Chinese woman chess grandmaster Hou Yifan, 23, a former chess prodigy and three-time Women’s World Champion, emerged victorious in the 50th Biel Chess Festival in Switzerland last week. She was the lone female entrant of ten players in the grandmaster competition. Hou opposed the Swiss player Nico Georgiadis in the final round and defeated him in 29 moves playing white in the Sicilian. She won the tournament by half-a-point. Her only loss came at the hands of Indian grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna. Hou’s opponents were all world class players.
The tournament win has been recognized as the finest performance by a woman in decades and the best personal achievement for the grandmaster besides her accolades in women-only events. After conquering the Women’s World Championship, winning it three separate times,
