The Crown of Queens: A Retrospective on Women's World Chess Champions

Chess, often referred to as the 'game of kings', has its share of queens who have shown exceptional prowess, creativity, and resilience. As we approach the thrilling championship match between reigning champion Ju Wenjun and challenger Lei Tingjie, we take a moment to reflect on the lineage of extraordinary women who have claimed the title of Women's World Chess Champion (see also the men world champions). This blog post is a tribute to these brilliant minds and indomitable spirits, whose influence and achievements have shaped the course of women's chess. From the era of Vera Menchik, the first women's world chess champion, to the present reign of Ju Wenjun, each of these champions has etched her own unique chapter in the annals of this illustrious competition.

• Vera Menchik (1927–1944) - Russia (in exile) / Czechoslovakia / United Kingdom
• Lyudmila Rudenko (1950–1953) - Soviet Union (Ukrainian SSR)
• Elisaveta Bykova (1953–1956, 1958–1962) - Soviet Union (Russian SFSR)
• Olga Rubtsova (1956–1958) - Soviet Union (Russian SFSR)
• Nona Gaprindashvili (1962–1978) - Soviet Union (Georgian SSR)
• Maia Chiburdanidze (1978–1991) - Soviet Union (Georgian SSR)
• Xie Jun (1991–1996, 1999–2001) - China
• Susan Polgar (1996–1999) - Hungary
• Zhu Chen (2001–2004) - China
• Antoaneta Stefanova (2004–2006) - Bulgaria
• Xu Yuhua (2006–2008) - China
• Alexandra Kosteniuk (2008–2010) - Russia
• Hou Yifan (2010–2012, 2013–2015, 2016–2017) - China
• Anna Ushenina (2012–2013) - Ukraine
• Mariya Muzychuk (2015–2016) - Ukraine
• Tan Zhongyi (2017–2018) - China
• Ju Wenjun (2018–present, as of 2021) - China

 

1. Vera Menchik

Vera Menchikova, the first and longest-reigning Women's World Chess Champion, held her title from 1927 to 1944, securing it eight times, primarily in round-robin tournaments. As the only woman participating in master-level tournaments against top-tier male players during her time, she had notable success. After her victory in the inaugural Women's World Chess Championship in 1927, she started competing in master-level tournaments the next year, with significant success at Ramsgate in 1929 where she shared second place with Akiba Rubinstein. She consistently played in elite events for the next decade, including the local Hastings Congress, with a notable win in 1931/32 over future world champion Max Euwe and Mir Sultan Khan. Menchik also won a solitary Women's World Championship match against Sonja Graf, the second-best female player of her time. Towards the end of her career, she won a match against Jacques Mieses and remained active until her death in 1944 during a German air raid in World War II.

 

2. Lyudmila Rudenko

Following the death of Vera Menchik in an air raid, the women's world championship title became vacant. So in the winter of 1949–1950, after the end of World War II, the World Chess Federation FIDE organized a tournament in Moscow to find a new women's champion. The competition saw sixteen women from twelve countries, with the top four positions occupied by Soviet players. Lyudmila Rudenko, who was 45 years old at that time, emerged as the winner, finishing a full point ahead of her competitors by scoring nine victories, one loss, and five draws. She held onto the Women's World Championship title until 1953 when she was defeated by Elisaveta Bykova in the subsequent championship cycle. Rudenko was also the first woman to be granted the International Master title.

 

3. Elisaveta Bykova

By the time when World War II ended and chess tournaments resumed, Elisaveta Bykova had already claimed the Women's Soviet Chess Championship three times in 1946, 1947, and 1950. Following her victory in the 1952 Women's Candidates Tournament, Bykova went on to challenge and ultimately defeat Lyudmila Rudenko in a 1953 Leningrad match with seven victories, five losses, and two draws. Despite losing the championship title to Olga Rubtsova in 1956, Bykova regained it in 1958, becoming the first woman to do so. She then successfully defended her title in 1960 but lost it in 1962 to the young Nona Gaprindashvili. Aside from her chess career, Bykova worked as an engineer in a large Moscow printing house and contributed to chess literature as an author and columnist. She penned three books about Vera Menchik, Soviet women chess players, and the Women's World Championship, and actively promoted chess through lectures and tournament organization. In 2013, Elisaveta Bykova was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame for her contributions to the chess world.

