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Hou Yifan
The chess grandmaster who became the youngest women’s world champion at sixteen.
Title defence · World title
- Born
- 27 February 1994
- Birthplace
- China
More people
Hou Yifan
Hou Yifan combined early championship success with university study and teaching. She has also competed extensively in open events against leading players.
Early life
Jiangsu
Born in Xinghua and began learning chess as a small child.
Training
Entered China’s national chess training system while still young.
Career
- 2008
Grandmaster
Qualified for the grandmaster title at fourteen.
- 2010
World champion
Won the women’s world championship.
- 2020
University career
Became a professor at Shenzhen University.
Achievements
Title defence
Won her first women’s world championship match.
World title
Regained the championship in a match against Anna Ushenina.
Fourth title
Defeated Mariya Muzychuk in a championship match.
Beyond chess
Oxford
Studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Education
Has combined chess promotion with academic work.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and work — ratings.fide.com ↗Photo: Andreas Kontokanis from Piraeus, Greece. CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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