Women Chess Players
Throughout history, there have been many women chess players who have made significant contribution to the field. The list includes many familiar and great female chess players such as Phiona Mutesi, Judit Polgár, Humpy Koneru, Tania Sachdev, Miyoko Watai.The women chess players featured in this list are from United States, United Kingdom, Canada & India and many more countries.
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1
Judit Polgár
(One of the Strongest Female Chess Players of All Time)
Birthdate: July 23, 1976
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
2
Hou Yifan
(Chinese Chess Grandmaster and Second Highest Rated Female Player of All Time)
Birthdate: February 27, 1994
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Xinghua, China
Hou Yifan is a Chinese chess player who won two gold medals at the 2010 Asian Games. Hou, who achieved the grandmaster title in 2008, is the second-highest-rated female chess player ever. Hou is also the youngest ever player to win the Women's World Chess Championship title. She is also regarded as the greatest female chess player of her generation.
3
Anna Rudolf
(Hungarian Chess Player and Chess Commentator)
Birthdate: November 12, 1987
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Miskolc, Hungary
4
Susan Polgar
(Hungarian-American Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: April 19, 1969
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
5
Tania Sachdev
(Indian Chess Player)
Birthdate: August 20, 1986
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Delhi, India
Tania Sachdev is an Indian chess player who has been honored with such FIDE titles as Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM). Since 2008, Sachdev has represented India at the Women's Chess Olympiads as part of the Indian national team. In 2009, she was honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award for her contribution to chess in India.
6
Nona Gaprindashvili
(Georgian Former Chess Player and the First Woman Ever to Be Awarded the FIDE Title Grandmaster)
Birthdate: May 3, 1941
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Zugdidi, Georgia
7
Anna Muzychuk
(Ukrainian Chess Player)
Birthdate: February 28, 1990
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Anna Muzychuk is a Ukrainian chess player who became only the fourth woman in the history of chess to achieve a FIDE rating of 2600 or more. Muzychuk, who attained the Grandmaster title in 2012, is a three-time fast chess world champion.
8
Alexandra Kosteniuk
(Russian-Swiss Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: April 23, 1984
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Perm, Russia
Alexandra Kosteniuk earned the grandmaster title at 20, thus becoming the 10th woman to achieve the feat. She has won several contests, such as the Russian and European women’s championship. She has also appeared in a film and promotes chess through streams and as a chess ambassador.
9
Koneru Humpy
(Indian Chess Player and the Youngest Woman Ever to Achieve the Title of Grandmaster)
Birthdate: March 31, 1987
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Koneru Humpy is an Indian chess player and the current women's world rapid champion. At the age of 15, Humpy became the youngest female chess player to achieve the prestigious Grandmaster title. In 2003, she was honored with India's second-highest sporting honor, the Arjuna Award. In 2007, Koneru Humpy was honored with the Padma Shri Award.
10
Mariya Muzychuk
(Ukrainian Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: September 21, 1992
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Lviv, Ukraine
11
Vera Menchik
(Russian-Born Czechoslovak Chess Player and the First Women’s World Chess Champion From 1927 to 1944)
Birthdate: February 16, 1906
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: June 26, 1944
12
Natalia Zhukova
(Ukrainian Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: June 5, 1979
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dresden, East Germany
13
Zhansaya Abdumalik
(Chess player)
Birthdate: January 12, 2000
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Almaty, Kazakhstan
14
Phiona Mutesi(One of the First Titled Female Players in Ugandan Chess History)
Birthdate: January 6, 1996
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kampala, Uganda
Hailed as the Chess Queen of Africa, Phiona Mutesi rose from the Kampala slums to represent Uganda at the Women's Chess Olympiads. Her rags-to-riches story inspired a book and the 2016 Disney movie Queen of Katwe. A school drop-out, she was introduced to chess by a Christian sports mission.
15
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
(Chess player)
Birthdate: March 10, 1997
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh is an Iranian chess player who achieved the honorific titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master in 2013 and 2015 respectively. She has represented her country in important competitions like the Women's Chess Olympiads and the Women's World Chess Championship.
