Pia Cramling

Born on 23 April 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Started playing chess in her early teens, around age 10.

Participated in the Chess Olympiad in Argentina in 1978 at age 15 — one of the youngest players ever to compete at that level.

Largely self-taught at the highest level, she developed her game through Sweden's chess culture and fierce international competition.

One of the strongest female players in history and a pioneer for women in chess; a Grandmaster since 1992.

Entered the chess elite in the early 1980s after magnificent performances on the first board in the 1982 and 1984 Olympiads, sharing 6th place in the latter.

Won three Olympic gold medals — Los Angeles (1984), Seoul (1988), and Beijing (2022) — and has participated in 13 Chess Olympiads with 8 medals.

European Women's Champion in 2003 and a Women's World Championship semi-finalist in 2015.

In the European Club Cup for Women, won team gold medals in 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Beaten Viktor Korchnoi in a tournament game and witnessed a teenage Viswanathan Anand taking his first steps on the board.

Still competing at the highest level in her 60s, she is a living legend of the game.

Cramling is one of the few women to have competed successfully against the world's best male players over multiple decades.

She is a role model for women in chess: "I like being an example for women who are 35 or 40, have had children and don't know whether to go back to playing or give it up. You can go back... I like to encourage other women to keep playing all their lives".

She married Spanish grandmaster Juan Manuel Bellón López, and they have a daughter, Anna Cramling, who is also a chess player and content creator.

In 2025, she was inducted into the Swedish Chess Hall of Fame: "To be part of such fine company, yes, it's amazing".

She has said about her longevity: "My passion is chess and I enjoy playing chess. I would like to play chess as long as I feel joy and happiness".

"I like being an example for women who are 35 or 40, have had children and don't know whether to go back to playing or give it up."

"My passion is chess and I enjoy playing chess. I would like to play chess as long as I feel joy and happiness."

"This is among the finest things one can get, and I hope this can be an encouragement for everyone in Swedish chess, and that it can engage even more women and girls to start playing."

Cramling has not authored a major instructional book, but her games have been collected in various volumes.