Friday Feature: Hou Yifan

Hou Yifan

Hou Yifan is a Chinese chess prodigy and one of the strongest female chess players in the world. Born in 1994, she began playing chess at the age of six and was awarded the title of grandmaster at the age of 14. She is the youngest female in history to achieve this feat, and she has gone on to become one of the highest-rated female players in the world.

In 2010, she won the Women's World Chess Championship, becoming the youngest person ever to do so at the age of 16. She has since won the championship three more times, in 2011, 2013, and 2016, and she is currently the reigning champion. In addition to her victories in the Women's World Chess Championship, Hou has also won numerous international tournaments.

Hou is known for her precise and aggressive playing style, and she has a reputation for taking on top players and coming out on top. Some of her most memorable games include her victory over former world champion Veselin Topalov in 2010, and her win against current world champion Magnus Carlsen in 2013.

In addition to her chess career, Hou is also an advocate for gender equality in sports. She has spoken out against the practice of separating men's and women's chess tournaments, arguing that it perpetuates discrimination and reinforces the idea that women are somehow inferior to men. She has called for the establishment of a single, unified world chess championship, open to players of all genders.