Queens of the Board: The Women Who Took on the Chess World

From Fiction to Reality: Beth Harmon vs. Real Chess Queens

If you’ve watched The Queen’s Gambit, you’ve seen how Beth Harmon, a fictional chess prodigy, storms through a world dominated by men. While Beth is made-up, her story reflects real struggles many women in chess have faced. Unlike in the show, though, most of them didn’t get a smooth Hollywood narrative. Instead, they had to fight against stereotypes, lack of support, and—sometimes—brutal training regimes just to stand a chance.

 Elizabeth "Beth" Harmon - fictional character from the novel The Queen's Gambit and the Netflix drama series of the same name

Why Have There Been So Few Female Chess Champions?

For most of history, women didn’t have much of a chance to compete in chess. Education, social roles, and even the simple fact that chess clubs were mostly for men meant that very few women played seriously. But even now, with full access to the game, the top ranks are still overwhelmingly male (out of 1,846 Grandmasters worldwide, only 42 are women). Why?

It’s not about intelligence—studies show that men and women have the same average IQ. But there are differences in how they think. On average, men tend to be better at spatial imagination and pattern recognition, skills that are crucial in chess. Women, on the other hand, tend to excel in verbal reasoning and emotional intelligence, which aren’t as directly useful for the game.

But here’s the key point: averages don’t define individuals. Fewer women play chess at a serious level, so naturally, fewer reach the top. But those who do—like Judit Polgár—have proven that with the right training and dedication, women can absolutely compete at the highest level.

Vera Menchik: The First Queen of Chess

Long before Judit Polgár, there was Vera Menchik. In the 1920s and 30s, when most people thought women couldn’t compete at a high level, Vera changed the game. She wasn’t just the first-ever Women’s World Chess Champion—she played against men in top tournaments and even defeated some of the best players of her time.

They mocked her at first, even creating a so-called “Vera Menchik Club” for any man who lost to her. But that club quickly got crowded.

Věra Menčíková (1906 - 1944), Russian-born Czechoslovak chess player, raised in England

Judit Polgár: The Woman Who Crushed the Gender Barrier

If there’s one woman who proved beyond doubt that chess has nothing to do with gender, it’s Judit Polgár. She wasn’t just the best female chess player—she was one of the best players, period.

Judit’s journey to the top wasn’t exactly normal. Her father, László Polgár, was convinced that genius could be trained, so he turned their home into a chess academy. Judit and her sisters weren’t sent to school; they were drilled in chess from an early age. It was an intense, all-consuming training program—think less after-school club and more military boot camp, but for chess.

And it worked.

By the time she was a teenager, Judit was already beating Grandmasters. By 15, she became the youngest Grandmaster in history, breaking the record set by Bobby Fischer (record now held by A. Mishra). She climbed to the world’s top 10, defeated legends like Garry Kasparov (who once claimed women could never be as good at chess as men), and proved that, given the same opportunities and training, women could absolutely compete at the highest level.

Judit Polgár (1976), Hungarian chess grandmaster, widely regarded as the strongest female chess player of all time

Why Don’t More Women Reach the Top?

Judit Polgár’s success wasn’t about natural ability alone—it was about opportunity, training, and competition. Most girls aren’t raised to think of chess as a career option, let alone be put through extreme training like Judit. And without a deep pool of female players competing at the highest level, it’s tough to build experience against strong opponents.

Countries like China have tried a different approach, pushing young girls into chess through government programs. Players like Hou Yifan, a former Women’s World Champion, emerged from this system. But even Hou, despite being an incredibly strong player, chose to step away from top-level chess to focus on academia.

侯逸凡 (1994) Chinese grandmaster, four-time Women's World Champion and professor at Peking University

Making Chess for Everyone

That said, you don’t have to be a Grandmaster to enjoy chess. For most of us, chess is just fun—a game to challenge yourself, relax, and improve your thinking. The more women who play, the more will be inspired to pick up the game, and that’s what really matters. Chess isn’t just for professionals; it’s for anyone who enjoys it, at any level.

So if you’ve ever thought about learning chess, make your first move—who knows where it might lead? After all, the Queen is the most powerful piece on the board for a reason. Happy International Women's Day! 

Future Grandmasters? Why not!