Hou Yifan, from Xinghua, China, is one of the most accomplished female chess players in history. A four-time Women’s World Chess Champion, she earned the title of grandmaster at just 14, making her the youngest female to achieve this feat. Hou has consistently been the world’s top-rated female player since 2015 and remains the second-highest-rated female player of all time, behind only Judit Polgár.

Hou’s early fascination with chess began when she was just three years old, and by the age of nine, she was already recognised as a prodigious talent. Her rapid rise culminated in winning her first Women's World Chess Championship in 2010 at age 16, the youngest ever to do so. She went on to dominate the women’s circuit, successfully defending her title multiple times while defeating her challengers with ease.

In recent years, Hou has scaled back her participation in competitive chess, opting to focus on academia. After completing her undergraduate studies at Peking University, she pursued a Master of Public Policy at Oxford University. Despite her limited participation, she continues to be ranked No. 1 among female players, proving her exceptional calibre. Additionally, she became the youngest-ever professor at Shenzhen University, balancing her contributions to academia with occasional tournament appearances.

In 2024, Hou remains a towering figure in the chess world.