Pia Cramling facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pia Cramling
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Pia Cramling in 2023
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| Born |
Pia Ann Rosa-Della Cramling
23 April 1963 Stockholm, Sweden
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| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Anna Cramling Bellón |
| Chess career | |
| Country | Sweden |
| Title | Grandmaster (1992) |
| FIDE rating | 2464 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2550 (October 2008) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 woman (January 1984) No. 178 (July 1992) |
Pia Ann Rosa-Della Cramling was born on April 23, 1963. She is a Swedish chess grandmaster. A grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can earn.
Since the early 1980s, Pia has been one of the strongest female chess players in the world. She was even ranked as the number one woman player in the world several times in the 1980s. In 1992, she became only the fifth woman ever to earn the Grandmaster (GM) title from FIDE, the world chess organization.
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Pia Cramling's Chess Journey
Pia Cramling is a very strong player. She earned the Grandmaster title before the year 2000. She has never won the Women's World Champion title. Pia believes that winning the World Championship needs a lot of team support. Bigger chess countries can often give their players more help.
World Championship Attempts
Even without winning the top title, Pia has come very close four times.
- In 1986, she finished fourth in the Candidates cycle. This is a tournament to decide who challenges the champion.
- In 1996, she placed third in the Candidates cycle.
- In 2008, she reached the semifinals of the Women's World Championship. This event uses a knockout format.
- In 2015, she again reached the semifinals.
These strong results also allowed her to play in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix series. This is a series of tournaments for top female players.
European Success
Pia has had great success in European chess. She won the Women's European Individual Chess Championship twice. She won it in 2003 and again in 2010. In 2006, she also won the Accentus Ladies Tournament in Biel.
Team Competitions
Pia Cramling has played for Sweden in many team events. She has played in the Chess Olympiad for both open and women's teams. She also played in the European Team Chess Championship.
In the Women's Chess Olympiad, she has won individual gold medals. She was the best player on board 1 three times: in 1984, 1988, and 2022.
She has also won team gold medals in the European Club Cup for Women. She won with her team, Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2016.
Earning Chess Titles
Pia Cramling earned the International Master (IM) title in 1983. This is another high title in chess. She defeated a strong player named Raymond Keene to get her first IM norm. A norm is a high-level performance needed to earn a title.
She earned her three Grandmaster (GM) norms in different places. She got one in Italy in 1989. Another was in Las Palmas in 1990. Her final norm was in Bern in 1992, which gave her the GM title.
Pia Cramling's Family Life
Pia Cramling is married to Juan Manuel Bellón López. He is also a chess grandmaster from Spain. They met in Zürich in 1984 and got married four years later. When Pia became a grandmaster in 1992, they became the first married couple where both partners held the highest chess title.
Pia and Juan lived in Spain for some years. Later, they moved back to Sweden.
Their Daughter, Anna
Their daughter is Anna Cramling Bellón. Anna is also a chess player and has the title of Woman FIDE Master. She is also well-known as a chess YouTuber and Twitch streamer.
At the 42nd and 44th Chess Olympiads, both Pia and Anna played for Sweden. Pia was the team captain on board 1. Anna played on board 5 and board 3 in those events.
See also
In Spanish: Pia Cramling para niños
