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In this article, the patronymic is Olehivna and the family name is Muzychuk.
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Anna Muzychuk
AnnaMuzychuk23a.jpg
Muzychuk in 2023
Full name Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
Country
Born (1990-02-28) 28 February 1990 (age 35)
Lviv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Title Grandmaster (2012)
FIDE rating 2535 (July 2025)
Peak rating 2606 (July 2012)
Peak ranking
  • No. 197 (August 2012)
  • No. 2 woman (August 2012)

Anna Olehivna Muzychuk (Ukrainian: Анн́а Оле́гівна Музичу́к; Slovene: Ana Muzičuk; born 28 February 1990) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. This is the highest title a chess player can earn. She is one of only four women in chess history to reach a FIDE rating of at least 2600. Her highest world ranking was No. 197, and she was the No. 2 woman player.

Anna is a three-time world champion in fast chess. She won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in 2014. She also won the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship twice, in 2014 and 2016. In classical chess, she was the runner-up at the Women's World Chess Championship in 2017.

Anna grew up in a chess-loving family. Her younger sister, Mariya Muzychuk, also became a Grandmaster. Mariya was the Women's World Champion in classical chess in 2015. Their parents are chess coaches who taught them the game from a very young age. Anna started playing chess when she was just two years old.

She quickly became a chess prodigy, meaning a very talented young player. She won many youth championships, including the European Youth Chess Championships multiple times. She also won the World Youth Chess Championship and the World Junior Chess Championship. She earned the International Master (IM) title at 17 and the Grandmaster title at 21.

From 2004 to 2014, Anna played for Slovenia. This was due to some disagreements with the Ukrainian Chess Federation. She won a gold medal for Slovenia at the European Team Chess Championship in 2011. Later, she switched back to Ukraine and won another gold medal at the Women's Chess Olympiad in 2016.

Anna gained a lot of attention in 2017. She decided not to play in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. This was because the event was held in Saudi Arabia. She disagreed with the country's rules that treated women differently. She chose to stand up for her beliefs, even though it meant losing her world titles.

Becoming a Chess Star: Anna's Early Life and Training

Anna Muzychuk was born on 28 February 1990 in Lviv, Ukraine. She grew up with her sister Mariya in the nearby city of Stryi. Both Anna and Mariya learned chess from their parents at age two. Their parents are professional chess coaches. They taught the girls how to play on a large human-sized chessboard in a park.

Anna started playing in chess tournaments at age five. She quickly showed her talent. By the time she was ten, she could beat both of her parents. She worked with different coaches as she grew older. However, her family sometimes found it hard to afford top-level coaching.

When Anna was about 14, she changed which country she played for. She switched from Ukraine to Slovenia. This happened because she had some problems with the Ukrainian Chess Federation. For example, she wasn't chosen for the Ukrainian national team. This was despite winning the Ukrainian Women's Chess Championship at age 13.

A Slovenian chess official offered her the chance to play for Slovenia. She accepted this offer. She played for Slovenia for ten years, but she still lived in Ukraine.

Anna's Amazing Chess Journey: From Youth Champion to Grandmaster

Winning Youth Championships (1996–2004)

2015 Ukrainian postage stamp - Muzychuk sisters
2015 Ukrainian postage stamp featuring Anna (right) and Mariya Muzychuk as children

Anna had great success at the European Youth Chess Championships. She won medals for nine years in a row, from age six to fourteen. She earned six gold medals in different age groups. These included the under-8, under-10 (twice), under-12, and under-14 (twice) girls' divisions.

She also won three silver medals at this tournament. At the national level, Anna won the Ukrainian youth championships three times. She became the overall national women's champion in 2003. On the world stage, she won bronze and silver medals at the World Youth Championships.

Anna received the titles of Woman FIDE Master (WFM) in 2001 and Woman International Master (WIM) in 2002. Her first official chess rating was 2197 when she was 11. She earned the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2004. In June 2004, Anna officially started playing for Slovenia. Her European Youth gold and World Youth silver medals were among her first wins for Slovenia.

Becoming an International Master (2005–2010)

AnnaMuzychuk09
Muzychuk in 2009

After many European titles, Anna finally won a gold medal at the World Youth Championships in 2005. She won the under-16 girls' division without losing a game. Her rating quickly rose to 2400 by January 2006. This was thanks to strong performances in tournaments.

Anna earned all the requirements for the International Master (IM) title in 2006 and 2007. She received the IM title in 2007. She also did well at the 2006 European Individual Women's Championship, finishing in third place. In fast chess, she won the 2007 European Women's Blitz Chess Championship. She also came second in the European Women's Rapid Chess Championship.

