Becoming a Pro Female Chess Player: Journey & Secrets

From Judit Polgar to Hou Yifan, professional female chess players have proved that there’s no gender limit in this game of the mind. Discover the journey, titles and secrets of these champions.

Table des matières

Women’s titles in chess

FIDE awards specific titles for women, running parallel to the open titles (IM, GM). These titles recognise female excellence in a sport where representation remains a challenge:

Title	Abbreviation	Elo required	Norms
Woman FIDE Master	WFM	2100	1 norm
Woman International Master	WIM	2200	2 norms
Woman Grandmaster	WGM	2300	3 norms
Grandmaster (open title)	GM	2500	3 norms

♛ Women’s titles are not the only ones open to female players. The open titles (IM, GM) are equally available. Judit Polgar earned the (open) Grandmaster title at just 15, without ever claiming a women’s title.

The great champions of history

Judit Polgar (Hungary)

The strongest female player of all time. Became GM at 15 (a record since broken by Sergey Karjakin). Defeated Kasparov, Karpov, Anand and Carlsen. Peak Elo: 2735.

Hou Yifan (China)

Four-time Women’s World Champion. Became GM at 14. A remarkably mature positional player. Peak Elo: 2686. Now a professor at Oxford University.

Maia Chiburdanidze (Georgia)

Women’s World Champion at 17 (1978). Dominated women’s chess for over a decade. A pioneer of the modern women’s game.

The Polgar sisters

Susan, Sofia and Judit: a unique educational experiment led by their father. All three became elite players, proving that chess talent can be developed.

The path to professionalism

Training and early career

Becoming a professional player requires total commitment from a very young age. Most of today’s champions began playing between the ages of 4 and 7, often guided by a parent or dedicated coach. The typical journey:

The key stages: 1) Learning the basics (ages 4-7). 2) First junior tournaments (ages 8-10). 3) WFM title and a 2000+ rating (ages 12-14). 4) Entry into national and international circuits. 5) Achieving WIM/WGM norms (ages 15-18). 6) Professional career: tournaments, seconding, streaming, coaching.

Daily training

A professional player devotes 4 to 8 hours a day to chess: studying openings, solving tactical puzzles, analysing grandmaster games, preparing against specific opponents, and playing training games. The learning never stops, even at the highest level.

The question of gender in chess

Why so few women at the top? It’s not a matter of intellectual ability — Judit Polgar proved that beyond doubt. The reasons are largely socio-cultural: fewer girls are introduced to the game, the competitive scene remains male-dominated, and the pool of players is therefore smaller. Among the best players in the world, women are still too rare, but the trend is moving in a positive direction.

Federation initiatives are encouraging greater inclusion: mixed tournaments, grants for women, and inclusive school programmes. The new generation of players — Bibisara Assaubayeva, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Zhansaya Abdumalik — are reaching historic levels.

Train and progress

Whether you’re a beginner or an ambitious player, our digital courses offer lessons suited to every level. The key is to practise regularly, analyse your games, and never stop learning.

Chess is the only sport where women and men can compete on a strictly equal footing. The board knows no gender.

— Judit Polgar