Hou Yifan

Born on 27 February 1994 in Xinghua, Jiangsu province, China.

Discovered chess at age three when her father took her to a store where she saw a glass chess set in a window and began staring at it. Her father bought a set for her.

Began playing chess regularly at age five or six; her family moved to Beijing to support her chess career as her remarkable talent became evident.

Her first coach was Tong Yuanming, an International Master and a member of China's national chess team.

Moved to Beijing to attend the National Chess Centre, which has a boarding school for young talented players from all over the country.

Later attended Peking University and earned a degree; she has since become a professor at Shenzhen University.

Four-time Women's World Chess Champion (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016) and the youngest ever to win the title at age 16.

Became the youngest female player ever to qualify for the Grandmaster title at age 14.

Ranked as the No. 1 woman in the world for most of her career and reached No. 86 in the absolute world rankings — one of only three women ever to do so.

Won the Women's World Championship four times, a testament to her sustained dominance.

Known for her attacking style and her exceptional tactical ability.

Has been a professor at Shenzhen University and a prominent advocate for chess education.

Hou Yifan's favorite chess piece is not the queen but the humble pawn: "When the pawn gets to the other side, it can become anything except the king. To me it shows that regardless of your background, if you stick to your goals and strive, eventually you will become a better version of yourself."

In 2013, Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times challenged her to a game and was soundly defeated in 21 moves, even though she had just gotten off a plane from Turkey.

She has said: "I agree that if I put more effort into chess, I would be stronger. Maybe one day I would break 2700, or even I could be top 50 or top even 40 ... But for me, I thought life shouldn't be like that. Otherwise, it would be like a machine. A chess machine."

"When the pawn gets to the other side, it can become anything except the king. To me it shows that regardless of your background, if you stick to your goals and strive, eventually you will become a better version of yourself."

"Once you make a decision, there's no turning back, and even a humble pawn holds boundless potential."

"But for me, I thought life shouldn't be like that. Otherwise, it would be like a machine. A chess machine."

天才少女侯逸凡 (Genius Girl Hou Yifan) by Liu Wei — a Chinese-language biography covering her rise to world champion at 16.