16
Alina Kashlinskaya
(Polish Chess player)
Birthdate: October 28, 1993
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Russian International Master and Woman Grandmaster Alina Kashlinskaya has had many accomplishments, including the 2019 European Women’s Individual Chess Championship win and the top women’s prize at the Chess.com Isle of Man tournament. She also won the Russian Junior Girls Championship. She is married to Polish chess Grandmaster Radosław Wojtaszek.
17
Qiyu Zhou
(First Canadian Chess Player to Hold the Title of Woman Grandmaster)
Birthdate: January 6, 2000
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Jingzhou, China
Chinese-born Canadian chess sensation Qiyu Zhou grew up in countries such as France and Finland and began learning chess at age 3. She won the Finnish U-10 championship at 5 and won the World Youth Chess Championship at 14. Known for her Twitch livestreams as akaNemsko, she is also Canada’s first woman grandmaster.
18
Anna Ushenina
(Ukrainian Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: August 30, 1985
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
19
Kateryna Lagno
(Russian Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: December 27, 1989
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
20
Sopiko Guramishvili
(Georgian and Dutch Chess Player)
Birthdate: January 1, 1991
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
21
Maia Chiburdanidze
(Georgian Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: January 17, 1961
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kutaisi, Georgia
International grandmaster Maia Chiburdanidze made headlines after winning the Women’s World Chess Championship at age 17. She is also the second female chess player to be named a grandmaster by FIDE. She has also been featured on postage stamps and documentaries. She prefers competing against male chess players.
22
Pia Cramling
(Swedish Chess Player)
Birthdate: April 23, 1963
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
23
Ju Wenjun
(Chinese Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: January 31, 1991
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Shanghai, China
Chinese chess Grandmaster and Woman Grandmaster Ju Wenjun is the reigning Women's World Chess Champion. The Shanghai-born chess sensation won secured the second place in the Asian Women’s Chess Championship at 13 and later also won an Asian Games gold. She became the Chinese women’s champion for the first time at 19.
24
Lei Tingjie
(Chinese Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: March 13, 1997
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Fuling District, Chongqing, China
25
Jennifer Shahade
(American Chess Player, Poker Player and Writer)
Birthdate: December 31, 1980
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
26
Irene Kharisma Sukandar
(Chess Player)
Birthdate: April 7, 1992
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Jakarta, Indonesia
27
Dorsa Derakhshani
(Chess player)
Birthdate: April 15, 1998
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
A Woman Grandmaster and an International Grandmaster, Iranian chess player Dorsa Derakhshani initially represented Iran internationally. She now plays for the US and is a student of St. Louis University. Initially home-schooled, she had also excelled in music and dance, especially ballet, in her childhood, before moving on to chess.
28
Lyudmila Rudenko
(Russian Chess Player and the Second Women’s World Chess Champion)
Birthdate: July 27, 1904
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Lubny, Ukraine
Died: February 28, 1986
Ukrainian chess player Lyudmila Rudenko made history by becoming the second world women’s chess champion. Though she had begun playing chess as a child, she took it up seriously while on an economic planning meeting in Moscow. She also evacuated countless children during the Siege of Leningrad.
29
Soumya Swaminathan
(Indian Chess Player)
Birthdate: March 21, 1989
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Palakkad, India
Soumya Swaminathan is a chess player who has been honored with FIDE titles, such as Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM). In 2010 and 2012, she represented India at the Women's World Championships. Over the course of her career, Soumya Swaminathan has received several prestigious awards, such as the Shiv Chatrapati Award and Pune Gaurav Puruskar.
30
Padmini Rout
(Indian Chess Player)
Birthdate: January 5, 1994
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Barambagarh, Odisha, India
Apart from being an International Master, Padmini Rout is also a Woman Grandmaster. The Eklavya Award- and Biju Patnaik Sports Award-winning Indian chess player had begun playing the sport at age 9, encouraged by her father. The four-time Indian Women's Champion has also represented India in the Olympics several times.
31
Arianne Caoili
(Filipino-Australian Chess Player Who Served as a Advisor to Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan)
Birthdate: December 22, 1986
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Manila, Philippines
Died: March 30, 2020
Arianne Caoili was a Filipino-Australian chess player who took part in seven Women's Chess Olympiads during her career. A multi-talented personality, Caoili was also a singer and financial consultant. She also served as an advisor to Armenian politician and Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan. Arianne Caoili died in a car crash at the age of 33.
