Antoaneta Stefanova, is one of the three ex-world
champions in the field. She learnt playing at the age of four and her father
was her initial tutor. At the age of 7 she already became the champion of
Sofia, her hometown. She won world youth title in 1989. She is one of the women
players that compete successfully against men and her results can be traced
back to 1993 which was the time she started taking part in Chess Olympiads and
she has participated five Olympiads. She joined the men's team for the Olympiad
in İstanbul, 2000.
She
already joined the top ten of women ranking in FIDE rating list back in 1997
but also won the crown for world championship in 2004 and held the title until
2006. Stefanova won the bronze medal in European Individual Championship in
2007, which she already won in 2002. Last year she won the North Urals Cup,
another women's super tournament but was not able to retake the crown for FIDE
World Women Chess Championship since she failed to advance to the semi final in
her mini-match against Pia Cramling.
