Antoaneta Stefanova

Who is Antoaneta Stefanova?

Antoaneta Stefanova is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster, and a former Women's World Chess Champion. She became the tenth holder of that title in 2004 in a 64-player knockout tournament held in Elista, Kalmykia under the auspices of FIDE.

Stefanova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her passion for chess was first inspired when she was just four years old, receiving her first lessons from her father, Andon Stefanov, a designing artist.

⁕At the age of seven, Stefanova became a Sofia champion.

⁕In 1989, Stefanova swept the world chess crown for kids in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and later the same year triumphed in the under-14 Czech championship.

⁕Since 1994, Stefanova has successively competed in grandmaster championships, taking even seventh among male nationals in 1993.

⁕In 1997 Stefanova's FIDE rating broke into the top ten of women worldwide. Also she earned the title of Grandmaster in June 2003, a title then held by only ten other women.

⁕She has played for Bulgaria in ten Chess Olympiads so far, all from 1992-2010, starting in Manila, the Philippines in 1992 when she was just 13.

⁕In 2000, her coach promoted her to the Bulgarian men's team for the Istanbul Olympiad.