Women’s chess, like the Open, has its own cycles, storylines and stars. Doha will bring many of them together under one roof.
Over the past few years, FIDE has pushed women’s chess up the agenda. The International Chess Federation declared 2022 the Year of the Woman in Chess and backed it with programs for girls, coaches and officials, as well as gender quotas in some official roles. The Commission for Women’s Chess now openly speaks of a “surge in the interest of women in chess” and sets its mission to make the game “beloved and accessible” to women worldwide.
Still, there is a prevailing view in the wider chess community that more needs to be done to get women and girls playing chess. Women constitute only around 11 percent of FIDE members, according to a 2024 research paper on gender and chess. Yet the direction is clear: More national federations are fielding women’s teams. Ahead of the 45th Olympiad in Budapest, nine countries prepared female teams for the first time, helped by a dedicated FIDE project. Also for the first time in the Chess Olympiad, players who have small children were given support to bring over their children and a guardian, so they would not have to be separated during the long event.
Prize funds are rising as well. The World Rapid and Blitz in Doha has a total purse of one million euros, with three hundred thousand reserved for the women’s events, split between rapid and blitz. The Women’s Grand Prix series has seen its overall prise fund jump from eighty thousand to one hundred twenty thousand euros, and the top prizes per tournament also increased. Some top events, such as Norway Chess, now run women’s super-tournaments with the same prize money as the open.
Off the board, more women are visible as content creators and public figures. Rankings of “female chess influencers” already list several dozen active streamers and social media personalities. Players such as Anna Cramling or the Botez sisters show that a chess career today is not just about competition, but also about commentary and full-time streaming in front of global audiences. A 2024 survey of elite women players found that 65 percent believe a woman will one day win the overall world title, many expecting it within the next decade.
In this wider shift, the women arriving in Doha for the World Rapid and Blitz form the top edge of the pyramid. The ten highest-rated players in the women’s field combine world title experience, blitz genius, and a mix of established champions and younger stars.
These are the leaders of women’s fast chess in Doha.
Ju Wenjun – the benchmark
Top seed Ju Wenjun, with a rapid rating of 2530 on the entry list, comes to Doha as the player everyone else measures themselves against.
In April she defended her Women’s World Championship title for the fifth time, beating Tan Zhongyi 6.5–2.5 in a match played in Shanghai and Chongqing. Earlier, she had already dominated the World Rapid and Blitz in New York. Ju won the 2024 Women’s World Blitz Championship, beating Lei Tingjie in an overtime final, and shared second to seventh place in the Women’s Rapid.
She is not just a classical specialist. Ju is a complete all-around champion who handles every time control with calm and precision. In Doha, she is the natural favourite, but also the main target.
Tan Zhongyi – fighter in every format
Tan Zhongyi, second seed on 2507 and a former Women’s World Champion, has been locked in a rivalry with Ju for almost a decade. She earned her second world championship match by winning the 2024 Women’s Candidates Tournament with nine points from 14 games, finishing one and a half points ahead of the field.
While she could not stop Ju in the 2025 title match, Tan scored the first win before the champion pulled away. In tournaments, Tan stays near the top in both classical and rapid. At the 2025 Women’s World Cup, she again reached the latter stages but was eliminated in the semifinals by the eventual winner IM Divya Deshmukh.
Tan’s approach is practical and determined. She defends tough positions for hours and is equally ready to attack if a chance appears. In rapid and blitz, that ability to hold bad positions and keep the game going can be worth as much as sharp preparation.
Aleksandra Goryachkina – Grand Prix leader and rapid star
Aleksandra Goryachkina is another well-known face in women’s chess. Rated 2505, she is one of the strongest women players, a former world championship challenger and often a participant of Open rather than Women’s competition.
Her recent performances have been strong. In 2024, she won the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid women’s event in Kolkata, scoring 7/9, staying undefeated and finishing a point and a half ahead of her nearest rival. In the same season, she took first place at the Shymkent leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, then followed it in February 2025 with victory in Monaco, again winning a three-way tie on tiebreak.
Wins in Shymkent and Monaco secured her second-place finish in the overall Grand Prix standings (behind Zhu Jiner) and earn a spot in the next Candidates Tournament. Still, at the 2025 Women’s World Cup, she had a rough time and was eliminated early by Meruert Kamalidenova.
In fast chess, Goryachkina is known for her excellent positional understanding and endgame technique. A camera-shy player, Goryachkina prefers to let the moves on the chessboard speak for her.
Lei Tingjie – silver in New York, always in contention
Lei Tingjie, seeded fourth on 2496, has been near the summit of women’s chess since her run to the 2023 world championship match against Ju Wenjun, which she lost by the narrowest of margins, 5.5 – 6.5.
Last December, in New York, she reached the final of the 2024 Women’s World Blitz Championship and only lost to Ju in a dramatic, sudden-death finish. She also fought for top places in the Women’s Rapid and collected important points in the women’s series standings.
In the 2025 Women’s World Cup Lei started as the top seed, but in Batumi she was knocked out in the semifinals after an eight-game match against Humpy Koneru that went deep into rapid and blitz tiebreaks. Even in defeat, she reminded everyone how hard she is to put away.
Lei plays modern, concrete chess. In rapid and blitz, she is especially dangerous in open positions where calculation matters more than long strategic maneuvering.
Bibisara Assaubayeva – blitz queen turned full grandmaster
Bibisara Assaubayeva, world number five on the Doha list with 2461, is already a force in blitz. She won the Women’s World Blitz Championship in 2021 and 2022 and entered the Guinness World Records as the youngest ever women’s blitz world champion.
