Women's World Chess Champions

The first Women's World Champion and one of the strongest female players in history. Menchik held the title from its inception in 1927 until her death in 1944, winning every championship tournament she entered. She also competed successfully against male grandmasters, defeating several in tournament play.

The third Women's World Champion, Bykova was a strong positional player who won the title after Rubtsova's brief reign. She was also a respected chess journalist and author who wrote extensively about women's chess.

The second Women's World Champion after Menchik. Rubtsova was a creative attacking player who won the 1956 championship tournament. She was also a distinguished correspondence chess player, winning the first Women's World Correspondence Championship in 1972.

The first woman to be awarded the Grandmaster title outright. Gaprindashvili dominated women's chess for 16 years and successfully competed in men's tournaments, proving that women could play at the highest level. She was portrayed (fictionally) in The Queen's Gambit as a inspiration to Beth Harmon.

The youngest Women's World Champion at the time (age 17), Chiburdanidze held the title for 13 years. A deeply positional player with excellent endgame technique, she successfully defended her title four times before losing to Xie Jun in 1991.

China's first World Chess Champion. Xie Jun's victory in 1991 ended 31 years of Soviet/Georgian dominance and heralded China's emergence as a chess superpower. She won the title twice, defeating Chiburdanidze and then Galliamova.

The strongest female player in chess history. Polgár never competed for the Women's World Championship, instead choosing to compete exclusively against men. She reached #8 in the world rankings, defeated 11 current or former World Champions, and achieved a peak rating of 2735. She is included here as the standard against which all women's chess is measured.

China's second Women's World Champion, Zhu Chen won the 2001 knockout tournament in Moscow. An attacking player with a sharp tactical eye, she later married Qatari grandmaster Mohamad Al-Modiahki and represented Qatar internationally.

Bulgaria's first Women's World Champion, Stefanova won the 2004 knockout tournament. A talented all-around player, she also won the European Individual Championship in 2002. Her reign was brief but she remained among the top women players for over a decade.

The 'Chess Queen' won the 2008 Women's World Championship in Nalchik. Kosteniuk is also a chess promoter, author, and model who has worked to popularize chess worldwide, particularly among young people. She won the Women's World Rapid Championship in 2021.

The strongest active female player and the second-highest rated woman in history. Hou became the youngest Women's World Champion at 16 and won the title four times. She has frequently competed in open (mixed) events, reaching the Candidates Tournament in 2019, and has beaten multiple top-50 male players.

China's fourth Women's World Champion, Tan won the 2017 knockout tournament in Tehran. A solid positional player, she has been a consistent presence in the top 10 of women's chess for many years.

The current Women's World Champion and dominant force in women's chess. Ju won the title in 2018, defended it four times, briefly lost to Lei Tingjie in 2025, then regained it. She is one of the strongest women players in history.

Lei defeated Ju Wenjun in 2025 to briefly claim the Women's World Championship before Ju regained it later that year. Her victory underscored China's extraordinary depth in women's chess.