Women: Chess News Network

• Rachael Li: From America's Youngest Female Master at Nine to a Three-Year Break and a Record-Setting Return
  Women
  We have a new U.S. Chess Champion! But who is Rachael Li and how did she get to the top at the age of 16?
• Anish Giri Joins Women's Chess Team After Controversial 4NCL Gender Rule
  Women
  Dutch grandmaster Anish Giri has made his debut for She Plays To Win Lionesses A in the British Four Nations Chess League (4NCL), following a controversy over rules requiring the previously all-female team to recruit a male player.
• Alua Nurman Questions Why Chess Olympiad Results Do Not Qualify for State Rewards
  Women
  Kazakh chess player Alua Nurman has questioned why results from the Chess Olympiad are not included in Kazakhstan’s system of state rewards for athletes.
• Judit Polgar Shines at Global Chess Festival
  Women
  GM Judit Polgar scores 3.5-1.5 in simultaneous display at Global Chess Festival
• China Takes Its Seventh Olympiad Title, Kazakhstan and India Round Out the Podium
  Women
  China has won the Women's section of the 46th Chess Olympiad, beating Vietnam 3-1 in the final round to finish two points clear of the field.
• FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess to Meet During Chess Olympiad
  Women
  The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess will hold its 2026 meeting during the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan, focusing on opportunities for women in chess beyond competitive play.
• Anna Muzychuk Denies Assaubayeva a Clean Sweep, Wins Blitz in Saint-Tropez
  Women
  Bibisara Assaubayeva came within one match of winning both disciplines at the WR Women's Chess Tour's European leg. Anna Muzychuk made sure it didn't happen.
• Kazakhstan's Elnaz Kaliakhmet Scores First IM Norm at 15
  Women
  Elnaz Kaliakhmet added another milestone to an already fast-moving career this week, earning her first International Master norm at the Kanizsa Open at just 15 years old.
• Assaubayeva Wins Rapid Leg of WR Women's Chess Tour in Saint-Tropez
  Women
  Bibisara Assaubayeva swept the rapid knockout at the WR Women's Chess Tour's European leg in Saint-Tropez, capping the day with a clean 2-0 final win over Mariya Muzychuk and, along the way, needing a tiebreak just to survive her own semifinal.
• Preview: WR Women's Chess Tour Closes Out Europe in Saint-Tropez
  Women
  The WR Women's Chess Tour wraps up its European qualifying leg this week, with eight players descending on Le Vignoble Torpez in Saint-Tropez for two days of knockout chess and two spots in November's Grand Final on the line.
• Tan Zhongyi Wins 2026 Cairns Cup
  Women
  Tan Zhongyi has won the 2026 Cairns Cup, her second title in the competition, with Alice Lee finishing as runner-up and earning her first GM norm.
• Tan Zhongyi Extends Lead at Cairns Cup
  Women
  Tan Zhongyi closes in on Cairns Cup glory after a dramatic seventh-round win.
• Judit Polgar Global Chess Festival Returns in September for 12th Edition
  Women
  The Judit Polgar Global Chess Festival returns to Budapest on September 26, 2026.
• 16-Year Old Alice Lee Becomes Youngest-Ever Women's Speed Chess Champion
  Women
  Alice Lee closed out the 2026 Women's Speed Chess Championship the same way she played the entire final: a game behind, then level, then just barely ahead when it mattered. The 16-year-old American beat world number one Hou Yifan 11.5-9.5 to become the youngest player, and the first American, ever to win the title.
• Shuvalova One Norm Away From GM Title After Oskemen Breakthrough
  Women
  Polina Shuvalova has spent years being one of the strongest women in chess without the title to match it. That gap just got a lot smaller. At the Oskemen Open in Kazakhstan, Shuvalova beat three grandmasters and finished outright second!
• Female Team Won Promotion – Needs Man to Compete
  Women
  "She Plays to Win Lionesses A" just won promotion to Division One of England's Four Nations Chess League on merit, an all-female roster beating the competition outright. Now they're being told the achievement comes with a catch: to compete at the top level, they have to drop one of their own players and bring in a man.
• Susan Polgar Goes 50-0 in MoMA's Marcel Duchamp Birthday Simul
  Women
  Susan Polgar closed out a birthday tribute to Marcel Duchamp with a perfect scoresheet. On July 28, the Museum of Modern Art hosted a 50-board simultaneous exhibition in the artist's honor, and by the time the last game finished, Polgar had beaten every single opponent.
• GM Susan Polgar to Play Simultaneous Chess Match at MoMA
  Women
  Grandmaster Susan Polgar will conduct a simultaneous exhibition against 50 artists at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
• One More Record for Bodhana - First IM and another WGM Norm at the Dole Open
  Women
  Bodhana Sivananda continued her meteoric rise at the Dole Open 2026, securing her first IM norm with a string of outstanding performances.
• Judit Polgar Declines Nomination To Become Hungary's President
  Women
  The chess legend turned down Prime Minister Peter Magyar's offer to become Hungary's next head of state, a day after he publicly endorsed her.
• Vaishali Rameshbabu Wins Women's Candidates, Will Challenge Ju Wenjun
  Women
  Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women's Candidates Tournament, held alongside the open event in Cyprus, and will challenge five-time champion Ju Wenjun.