Hou Yifan won the women’s world title at 16 in 2010 — the youngest ever — and won it four times in total. She combines top-level chess with an academic career as a university professor.
Hou Yifan became a grandmaster at 14 and won the Women’s World Championship in 2010 at 16, the youngest player ever to do so. She won the title again in 2011, 2013 and 2016 and was the women’s world number one for years.
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Chess and scholarship
Hou studied at Peking University and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, and later became a professor at Shenzhen University. She continues to play strong events and to promote chess and education.
Did you know?
♞Fact #1Tap to revealHou Yifan won the women’s world title at 16.
♝Fact #2Tap to revealShe was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.
Three lessons from Yifan for your own games
1Balance chess with study
2Steady improvement wins titles
3Play the board, not the reputation
Hou Yifan’s games
Watch the featured game replay itself, or pick any game below. Every game opens move by move with engine analysis.