The 2006 Women's World Chess Championship knockout tournament in Ekaterinburg, Russia, concluded with Xu Yuhua defeating Alisa Galliamova to secure the title. This victory cemented her place in sporting history as the third female world chess champion from the People's Republic of China, following the successes of predecessors Xie Jun and Zhu Chen.
Professional Ascent
Born in Jinhua in 1976, Xu developed her skills within the Chinese system. Her trajectory included victories at the zonal tournaments in 1993 and 2001, alongside becoming the Asian junior girls' champion in 1996 and the Asian women's champion in 1998. She also demonstrated dominance in team play, contributing to victories at the Chess Olympiads in 2000, 2002, and 2004, and securing the Women's World Cup title in 2000 and 2002.
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The 2006 event featured 64 participants, including former titleholder Zhu Chen and the reigning champion Antoaneta Stefanova. Xu navigated the knockout structure, ultimately overcoming the Russian international master Alisa Galliamova with a 2½–½ scoreline in the final best-of-four match. This win qualified her as China's 22nd Grandmaster and the third woman from the country to achieve the title.
Later Career and Education
Xu retained her world title until 2008, when she was eliminated in the second round of the subsequent knockout championship. In the 2009–2011 FIDE Women's Grand Prix cycle, she won a single tournament but finished seventh overall, failing to qualify for the 2011 match. During 2011, she competed for the Zhejiang chess club in the China Chess League. Since that year, she has recorded no further FIDE-rated games. Alongside her chess career, she pursued academic interests at Peking University, obtaining a Bachelor of Law in 2004 and a Master of Literature in Chinese Linguistics in 2011.
Fast facts
- Born: 1976, Jinhua
- Citizenship: People's Republic of China
- Women's World Chess Champion: 2006–2008
- Grandmaster status attained: 2006
- Chess Olympiad winner: 2000, 2002, 2004
- Academic qualification: Bachelor of Law, Peking University
- Academic qualification: Master of Literature, Peking University
- Final year of FIDE-rated competition: 2011
Questions readers ask
Who were the other Chinese women to hold the world chess championship?
Xu Yuhua was the third Chinese woman to hold the title, following Xie Jun and Zhu Chen. Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi, and Ju Wenjun succeeded her.
What is Xu Yuhua's educational background?
She graduated from Peking University with a Bachelor of Law in 2004 and a Master of Literature in Chinese Linguistics in 2011.
Achievements
- Competed at Women's Chess Olympiad 2000, Women's Chess Olympiad 2002 and Women's Chess Olympiad 2004
- Discipline: chess
