5 Best Women Chess Players of All Time

5 Best Women Chess Players of All Time

Chess, one of the most popular board games worldwide, is thought to have the fastest-growing ecosystem.

Western nations and Europe had already established a stronger chess-related ecosystem, and India is now progressively catching up.

India currently has more than 85 Grand Masters, according to current statistics. The top five female chess players of all time will be revealed in this article and shared in the format below:

5. Vera Menchik: 

On the list of female players who have participated in this fantastic game of chess, Vera Menchik is ranked fifth. Almost a century ago, she was hailed as the first female world champion. In 1929, she played with Jose Capablanca and went seven games without losing. She then went on to defeat George Alan Thomas in her matchups, and she achieved a lifetime score of +2 points in five games against Grand Master Max Euwe.

Vera Menchik Achievements: 

She ranks fifth on the list because of her many incredible accomplishments, which include winning 78 of the 83 games she participated in at the 7 Women’s World Championship.

The fact that she lost one game during that time and four ended in a draw is even more shocking and says a lot about the class player she was in the well-liked board game.

During that time, she had a 98.8% winning percentage.

4. Nona Gaprindashvii: 

On our list of the greatest female chess players of all time, Nona Gaprindashvii is ranked fourth.

Not to be confused with Woman Grandmaster, she was the first female Grandmaster in 1978.

She had already established her legacy by winning the Soviet Women’s Championship twice. She went on to win three more titles as Grandmaster.

Nona Gaprindashvii Achievements : 

Her dominance in the Women’s Chess Olympiad, where she scored +94 points and won a record eight gold medals as an individual, and her 11 gold medals in the team event, explain her accomplishment as a player.

She became the senior world champion for the fifth time in the women’s 65+ age group at the age of 78, which is an incredible accomplishment in and of itself.

3. Grandmaster Maia Chiburdandize: 

She ranks third among all female chess players, and her success as a player can be attributed to a number of factors.

At the age of 17, she won the women’s world championship.

Maia Chiburdandize Achievements: 

Chiburdandize performed exceptionally well against Grand Master Nigel Short, going undefeated in two of their matches in 1983 and 1985.

Since FIDE started keeping an official list in 1971, Chiburdandize became the first woman to rank in the Top 50, earning her the title of Grandmaster.

2. Hou Yifan:

On the list of female chess players, Hou Yifan is ranked second.

She broke the Chiburdandize record at the age of sixteen and won the Grandmaster title at the age of fourteen, making her the youngest world champion.

Hou Yifan Achievements: 

Hou Yifan’s accomplishments as a player in BIEL 2017: she received an outstanding performance rating of 2810 and won 6.5 points out of 9.

In 2015, she reached her highest ranking of 55th in the FIDE Chess Rankings. She currently holds the second position in the ranking as a result of her performances against top-tier opponents.

1. Judit Polgar: 

On the list of the greatest female chess players of all time, Judit Polgar is ranked first.

She was an exceptional player, particularly in Open Chess tournaments, where she defeated class chess players like Gary Kasaparov and Magnus Carlsen.

Polgar won the Grand Master title in 1991 and has even defeated players like Bobby Fischer.

Judit Polgar Achievements: 

Her achievements as player can be understood by the fact that- a column was published in New York Times(One of the most reputed news paper) where Grand Master Robert Bryne stated “There is no argument that she is probably the best female player to play this game ever”

After achieving a FIDE rating of 2635, she is ranked as the 20th most popular person in the world. Because of her outstanding achievement, Polgar was ranked number 10 in February 1996.

For a quarter of a century, Polgar has been the most acclaimed chess player. She is among the greatest female chess players of all time due to her accomplishments.

Given the ecosystem that is in place, chess as a sport would continue to dominate; more stakeholders should step up and take the initiative to advance this.