32
Nazí Paikidze
(Georgian–American Chess Player)
Birthdate: October 27, 1993
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Irkutsk, Russia
Georgia-born Nazi Paikidze had earned four European Youth Chess Championships by the time she was 16. She is also a six-time World Youth Chess Championship winner. The Woman Grandmaster and International Master later moved to Moscow and then to the US, where she is currently studying information systems.
33
Zhu Chen
(Chinese Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: March 16, 1976
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Wenzhou, China
34
Keti Tsatsalashvili
(Georgian Chess Player and Woman Grandmaster (WGM))
Birthdate: June 10, 1992
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tbilisi, Georgia
35
Carissa Yip
(American Chess Player and a Former U.S. Women’s Chess Champion)
Birthdate: September 10, 2003
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
36
Sofia Polgar
(Hungarian and Israeli Chess Player)
Birthdate: November 2, 1974
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
37
Jennifer Yu
(American Chess Player)
Birthdate: February 1, 2002
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Ithaca, New York, United States
38
Alexandra Botez
(Canadian Chess Player Who Is a Five-Time Canadian National Girls Champion)
Birthdate: September 24, 1995
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States
39
Alisa Galliamova
(Russian Chess Player)
Birthdate: January 18, 1972
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kazan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Woman Grandmaster and International Master Alisa Galliamova is not just a three-time Russian national champion but has also been a runner-up at the 1999 and 2006 Women’s World Chess Championships. She was previously married to top Ukrainian chess player and grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk, though they separated in 1996.
40
Miyoko Watai
(Chess player and widow of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer)
Birthdate: January 8, 1945
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
41
Irina Krush
(The First American Woman Chess Player to Earn the Grandmaster Title)
Birthdate: December 24, 1983
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Odesa, Ukraine
42
Jovanka Houska
(English Chess Player)
Birthdate: June 10, 1980
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: London, England
43
Dinara Saduakassova
(Chess player)
Birthdate: October 31, 1996
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Astana, Kazakhstan
44
Aleksandra Goryachkina
(Russian Chess Player Who Holds the Title of Grandmaster (GM))
Birthdate: September 28, 1998
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Orsk, Russia
Aleksandra Goryachkina made headlines after losing the 2020 Women’s World Chess Championship in a tiebreaker. She was also the first player to make it to the Russian Championship Superfinal’s open section. Ranked no.2 by FIDE, the grandmaster is the daughter of chess player parents. However, she initially preferred table tennis.
45
Nana Dzagnidze
(Georgian Chess Player)
Birthdate: January 1, 1987
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Kutaisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
46
Alla Kushnir
(Israeli Chess Player)
Birthdate: August 11, 1941
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: August 2, 2013
Alla Kushnir was a celebrated Soviet-born Israel chess player, who began her career in her birth country, becoming a Woman International Master and winning two Women's Chess Olympiads before migrating to Israel. There she continued to excel, eventually becoming Woman Grandmaster. Also three times Women's World Chess Championship Challenger, she later became a professor of archeology at Tel Aviv University.
47
Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen
(Lithuanian Speaker of the Seimas)
Birthdate: August 6, 1983
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Šiauliai, Lithuania
Lithuanian politician and chess-player Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen serves as speaker of the Seimas since November 2020. Her achievements in chess includes becoming Lithuanian champion twice, receiving FIDE’s Grandmaster title in 2010, and winning gold medal during European Women's Individual Championship in 2011. She joined politics as a member of Liberal Movement in 2015 and presently serves as Chairperson of the party.
48
Jacqueline Piatigorsky
(French-American Chess Player and Author)
Birthdate: November 6, 1911
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: July 15, 2012
Jacqueline Piatigorsky was a French-American sculptor, chess player, philanthropist, author, and arts patron. As a chess player, Piatigorsky represented the USA in the first Women's Chess Olympiad, in 1957, where she won a bronze medal. An important patron of the arts, Jacqueline Piatigorsky helped raise money for the New England Conservatory of Music to create an award for deserving artists.
49
Marie Sebag
(French Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: October 15, 1986
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
50
Jovana Rapport
(Serbian-Romanian Chess Grandmaster)
Birthdate: February 18, 1992
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Trstenik, FR Yugoslavia