Hou Yifan is a Chinese former Chess prodigy who earned the title of Grandmaster in 2008. Born in 1994, she is recognised as one of the most successful female chess players in history. She has won the Women's World Chess Championship four times, in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016. Hou became the youngest World Chess Champion in history in 2010, at the age of 16.
Hou started her chess education at the age of 5 and began to receive coaching from Chen Jin, a Senior International Master, at only 6 years old. At 9 years old, she enrolled at the Beijing Chess Academy. She has subsequently credited the academy and her teachers for her professional success.
By the age of 12, Hou was the youngest participant in the FIDE Women's World Championship (2006) and the Chess Olympiad (2006). Her victory at the Women's World Championship in 2010 saw her become the youngest World Chess Champion, a title she took from Maia Chiburdanidze of Georgia.
Outside of her professional chess career, Hou has pursued further education. She graduated from Peking University in 2018 with a degree in International Relations. She went on to study at the University of Chicago, where she received a master's degree in Education.