Hou Yifan
The world’s top-rated woman. Hou won the Women’s World Championship four times, the first at 16, the youngest ever to do so.
She qualified as a grandmaster at 14, the youngest woman ever, and reached a peak of 2686 in 2015, second only to Judit Polgár among women. She was named the year’s best female player four times.
She is now also a professor at Peking University, and still tops the women’s list.
Career highlights
- Four-time Women's World Champion
- Youngest ever Women's World Champion, at 16
- Youngest woman to qualify as grandmaster, at 14
- Second-highest-rated woman in history (peak 2686)
- Professor at Peking University
Titles
- Biel Chess Festival: 2017
- Women's World Chess Championship: 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016
From the winners lists on our event pages.
Hou Yifan in The Chess Herald
FIDE profile · Wikipedia
Profile last reviewed September 29, 2026. Ratings update monthly from FIDE.