In classical chess, she has now crossed another milestone. At the 2025 Sharjah Masters she earned her final norm and passed 2500, and in July FIDE officially confirmed her as a grandmaster, the 43rd woman in history to gain the title. Her peak rating in autumn 2025 is listed as over 2500.
In New York she finished in the top ten of the 2024 Women’s World Rapid Championship with 7.5 points from 11 rounds, and she qualified for the knockout stage of the Women’s World Blitz Championship, securing one of the last spots in the final bracket.
Bibisara plays quickly, with sharp opening repertoire and aggressive instincts. In Doha, with shorter time controls and many rounds, this style is a natural fit.
Kateryna Lagno – a seasoned, versatile player
Kateryna Lagno, on 2452, has been one of the strongest fast chess players in the world for more than a decade. She holds the Women’s World Rapid title from 2014 and has three blitz world crowns from 2010, 2018 and 2019.
Her recent results show that the speed has not gone away. At Tata Steel Chess India 2024 she won the women’s blitz tournament with 11.5 points from 18 games, securing first place with a round to spare. In New York, she reached the later stages in both rapid and blitz, again confirming her status as a top threat in fast time controls.
In 2025, she was part of the drama at the Women’s World Cup, where she lost a long tiebreak match to Harika Dronavalli in round four. She won the silver medal at the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament for Women, finishing 8/11.
Lagno is known for her deep opening preparation and excellent intuition in complex tactical positions. Undoubtedly, she will be one of the top competitors in the 2025 WRB.
Alexandra Kosteniuk – the attacking veteran
Alexandra Kosteniuk, rated 2450 on the starting list, brings huge experience. She was Women’s World Champion from 2008 to 2010 and won the Women’s World Rapid Championship in 2021, along with two Fischer Random world titles (2006 and 2008) and many team gold medals.
She remains very active in the Grand Prix circuit and fast chess. In the 2024 Women’s World Rapid Championship, she finished sixth, staying on the top boards throughout the event.
At the Monaco leg of the 2024–25 Women’s Grand Prix, she scored an important win over top seed Tan Zhongyi, helping to shape the fight for tournament victory and Candidates spots.
At the 2025 Women’s World Cup, she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Koneru Humpy, who then advanced to the final.
Kosteniuk thrives in initiative-based positions and does not shy away from sharp lines even with little time on the clock.
Humpy Koneru – Rapid World Champion again
Humpy Koneru, seeded eighth with 2448, arrives in Doha as the reigning Women’s World Rapid Champion. In New York, she recovered from a loss in the very first round to score 8.5 points from 11 games and take the title for the second time in her career, five years after her first rapid crown in 2019.
Her rapid win and strong blitz result put her second in the overall FIDE women’s series standings behind Ju Wenjun. In the women’s Grand Prix, she has been a constant contender, sharing first place in Monaco and fighting for the top in Shymkent.
In 2025 Humpy reached the final of the Women’s World Cup in Batumi after a dramatic semifinal victory over top seed Lei Tingjie, decided in rapid and blitz tiebreaks. She then lost a tight all Indian final to Divya Deshmukh, but secured a place in the next Candidates Tournament.
Humpy’s strength in rapid is built on classical foundations. She rarely overpresses, chooses solid openings and squeezes small advantages with confident technique.
Harika Dronavalli – Olympiad gold and tiebreak specialist
Then there is Harika Dronavalli – the ninth seed with 2435 points and one of India’s most experienced players at the top. Dronavalli has three bronze medals from past Women’s World Championships and a long list of team achievements.
She played an important role in India’s victory at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, leading the team. At the World Rapid in New York in December 2024 Dronavalli shared the lead with Ju Wenjun and Humpy Koneru after the second day, and remained in the fight for medals until the final rounds.
Recently, Dronavalli performed well in the Women’s World Cup. She reached the quarterfinals in Batumi, where she faced fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh after winning a tough tiebreak match against Kateryna Lagno.
Zhu Jiner – Grand Prix winner and new title challenger
Zhu Jiner completes the top ten with a rapid rating of 2435 on the Doha list, but that number hides the scale of her recent achievements.
She is already one of the most successful young players in the world, the highest-ranked woman under 20 in classical chess according to FIDE’s profile. In 2024 and 2025 she had a breakthrough in the Women’s Grand Prix. Zhu shared first place in the Grosslobming leg in Austria, then finished second on tiebreak, and her consistent results across the series brought her overall victory in the 2024–25 Grand Prix standings with 352.5 points. That win also secured her qualification for the next Women’s Candidates Tournament.
At the 2025 Women’s World Cup, she entered as the second seed and reached the fourth round, where she played a close match against Divya Deshmukh. Zhu struck back with a must-win victory in the second classical game to force tiebreaks, but eventually lost the match in rapid chess.
Zhu combines deep opening work with a calm, practical style. In rapid and blitz she tends to keep control, but when needed she can sharpen the game, as her World Cup comeback win showed.
A field that defines the standard
Ju Wenjun, Tan Zhongyi, Goryachkina, Lei, Bibisara, Lagno, Kosteniuk, Humpy, Harika, Zhu. Ten names that tell the story of modern women’s chess.
Some are multiple World Champions. Some have just broken through to the Grandmaster title or secured a first place in the Grand Prix. All of them are considered to be the top players in the sport, and any one of them could take the rapid or the blitz crown.
