Photo: Andreas Kontokanis from Piraeus, Greece / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Hou Yifan was born on February 27, 1994 in Xinghua, People's Republic of China and is credited as a chess player. Hou Yifan is 32 years old as of 2026. Schooling on record includes High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China and Peking University. Awards on record include BBC 100 Women (2017), Women's World Chess Championship and Rhodes Scholarship (2018).
My Take
Hou Yifan fascinates me less for her four Women's World titles than for what she did afterward. Reaching the summit of competitive chess and then pivoting to become a professor at Peking University takes a rare kind of intellectual restlessness. The Rhodes Scholarship and BBC 100 Women nod only confirm a mind too curious to stay on one board. I read her not as a prodigy coasting on talent but as a disciplined builder, the same composure that served her over the chessboard now likely shaping students. There's something quietly inspiring about a champion who keeps choosing growth over comfort.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Hou Yifan
- Name (Japanese)
- 侯逸凡
- Reading
- ほう・いふぁん
- Born
- February 27, 1994 (age 32)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Dog
- Origin
- Xinghua, People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- chess player
2. Background
- High school
- High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China
- University
- Peking University
Awards & achievements
- 2017 BBC 100 Women
- Women's World Chess Championship
- 2018 Rhodes Scholarship
3. Links
- Xhttps://x.com/yifantradimo
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hou%20Yifan
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q234011
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Hou Yifan born?
Born February 27, 1994 (age 32).
Where is Hou Yifan from?
Hou Yifan is from Xinghua, People's Republic of China.
What does Hou Yifan do?
Hou Yifan works as chess player.
Chess player — see all → · More people from the People's Republic of China →