Anna first played in the Women's World Chess Championship in 2008. She won her first match but lost in the second round. Over the next two years, her rating reached 2500. She also earned her first two Grandmaster (GM) requirements. She even beat a top Grandmaster rated 2624.

In 2010, Anna won her biggest title of the year. She won the World Junior Chess Championship for under-20 girls in Poland. She finished first with a great score. Later that year, she reached the third round of the Women's World Chess Championship.

Grandmaster Title and 2600 Rating (2011–2012)

Anna completed the requirements for the Grandmaster title in 2011. She earned her third and fourth GM requirements. She became a Grandmaster at age 21. Her rating also went up to 2580.

Anna continued to play very well in 2012. Her rating reached a career-best of 2606. She won a bronze medal at the European Individual Women's Championship. She also tied for first place at a major Grand Prix event in Kazan. During this event, she became the fourth woman ever to reach a rating of 2600.

After this, she reached her highest world ranking of No. 197. She also became the second-highest-rated woman player. In the overall Grand Prix, Anna finished third. This meant she didn't get to challenge for the Women's World Championship. At the end of 2012, she was upset in the second round of the Women's World Chess Championship.

World Rapid and Blitz Champion (2013–2016)

Anna Muzychuk 74th ch-UKR w 2014
Muzychuk with the winner's prizes at the 2014 Ukrainian women's national championship, where she was making a comeback appearance

Anna continued to perform well in the 2013–14 FIDE Women's Grand Prix. She finished fourth overall. In early 2014, she came in fourth place at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament. This helped her rating rise to 2583.

Even though her classical chess performance dipped a little, Anna had a huge win in fast chess. She won the Women's World Blitz Championship in April. She won by a large margin, finishing 2½ points ahead of the second-place player. This win brought her blitz rating to a career-best 2665.

This championship was her last big win while playing for Slovenia. In May 2014, Anna switched back to playing for Ukraine. She said her sister Mariya playing for Ukraine and the new chess president were reasons for her return. At the end of the year, she won the Ukrainian women's national championship again.

Anna was less active in 2015. A highlight was the Women's World Championship. She reached the quarterfinals, her best result so far. Her sister Mariya won the tournament, and Anna stayed to support her.

In early 2016, Anna won the women's first prize at the Gibraltar Chess Festival. She even beat a Grandmaster rated 2700. At the end of 2016, Anna won both the Women's World Rapid Championship and the Women's World Blitz Championship. She became only the third player to win both events in the same year.

World Championship Runner-up (2017–2018)

Anna came very close to winning the classical Women's World Chess Championship in 2017. She finished as the runner-up in Tehran. As the second seed, she reached the final without needing tiebreaks. In the final match, she lost to Tan Zhongyi after a close fight.

At the end of 2017, Anna made a big decision. She decided not to play in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Saudi Arabia. This was because of the country's rules that limited women's freedom. These rules included how women had to dress and not being allowed to go out alone.

She refused to go, even though the prize money was much higher than before. She explained her decision on Facebook, saying she wouldn't play by rules that made her feel like a "secondary creature." Her post was shared over 74,000 times, with many people supporting her. Her sister Mariya also supported her decision.

Anna had already played in the Women's World Championship in Iran earlier that year. There, women had to wear headscarves. Having had that experience, she didn't want to support a society with similar rules. The next year, the tournament was moved from Saudi Arabia to Russia. Anna returned and finished fourth in the rapid event.

In the 2018 Women's World Championship, Anna reached the quarterfinals. She lost in rapid tiebreaks.

Recent Tournaments and Candidates (2019–Present)

Anna Muzychuk discussing her game with Tania Sachdev (cropped)
Muzychuk (right) talking to Tania Sachdev at the 2020 Gibraltar Chess Festival

After 2018, the Women's World Championship changed its format. The champion would now play against the winner of a special "Candidates tournament." Anna qualified for the first Candidates tournament in 2019. She finished in second place. At the end of 2019, Anna won a silver medal at the World Blitz Championship.

Anna started 2020 at the Gibraltar Chess Festival. She won an award for the most brilliant game of the tournament. This was for a game where she offered to sacrifice her bishop and queen.

The 2019–21 FIDE Women's Grand Prix also changed. The top three players would qualify for the next Candidates tournament in 2022. Anna didn't win any of these events. However, she still qualified for the Candidates tournament. She did this by reaching the semifinals of the first Women's World Cup in 2021. She finished in the top 15 at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships at the end of the year.

Playing for Her Country: Team Competitions

Playing for Slovenia

Anna played for Slovenia at five Women's Chess Olympiads from 2004 to 2012. Her team's best result was ninth place in 2006. Anna played very well individually in 2010. She finished fifth on the top board.