 

4. Olga Rubtsova

Yet another World Chess Hall of Famer! Olga Rubtsova was a four-time Soviet Women's Champion (1927, 1931, 1937, 1948) and a gold medalist of the inaugural Women's Chess Olympiad as a member of the USSR team. In the 1949–50 Women's World Chess Championship, Rubtsova finished second, a point behind Lyudmila Rudenko. However, she made a comeback in 1956 to win the championship title, finishing ahead of two former champions, Rudenko and Bykova. Rubtsova lost her title to Bykova in a match in 1958, but her achievements did not stop there. Rubtsova also played correspondence chess and became the first women's world correspondence chess champion in 1972. Up until today, she remains the only player in history, regardless of gender, to become a world champion in both over-the-board and correspondence chess.

 

5. Nona Gaprindashvili

The first woman in history to receive the FIDE Grandmaster title, Nona Gaprindashvili is a true legend of the game and one of the GOATs of women's chess. At just 20, she won the fourth women's Candidates Tournament in 1961, setting up a championship match against world champion Elisaveta Bykova. She won the match effortlessly, 9–2, and went on to defend her title four times before losing to fellow Georgian, Maia Chiburdanidze, in 1978. Gaprindashvili amassed an impressive 25 Olympic medals, including eleven team golds and nine individual golds. At the 1986 Dubai Olympiad, she won all ten games that she played. Besides women's tournaments, Gaprindashvili also competed successfully in men's tournaments, securing wins in the 1963/4 Hastings Challengers tournament, among others. Her performance at Lone Pine in 1977 made her the first woman to earn a norm for the International Grandmaster title. Even at 64, she clinched victory at the 2005 BDO Chess Tournament in Haarlem, Netherlands. In 2015, the President of Georgia awarded Gaprindashvili the Presidential Order of Excellence. Notably, Tbilisi's chess palace is named in her honor. She was also inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2013.

 

6. Maia Chiburdanidze

Maia Chiburdanidze, another shining star from Georgia's golden era of women's chess, demonstrated her prowess at an early age. At just 13, she triumphed at the Braşov women's international tournament and soon participated in the women's world championship cycle. After progressing to the Candidates Final, she challenged and overcame Nona Gaprindashvili, winning 8½–6½ when she was just 17. After defending her title four times, she lost to Chinese player Xie Jun. With a reign of 14 years, Chiburdanidze holds the third longest reign, surpassed only by Vera Menchik and Nona Gaprindashvili. In 1984, FIDE awarded Chiburdanidze the title of Grandmaster, making her the second woman to receive this honor. She has contributed to nine gold-medal-winning teams at the Women's Chess Olympiad. Chiburdanidze has expressed her vision for a future without separate men's and women's tournaments. She has extensively competed in traditional "men's" tournaments globally, securing first place in New Delhi in 1984 and Banja Luka in 1985, and coming third in Bilbao in 1987, where she achieved a 2616 performance rating against top-tier players.

 

7. Xie Jun

Xie Jun, the first Asian female player to become a chess grandmaster, had two stints as the Women's World Chess Champion: from 1991 to 1996 and from 1999 to 2001. At only 20, Xie earned the opportunity to contend for the women's world title, ultimately defeating Maia Chiburdanidze of Georgia with a score of 8½–6½ in 1991. She successfully retained her title in 1993 and was awarded the full Grandmaster title in 1994. While she lost the 1996 Women's World Chess Championship to Hungary's Susan Polgar, Xie regained the title in 1999 by defeating Alisa Galliamova after Polgar forfeited her title over a disagreement about match conditions. In 2000, following a change to a knockout system for the world championship by FIDE, Xie once again won the title, besting fellow Chinese player Qin Kanying in the final. Xie's exciting attacking style and success have made her a hero in China and helped to popularize international chess throughout the country and Asia. Xie played a crucial role in the Chinese women's team's victory at the 1998 Chess Olympiad. In April 2019, Xie was appointed president of the Chinese Chess Association.

 

8. Susan Polgar

Susan Polgar, the third woman to receive the Grandmaster title from FIDE, rose to the top of the women's rating list at just 15 years of age. Prior to 1992, Polgar mostly steered clear of women-only events, playing in open tournaments only. However, in 1992 she seized both the Women's World Blitz and Rapid Championships. While she entered the candidate cycle for the 1993 Women's World Championship, she was eliminated in a match against Nana Ioseliani that was ultimately decided by a drawing of lots. Polgar secured the Women's World Champion title on her second attempt in 1996 but was stripped of it in 1998 due to disagreements over scheduling and the prize fund. In 2002, she transferred her national federation from Hungary to the United States and was honored as the "Grandmaster of the Year" by the United States Chess Federation in 2003, becoming the first woman to receive this accolade. That same year, she was the first woman to win the US Open Blitz Championship, replicating this success in 2005 and 2006. Polgar played a crucial role in training the US women's team for the 2004 Chess Olympiad and also competed on the top board. The team secured a silver medal, and Polgar won an individual gold medal for the highest performance rating and point total in the women's event. Remarkably, across her 56 games at the Women's Olympiads, Polgar has never suffered a defeat. She has 11 Olympic medals: four gold, four silver, and three bronze.

