The history of chess is very interesting and in part still considered mysterious, meaning a lot is yet to be uncovered when it comes to this sport. However, what we do know, we will gladly share with you today. Starting from the period of The Middle Ages, a woman named Macalda di Scaletta played chess, and historical evidence suggests that she was probably the first person in Sicily who learned how to play it.
Queen Elizabeth I, who lived from 1533 until 1603, played chess very well, according to a placard in the Tower of London.
Benjamin Franklin, who lived from 1706 until 1790, according to Thomas Jefferson played chess in Paris with socially important women, including the Duchess of Bourbon Bathilde d'Orléans, who was "a chess player of about his force".
In 1884 the first women's chess tournament was held; it was sponsored by the Sussex Chess Association .
In 1897 the first women’s international chess tournament was held, which Mary Rudge won.
In 1927 the first Women's World Chess Championship was held, which Vera Menchik won.
In 1976 Rohini Khadilkar became the first female to compete in the Indian Men's Championship. Her involvement in a male competition caused a furore that necessitated a successful appeal to the High Court and caused the World Chess Federation president, Max Euwe, to rule that women cannot be barred from national and international championships.
In 1978 Nona Gaprindashvili became the first female Grandmaster.
In 1996 Judit Polgár became the first woman to be ranked in the top ten of all chess players, in 2002 she became the first female chess player to defeat the reigning world number one (Garry Kasparov) in a game, and in 2005 she became the first female player to play for a small-scale World Chess Championship, which she did in the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005; she had previously participated in large, 100+ player knockout tournaments for the world championship, but this was a small 8-player invitational.
Recently, Hou Yifan has been the leading female chess player, for example winning the Biel GM tournament in 2017.
In all, three women, Maia Chiburdanidze, Judit Polgar,and Hou Yifan,have been ranked in the world's top 100 players.
5 Chess Ladies To Know
1. Judit Polgar
2. Susan Polgar
3. Alexandra Kosteniuk
4. Anna Rudolf
5. Jennifer Shahade
1. Judit Polgar
Judith Polgar is perhaps the most outstanding female chess player ever.
She began learning chess when she was a child and won her first international tournament at the age of 9.
At the age of 11, she beat her first Grandmaster, and by 15, she earned the title of Grandmaster herself. Since then, she has defeated eleven out of the twenty world champions in chess history.
She has currently stopped playing chess at the top level and instead focuses on promoting the sport through book writing, foundations, and school programs.
Additionally, she worked as a coach for the Hungarian men’s chess team who won a bronze medal under her leadership.
She truly is an inspiration by being a champion in a sport predominantly associated with men.
With her outstanding accomplishments she has paved the way for all women who wish to play chess professionally and showed all the little girls watching that it is a sport open to all.
2. Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar is one of the greatest female chess players and is the sister of renowned chess player Judith Polgar. Susan Polgar became the youngest chess player to earn the number one world ranking by only 15.
Seven years later, she became the first female player in history to earn the rank of men’s Grandmaster. She is the only player in chess to earn chess’s greatest chess crowns.
She has created a non-profit organization, known as the Susan Polgar Foundation, that has promoted chess throughout the US and provided many benefits for young children, especially girls.
She has had a whole documentary made on her and has been inducted into the chess hall of fame.
It is absolutely inspiring and motivating to know how well these women have positioned themselves in chess.
The hard work and dedication is on par with all of the other chess players whom we know and love. 2022 is the year where you learn about women in chess and support the growing numbers in the sport.
3. Alexandra Kosteniuk
Alexandra Kosteniuk, known as the Chessqueen worldwide, is an international grandmaster and women’s world champion.
She became the youngest women’s Grandmaster of her time at the age of only 14.
She was a runner-up in the women’s world championship, where she narrowly lost in a tie-breaker. Additionally, she has been quite active in promoting chess worldwide and has authored three books on chess and a workbook for kids to boost their chess skills. You will see that she is very active on her social media platforms.
She has a younger sister named Oksana, who is a Woman FIDE Master-level chess player.
She also wrote a book about how she became a grandmaster at 14, and this is a notable fact because this book will empower young girls forever.
As we learn about these inspiring women, we get to feel a sense of equality and inclusion in this sport.
4. Anna Rudolf
Anna Rudolf is an Olympic chess player that has become champion thrice at the Hungarian Championships.
She is a Grandmaster, both at the international and women’s level. She is renowned as a reporter, streamer, and commentator for chess and established herself through a video series at the age of 24.
She has since covered chess tournaments worldwide, including the 79th Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the 42nd Chess Olympiad.
She even offers training courses on her website.
While growing up, Rudolf was coached by Béla Molnár.
Her extraordinary carrier and celebrity status, very similarly to other mentioned women, she is an inspiration for women everywhere.
Rudolf had already begun to combine teaching chess with her playing career when she moved to Spain and settled in Madrid in 2010.
5. Jennifer Shahade
Jennifer Shahade is not only a renowned chess player but has also established a name for herself in the poker scene.
She has been the US Women’s Chess Champion twice and is a chess host, speaker, and author. She is very passionate about empowering women in these sports and has done so regularly in her books which she hopes will bring more women into the scene.
She is the Program Director of US Chess Women and is a host of the Grand Chess Tour.
She is the daughter of FIDE Master Mike Shahade and Drexel University chemistry professor and author Sally Solomon. Her father is Christian Lebanese and her mother is Jewish.
Her older brother, Greg Shahade, is an International Master.
From the previous facts we see chess runs in the family, and both of the children were inspired to play, regardless of gender.
This diverse and beautiful women again proves that truly anything is possible if you fight hard enough and love chess enough.
DISCOVER THE BEST GAMES PLAYED BY WOMEN IN CHESS IN OUR QUEENS OF CHESS TOWER IN THE CHESS ACADEMY!
Sometimes reading the blogs is not boring at all. It is interesting to read other than reading opening.
by Sheryl Fuenteson May 24, 2022
Fun fact: Did you know that Bobby Fischer stayed at the Polgars’ house while fleeing the United States? Yes, he did, and he and Judit Polgar played and analyzed many chess and chess 960 games together. Judit Polgar won everything for years after Bobby Fischer’s visit.
by Ean Raveon May 24, 2022
If women given the same chances similar of men playing chess long ago. What would happen of todays Fide?
Sometimes reading the blogs is not boring at all. It is interesting to read other than reading opening.
Fun fact: Did you know that Bobby Fischer stayed at the Polgars’ house while fleeing the United States? Yes, he did, and he and Judit Polgar played and analyzed many chess and chess 960 games together. Judit Polgar won everything for years after Bobby Fischer’s visit.
If women given the same chances similar of men playing chess long ago. What would happen of todays Fide?