She had even better results for Slovenia at the European Women's Team Championships. She played in four of these tournaments. Slovenia finished in the top ten three times. Anna's best result was in 2011. She won an individual gold medal with a nearly perfect score. This performance also helped her earn her final Grandmaster title.

Playing for Ukraine

GM Muzychuk Anna receives her medal (29287140714) (cropped)
Muzychuk receiving her individual gold medal at the 2016 Women's Chess Olympiad in Baku

Since switching back to Ukraine, Anna has played in three Women's Chess Olympiads. Her team has won medals at all of them.

  • In 2014, Ukraine won the bronze medal.
  • In 2016, Ukraine won bronze again. Anna won the individual gold medal on the top board. She did not lose a single game.
  • In 2018, Ukraine tied for first place and won the silver medal.

Anna has also played for Ukraine at two European Women's Team Championships. Her team won medals at both.

  • In 2015, Ukraine won the silver medal.
  • In 2017, Ukraine won the bronze medal. Anna won an individual silver medal.

European Club Cup

Anna has played in the European Women's Chess Club Cup since 2006. She has played for several different clubs. She has won many team and individual medals. From 2010 to 2018, she played for CE de Monte Carlo. With this club, she won five team gold medals and four individual gold medals. Her teammates often included other top players like Hou Yifan and Koneru Humpy. In 2019, she switched to the Kyiv Chess Federation. She has won both team and individual silver and bronze medals with this club.

How Anna Plays Chess: Her Style

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Anna Muzychuk likes to start her games with the white pieces using 1.e4, which is called the King's Pawn Game. Sometimes, she also uses 1.f4, known as Bird's Opening. When she plays with the black pieces, she often uses the Sicilian defence against 1.e4. Against 1.d4, she commonly uses the Dutch defence.

Anna has said her playing style is similar to Fabiano Caruana, another top chess player. She focuses a lot on preparing her opening moves. She is also very good at positional chess, which means understanding where to place her pieces for the best long-term advantage. She sees herself as an active player.

Anna's Life Outside of Chess

Anna Muzychuk and former world champion Viswanathan Anand worked together. They were the official commentators for the 2021 World Chess Championship.

Anna and her sister Mariya are good friends. Even though they have different personalities, they get along well. Anna thinks she is calmer. She likes quiet activities like reading or watching movies. Mariya is more outgoing and enjoys shopping and going out. In their classical chess games, they have always drawn. Anna has won the only two blitz games between them.

Awards and Honors

  • Order of Princess Olha 3rd Class of Ukraine.png Order of Princess Olga (3rd class)

A Brilliant Game: Anna's Sacrifice

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.
  • Anna Muzychuk (2539) – Ori Kobo (2445), 2020 Gibraltar Masters: Round 10; Sicilian defense, 1–0.

Anna won the "brilliancy prize" for this game. This means it was a very creative and beautiful game. She offered to sacrifice (give up) one of her bishops and her queen in the middle of the game. This led to a winning position for her.

Muzychuk vs. Kobo, Gibraltar 2020
Solid white.svg a b c d e f g h Solid white.svg
8 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black rook {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 8
7 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black queen {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black pawn 7
6 {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black rook 6
5 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white bishop {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 5
4 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn 4
3 {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white queen 3
2 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 2
1 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white king {{{square}}} white rook {{{square}}} white rook {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king 1
Solid white.svg a b c d e f g h Solid white.svg
Position after 20. Be5 Re6 21. Qf1 Rf8 22. Qh3 Rh6

The game moves were: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Qc7 6.f4 a6 7.Nxc6 Qxc6 8.Bd3 b5 9.Qe2 Bb7 10.Bd2 Bc5 11.a3 Ne7 12.0‑0‑0 0‑0 13.h4 f5 14.g4 14...d5 15.gxf5 exf5 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.Rhe1 Qf7 19.Bc3 Rfe8 20.Be5 Re6 21.Qf1 21...Rf8 22.Qh3 Rh6? (Black makes a mistake here.) 23.Bxf5!! (Anna sacrifices her bishop!) Qxf5 24.Rd7! Rg6 (Black cannot take the queen, because 24...Qxh3 leads to checkmate!) 25.Qb3+ Kh8 26.Rxb7 (White gets back the bishop and gains a pawn.) 26...Bf2 (Another mistake by Black.) 27.h5!! (A very clever move.) 27...Rg3 28.Qd5! h6 29.Re2 Rg1+ 30.Kd2 Bh4 31.Qd4 31...Rc8 32.Bxg7+ Kg8 33.Qxg1! (White takes the queen!) 33...Rxc2+ 34.Ke3 Qh3+ 35.Kd4 Bf2+ 36.Rxf2 Rc4+ 37.Kd5 1‑0 (Black resigns, meaning they give up, because White will win.)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anna Muzychuk para niños

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