Hou Ifan Chinese chess player. Date of Birth: 27.02.1994 Country: China

Biography of Hou Yifan

Hou Yifan (Chinese: 侯逸凡; pinyin: Hóu Yìfán; born February 27, 1994, in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province) is a Chinese chess player. She started playing chess at the age of six. At the age of ten, Hou Yifan moved to Beijing where she began training at the National Chess Center of China. Her coach was Grandmaster E.

In 2003, at the age of nine, Hou Yifan won the World Chess Championship for girls under 10. In 2004, she tied for the first three places in the World Championship for boys under 10, but ultimately finished third after a tiebreak.

In July 2005, Hou Yifan achieved her first Women Grandmaster norm at the Chinese Women's Championship. In May-June 2006, she played for the Chinese women's team at the Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy, scoring 11 out of 13 possible points and achieved her second Women Grandmaster norm. At the time, Hou Yifan was 12 years and three months old, making her the youngest Women Grandmaster in the history of chess. She officially received the Women Grandmaster title in January 2007 at the FIDE Presidential Council in Antalya, Turkey.

In 2007, at the age of 13, Hou Yifan became the youngest ever Chinese Women's Chess Champion.

In the "Aeroflot Open 2007" tournament in Moscow, Hou Yifan scored 3.5 out of 9. In 2007, at the tournament in Wijk aan Zee, she finished fifth in Group C. In 2008, at the same tournament in Wijk aan Zee, Hou Yifan shared 7th to 10th places in Group B.

In February 2008, Hou Yifan participated in the "Aeroflot Open" tournament in Moscow. She scored 4.5 out of 9, securing the 31st place and achieving her first Grandmaster norm (among men). As of January 1, 2008, Hou Yifan's rating was 2527. She held the top ranking among girls and the fifth ranking among women worldwide, as well as the second ranking among female chess players in China.