International Chess Day: Three Queens of Chess

Hou Yifan

Since July 2012, Hou Yifan has been in the top 100 female players every single month. Since September 2015, she’s been unbeaten as the number 1 female chess player worldwide - this just 9 months after her final Juniors position (she simultaneously competed in both Women and Girls competitions prior to that). Often, she has broken into the male-dominated top 100 players worldwide. 

Born in China, Hou Yifan became a Woman Grandmaster in 2007 and a Grandmaster in 2009 when she was just 14 years old, making her the youngest female player ever to qualify for the title. She was also the youngest ever to win the Women's World Chess Championship (at age 16). 

Not content to just set records in the chess world, in 2020, she became the youngest professor at Shenzhen University, at the age of 26.

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Judit Polgar

Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster, widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time. Playing the generation before Hou Yifan, Judit Polgár became Grandmaster in 1992. During her years playing she was the number one woman in the world (lasting 26 years!) and always in the top 100 players globally, peaking in 2004/5 as she reached 8th position. She has beaten the two players considered the best in the world - Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen.

She is now the Ambassador of Chess in Education and member of the World Chess Hall of Fame. She is keen to bring others into the game and runs an annual chess festival in Hungary, with the 10th edition taking place in September 2024. 

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Harika Dronavalli

Harika Dronavalli became a grandmaster in 2009, making her the second woman in India to earn the title after GM Humpy Koneru. In 2014 she became one of top 10 women in the world and she hasn’t left the list since. 

Harika Dronavalli is also a three-time bronze medal winner in the Women’s World Chess Championship and she won the women’s national chess championship of India at the age of 18. In 2007 she was presented with the Arjuna Award, an honour given to outstanding sportspersons in India.

Of course there are many other incredible chess players we could honour. From Russian and Swiss Grandmaster Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk to the 2nd best female player currently, China’s Wenjun Ju. There's even the up-and-coming 9-year old from London, Bodhana Sivanandan! But hopefully this short introduction has inspired you to have a game, whether you’re a seasoned professional or an absolute newbie. Or, at the very least, rewatch the incredible The Queen’s Gambit.