Hou Yifan

Hou Yifan is a Chinese chess grandmaster and four-time Women's World Chess Champion. Born on February 27, 1994, in Xinghua, Jiangsu, she became a grandmaster at the age of 14, making her the youngest female to ever earn the title. She won her first Women's World Championship in 2010 at just 16 years old, becoming the youngest Women's World Champion in history.

Hou Yifan held the Women's World Championship title four times between 2010 and 2017, winning matches against Ruan Lufei, Koneru Humpy, and Anna Ushenina. Across her three championship match defenses, she compiled a record of ten wins, zero losses, and fourteen draws. Her peak FIDE rating of 2686, reached in March 2015, placed her 55th in the overall world rankings and made her the second-highest-rated female player of all time.

Beyond the chessboard, Hou Yifan has built an impressive academic career. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Peking University in International Relations and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Oxford. In 2020, at the age of 26, she became one of the youngest professors in China when she joined Shenzhen University's School of Physical Education. She currently teaches at Peking University as well.

Although Hou Yifan stepped back from competitive play for several years to focus on academics, she returned to top-level events in 2025. She competed in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships and the Global Chess League, where her team won gold and she earned the season MVP award for the women's division. Her current FIDE rating stands at 2596 as of April 2026.