Hou Yifan
Became Women's World Champion at 16 — the youngest ever — and is widely regarded as the strongest woman player since Judit Polgár.
Photo: Andreas Kontokanis · CC BY-SA 2.0
Biography
Born in 1994, Hou Yifan beat Kosteniuk for the title in 2010 at age 16, the youngest Women's World Champion in history. She controversially chose not to defend the title in the 2012 knockout event, arguing the format unfairly staked a reigning champion's title on too few games, and lost it by default to Anna Ushenina.
She won the title back in a proper match in 2013, held it until 2015, and has remained one of the very few women to consistently compete near elite men's rating levels in open events throughout her career.
Playing Style
Extremely strong and universal, competing successfully in elite open (mixed) tournaments rather than only women's events.
Notable Games
2013 Championship match win
Her win to reclaim the title in a proper head-to-head match, after having lost it by default in the 2012 knockout event she chose not to enter.
Fun Facts
- Her public criticism of the knockout format's fairness to a reigning champion is widely credited with influencing the championship's later return to a challenger-match format.