Hou Yifan, a 31-year-old Chinese grandmaster from Xinghua, stands as one of chess history's most accomplished female players. A three-time Women's World Chess Champion who earned her GM title at age 14, she remains the second-highest-rated female player of all time, behind Judit Polgár. Currently ranked world #1 among women with a 2620 classical rating (as of November 2025), she maintains elite positions in rapid (#2, 2536) and blitz (#1, 2519) formats.​

After dominating the women's circuit through 2018, Hou transitioned to academia, earning her Master of Public Policy from Oxford University. She became the youngest professor at Shenzhen University at age 26 and later joined Peking University's faculty. Despite her limited classical tournament participation, she recently demonstrated her enduring strength by whitewashing Lei Tingjie 2-0 to win the Women's section at China's 15th National Games in September 2025, and reached the Women's Speed Chess Championship final in August 2025.