 

9. Zhu Chen

Zhu Chen is a trailblazer in Chinese chess, winning the World Girls Under-12 Championship in 1988, making her the first Chinese player to secure an international chess competition. She triumphed in the World Junior Girls Chess Championship in 1994 and 1996. She earned her Grandmaster title in 1999, becoming the 13th GM from China. That same year, at 25 years old, she became China's second Women's World Chess Champion after Xie Jun, beating Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia by 5–3 in the 2001/2002 Women's World Chess Championship. However, Zhu didn't defend her world title in Georgia in 2004 due to her busy schedule and pregnancy. After marrying Qatari Grandmaster Mohamad Al-Modiahki, Zhu changed federations and now competes for Qatar.

 

10. Antoaneta Stefanova

Bulgarian Grandmaster Antoaneta Stefanova displayed notable prowess from an early age, competing in her first Chess Olympiad at 13 and clinching the Bulgarian women's championship title at 16. She didn't limit herself to women-only competitions, and in 2000, she participated in the open section of the Chess Olympiad. In 2001, she shared first place in the 19th Andorra Open. Her success continued into 2002, when she won the Wismilak International Chess Tournament, scoring 9½/11 points and achieving a performance rating of 2750. Stefanova secured the Women's World Chess Championship in June 2004, emerging victorious from a 64-player knockout tournament organized by FIDE in Elista, Kalmykia. In addition to these achievements, Stefanova won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in 2012, although she lost to Anna Ushenina in the final tie-break of the Women's World Chess Championship the same year. In 2017, Stefanova won gold in both the women's rapid chess event and the women's blitz chess event at the IMSA Elite Mind Games in Huai'an, China.

 

11. Xu Yuhua

Xu Yuhua, the third Chinese player to claim the Women's World Chess Championship after Xie Jun and Zhu Chen, secured her title on March 25, 2006. She won the Women's World Chess Championship knockout tournament held in Ekaterinburg, Russia, besting Russian International Master Alisa Galliamova in the final round with a score of 2½–½ in a best-of-four match. This knockout event, which featured 64 participants, including former world champion Zhu Chen and reigning world champion Antoaneta Stefanova, resulted in Yuhua becoming China's 22nd Grandmaster. However, her reign as world champion was short-lived, as she lost her title in the next championship in 2008, also a 64-player knockout tournament. Despite winning one of the Grand Prix tournaments in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2009–2011, Yuhua overall finished seventh and therefore did not qualify for the 2011 Women's World Championship match.

 

12. Alexandra Kosteniuk

Alexandra Kosteniuk won almost all prestigious women's titles in chess. In 2001, at only 17, Kosteniuk made it to the final round of the World Women's Chess Championship, which was eventually won by Zhu Chen. Later, in August, she became the inaugural Chess960 Women's World Champion by defeating Germany's leading female player, Elisabeth Pähtz. She successfully defended this title in 2008 against Kateryna Lahno. However, her most significant achievement is surely winning the Women's World Chess Championship in 2008, where she outplayed the young Chinese sensation, Hou Yifan, with a score of 2½–1½. In 2013, Kosteniuk became the first woman to win the open section of the Swiss Chess Championship, which was traditionally dominated by men. She also claimed the title of Women's Swiss Champion. Kosteniuk continued to impress in 2021. She competed in the inaugural Women's Chess World Cup, a 103-player knockout tournament. Seeded 14th, she defeated top competitors, including Deysi Cori, Pia Cramling, Mariya Muzychuk, Valentina Gunina, and Tan Zhongyi, all without ever needing a tiebreak. She ultimately clinched the tournament with a 1.5 - 0.5 score against top-seeded Aleksandra Goryachkina in the finals. Kosteniuk wrapped up the year by securing the Women's World Rapid Championship in Warsaw, finishing undefeated with a commanding score of 9 out of 11.

 

13. Hou Yifan

A true chess prodigy, Hou Yifan, set several impressive records even before clinching the world championship title. She was the youngest player ever to participate in both the Women's World Championship and the Chess Olympiad, at only 12, a record that stands to this day. A year later, she also became the youngest-ever Women's Champion in China, while at 14, she finally became the youngest female to ever achieve the title of Grandmaster. Her mastery of the game continued to shine in 2010 as she won the Women's World Championship at only 16. She demonstrated her dominance in the following three championships that were decided by matches, boasting ten victories, zero losses, and fourteen draws against three different opponents. However, in championships decided by knockout tournaments (2012, 2015, and 2017), she either was eliminated early or chose not to participate. Hou is one of only three women to have been rated among the world's top 100 players, the other two being Maia Chiburdanidze and Judit Polgár. After all, she's the second-highest-rated female player in history.

