Hou Yifan's astonishing result at Tradewise Gibraltar last week marks a highly significant break-through for women's chess. China's 17-year-old beat four elite grandmasters, outplayed the great tactician Alexei Shirov at his own game, and performed far a

The world watched with bated breath when the strongest female chess player in history was paired with the current womens world champ. IT IS not often that the chess world gets excited over a chess game but at the Gibraltar masters tournament last week, t

There was a changing of the guard at the top of the world rankings a few years ago , led by Magnus Carlsen , the current No. 1. But Judit Polgar’s spot at the top of the women’s list has been secure. The best woman player in history, Polgar, 35, has been

Levon Aronian's brilliant victory at the prestigious Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, would normally be the topic of our conversation. But it was a young Chinese girl, Hou Yifan, 17, who stole the limelight. The women's world champ

The Gibraltar Open, which followed immediately, is special for several reasons. It has an excellent field, and usually includes a large number of top women players since it offers good conditions and special prizes. This year is no exception with Judit P

By Ben Finegold, Grandmaster, special to the Beacon The current women's world champion, 17-year-old Hou Yifan of China, is having a fantastic tournament at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Congress. She has beaten three super grandmasters in a row: Hungaria