Women’s Candidates: List of champions who earned the right to challenge for the world title
With the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament starting on Sunday, much of the focus has shifted to the safety and well-being of players amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia. Against that backdrop, here is a look at some of the winners of the Women’s Candidates through the years.
Former World No. 2 Koneru Humpy withdrew from the tournament citing safety concerns. In the previous edition held in Toronto, she finished runner-up, with Tan Zhongyi claiming the title.
Over the years, several leading players have competed in the Candidates for the right to challenge for the world title. Among the most notable was Chess Hall of Fame member Alla Kushnir, who won the Candidates three times in a row. However, she lost each subsequent World Championship match to Nona Gaprindashvili.
The inaugural Women’s Candidates was held in 1952 and served as the qualifying event for the World Championship until 1997, when the match format was replaced by knockout tournaments. The Candidates returned in 2019 after FIDE restored the match format to determine the Women’s World Champion.
List of players who have won the Women’s Candidates over the years
1952 – Elisabeth Bykova – USSR
1955 – Olga Rubtsova – USSR
1959 – Kira Zvorykina – USSR
1961 – Nona Gaprindashvili – USSR
1964 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1967 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1971 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1974 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1977 – Maia Chiburdanidze – USSR
1980 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1983 – Irina Levitina – USSR
1986 – Elena Akhmilovskaya – USSR
1988 – Nana Loseliani – USSR
1990 – Xie Jun – China
1992 – Nana Loseliani – Georgia
1994 – Zsuzsa Polgar – Hungary
1997 – Xie Jun – China
2019 – Aleksandra Goryachkina – Russia
2022 – Lei Tingjie – China
2024 – Tan Zhongyi – China
Published on Mar 29, 2026