 

14. Anna Ushenina

​​Anna Ushenina discovered her passion for chess at the relatively late age of seven, introduced to the game by her mother. Despite her late start, however, she quickly ascended the ranks of competitive chess, winning the title of Ukrainian Girls' Under 20 champion when she was just 15 years old. What's fascinating is that a significant portion of her chess skills was self-taught. Ushenina was a crucial member of the Ukrainian team that claimed the gold medal at the 44th Women's Chess Olympiad. She carved her name in chess history during the Women's World Chess Championship 2012, where she clinched victory in a tiebreak match against Antoaneta Stefanova, making her the 14th Women's World Chess Champion. This achievement not only bestowed upon her the prestigious title of Grandmaster but also qualified her for the 2013 Chess World Cup. Ushenina is Ukraine's first Women's World Chess Champion, an accomplishment that led to her being voted Ukraine's best female chess player of 2012. However, she relinquished her world champion title to Hou Yifan during the Women's World Chess Championship in 2013.

 

15. Mariya Muzychuk

Mariya Muzychuk was introduced to chess at age two by her parents and participated in her first chess tournament at 6. Her career includes gold medals in two Ukrainian Women's Championships (2012, 2013), as well as Olympic, World, and European team championships with Ukraine. Muzychuk won the Women's World Chess Championship in 2015. Throughout the tournament, she beat former champion Antoaneta Stefanova, top-seed Humpy Koneru, and Dronavalli Harika, before claiming victory over Natalia Pogonina in the final. This extraordinary feat led to her obtaining the prestigious Grandmaster title and being awarded the Order of Merit, 3rd Class, by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Further accolades included the honorary FIDE award of Caïssa, recognizing her as the best female chess player of 2015. Despite her successes, Muzychuk lost her world championship title to Hou Yifan in 2016 and refused to participate in the subsequent championship of 2017 held in Iran as a protest against being obligated to wear a hijab.

 

16. Tan Zhongyi

The current Women's World Rapid and Chinese Women's Champion, Tan Zhongyi, ascended to the pinnacle of women's chess in 2017 by winning the Women's World Chess Championship. Her match against GM Anna Muzychuk in the final was intense, with the classical portion ending in a 2-2 draw. In the following rapid tie-break, Tan demonstrated superior tactical skills and secured her victory. Despite losing her championship title to Ju Wenjun at the Women's World Chess Championship Match in 2018, Tan's prowess on the chess board remained undiminished. In 2020, she triumphed at the Gibraltar Masters, winning the women's top prize, and finished in third place at the 2021 Women's Chess World Cup, defeating Anna Muzychuk with a score of 2.5 - 1.5.  Tan Zhongyi once again proved to be a top female chess player in 2022, as she clinched the Women's World Rapid Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan, triumphing over local player Dinara Saduakassova in the tiebreaker.

 

17. Ju Wenjun

Ju Wenjun is the current Women's World Chess Champion and the sixth woman to reach a rating above 2600. Her career is filled with remarkable achievements, including her twin victories at the Chinese Championship, first-place finish ahead of then-reigning world champion Hou Yifan at the 2011 Hangzhou Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament, and her back-to-back wins at the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in 2017 and 2018. Her journey to becoming World Champion began with her triumph at the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2015–16, which led to a championship match against Tan Zhongyi. Emerging victorious in May 2018, Ju retained her title in the following 64-player knockout championship tournament. In 2020, she once again showcased her defensive prowess by successfully defending her title in a nerve-wracking match against Aleksandra Goryachkina. Beyond individual competitions, Ju has also been a key member of the gold-medal-winning Chinese women's team at the 2016 and 2018 Chess Olympiad, the 2009 and 2011 Women's World Team Championships, the 2012, 2014, and 2016 Women's Asian Nations Chess Cups, and the 2010 Asian Games.

 

As we conclude our journey through the remarkable history of the women's world champions, we eagerly look forward to the upcoming Championship match. The championship is already underway, and all eyes are on Ju Wenjun as she seeks to defend her title. Yet, with new talent like Lei Tingjie in the fray, it promises to be an exciting competition. Will Ju defend her title successfully, or will we witness the rise of a new champion? Only time will tell. Regardless, these extraordinary women and their accomplishments are a testament to the continually evolving and exciting world of women's chess.