Xie Jun

Xie Jun began with xiangqi, the traditional Chinese form of chess, before switching to international chess. In 1991 she defeated Maia Chiburdanidze and became the first player from Asia to win the Women's World Chess Championship. Her victory ended a 41-year sequence of Soviet titleholders.

She defended the title in 1993, lost it to Susan Polgar in 1996, and regained it in 1999. In 2000 she won again under a knockout system. In that format, players contest short matches and a loss eliminates them; this differs from the classical system, in which a challenger earns a long title match against the reigning champion.

Xie also represented China in eight Women's Chess Olympiads and won many team and individual medals. Her success showed that the women's elite was no longer concentrated in Europe and helped popularize international chess in China and elsewhere in Asia.