Mariya Muzychuk

Mariya Olegivna Muzychuk (Ukrainian: Марія Олегівна Музичук; born 21 September 1992, Lviv) is a Ukrainian chess player, and the current Women's World Chess Champion. She is also a two-time champion of Ukraine (2012, 2013), World Team and European Team champion with Ukraine in 2013 and bronze medal winner of the 2012 and 2014 Chess Olympiad with Ukraine.

Career

Maria Muzychuk was first taught chess at age two by her parents and at age three she already knew all the chess pieces. At age six, Muzychuk took part in her first chess tournament.

Muzychuk won the under-10 girls' section at the 2002 European Youth Chess Championship in Peniscola, Spain. In November 2010 she was ranked as the fifth highest rated under-20 female player in the world.

She made it to the top-16 of the 2010 Women's World Chess Championship, but lost to Dronavalli Harika in an armageddon playoff after a tie in the regular match.

Muzychuk won the women's Ukrainian Chess Championship in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 she won the best woman's prize at the Gibraltar Masters tournament, where she also earned a grandmaster norm.