Antoaneta Stefanova is a Bulgarian Chess Grandmaster and Women's World Chess Champion from 2004 to 2006. Born on April 19, 1979, in Sofia, Bulgaria, Stefanova learned to play chess at the age of four, and subsequently quickly competed in her first tournament at age six. She became the women's champion of Bulgaria at 13.
In 1989, Antoaneta won the World Youth Chess Championship (girl'sUnder-10) and later, in 1992, for the girl's Under-14 section. This provided her early international recognition.
In 2000, she earned the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title and in 2002, became the 10th woman to be awarded the plain Grandmaster (GM) title.
Stefanova won the Women's World Chess Championship in 2004 in Elista, Kalmykia, where she defeated Ekaterina Kovalevskaya in the final.
In January 2013, Stefanova participated in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Group B, which included both men and women, and finished third. She was also a member of the Bulgarian team that won the Women's European Team Chess Championships in 2005 and 2011.
Throughout her career, she has also competed for the club Clichy in the French Top 16 and the club Ashdod in the Israeli league.
Her playing style has often leaned towards complexity and she is known for her ability to calculate well in tactical positions.