challengers | C | May 2024 | $2000 | Swiss | N | 7 | 9 | 2364 | 98 | N | [70] |
Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL) | 2417 | Rhodes Summer Cup | C | Jun 2024 | €2500 | Swiss | N | 7 | 9 | 2241 | 45 | N | [71] |
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.
Maia Chiburdanidze is a Georgian chess Grandmaster. She is the sixth Women's World Chess Champion, a title she held from 1978 to 1991, and was the youngest one until 2010, when this record was broken by Hou Yifan. Chiburdanidze is the second woman to be awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE, which took place in 1984. She has played on nine gold-medal-winning teams in the Women's Chess Olympiad.
Koneru Humpy is an Indian chess player best known for winning the FIDE Women's rapid chess championship in 2019. In 2002, she became the youngest woman ever to achieve the title of Grandmaster (GM) at the age of 15 years, 1 month, 27 days, beating Judit Polgár's previous record by three months. Humpy is the first Indian female grandmaster.
Pia Ann Rosa-Della Cramling is a Swedish chess grandmaster. Since the early 1980s, she has been one of the strongest female players in the world as well as having been the highest-rated woman in the FIDE World Rankings on three occasions. She was the clear number-one-rated woman in the January 1984 rating list, and joint number-one-rated woman in the January 1983 and July 1984 lists. In 1992, she became the fifth woman to earn the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM).
Bu Xiangzhi is a Chinese chess player. In 1999, he became the 10th grandmaster from China at the age of 13 years, 10 months and 13 days, at the time the youngest in history. In April 2008, Bu and Ni Hua became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue.
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.
Below is a list of events in chess during the year 2008, and a list of the top ten players during that year:
Ju Wenjun is a Chinese chess grandmaster. She is the current Women's World Chess Champion. In March 2017 she became the fifth woman to achieve a rating of 2600. She is a four-time Women's World Chess Champion, having won the title first in May 2018. She then defended her title in November 2018, 2020, and 2023.
The 39th Chess Olympiad, organised by FIDE and comprising an open and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed to promote the game of chess, took place from September 19 to October 4, 2010, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. There were 148 teams in the open event and 115 in the women's event. In total, 1306 players were registered.
Susan Polgar is a Hungarian-American chess grandmaster. Polgár was Women's World Chess Champion from 1996 to 1999. On FIDE's Elo rating system list of July 1984, at the age of 15, she became the top-ranked female chess player in the world. In 1991, she became the third woman to be awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE. She won eleven medals at the Women's Chess Olympiad.
FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and norms. Once awarded, titles are held for life except in cases of fraud or cheating. Open titles may be earned by all players, while women's titles are restricted to female players. Many strong female players hold both open and women's titles. FIDE also awards titles for arbiters, organizers and trainers. Titles for correspondence chess, chess problem composition and chess problem solving are no longer administered by FIDE.
The 41st Chess Olympiad, organised by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and comprising an open and women's tournament, as well as several events designed to promote the game of chess, was an international team chess event that took place in Tromsø, Norway, between 1–14 August 2014. The organiser was Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014 AS on behalf of FIDE.
The Women's World Chess Championship 2001 took place from November 25 to December 14, 2001, in Moscow, Russia. It was won by Zhu Chen, who beat Alexandra Kosteniuk in the final by 5 to 3. The final was tied 2–2 after the classical games and decided in the rapid tie-breaks.
The FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2013–14 was a series of six chess tournaments exclusively for women, which formed part of the qualification cycle for the Women's World Chess Championship 2015. The winner of the Grand Prix was decided in the last stage in Sharjah, UAE, when rating favorite and reigning world champion Hou Yifan overtook second seeded Koneru Humpy to win her third straight Grand Prix cycle. For the third time running, Koneru Humpy finished runner-up to Hou Yifan.
Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina is a Russian chess player who holds the title of Grandmaster (GM). She is the No. 4 ranked woman in the world by FIDE rating and is also the fourth-highest rated woman and highest rated Russian woman in chess history with a peak rating of 2611. Goryachkina was the challenger in the 2020 Women's World Championship match, which she lost in rapid tiebreaks to Ju Wenjun. She is also a three-time Russian Women's Chess Champion, which she achieved in 2015, 2017, and 2020. In August 2023, she won the FIDE Women's World Cup after defeating Nurgyul Salimova in a tie break match.
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.
Eline Roebers is a Dutch chess player who holds the title of International Master. She is the reigning Dutch Women's Champion and was the 2022 Dutch Youth Champion in the open division. Roebers was the 2020 online World Youth Champion in the under-14 girls' division, and was the first Dutch player to win a World Youth Championship in any category. Roebers began playing chess at age seven and she has been coached by Dutch International Master Robert Ris. Her father Jan is a FIDE Master (FM). She won an individual bronze medal on the second board at the European Women's Team Championship in 2021.
Zsóka Gaál is a Hungarian chess player who holds the title of Woman International Master (WIM). She was the 2021 online World Youth Champion in the under-14 girls' division. She had finished runner-up to Eline Roebers a year earlier. She was also a European Youth Champion in 2016 in the under-10 girls' division. Gaál earned the Woman International Master title in 2021 at 14 years and 2 months old. Her coaches are Gábor Papp and Tamás Bánusz, both of whom hold the title of Grandmaster (GM) and are also from Hungary.