Xie Jun

(b. 1970)

World Chess

Hall of Fame

Inducted 2019

A trailblazer and national hero in China, Xie Jun was the first player from Asia to become women’s world chess champion (1991-1996 and 1999-2001), ending a 41-year Soviet stranglehold on the title. As a four-time women’s world chess champion, she is the very first player to win the individual title under both the classical system and the knock-out system. Xie Jun represented China in eight Women’s Chess Olympiads, winning seven team medals (three gold, one silver, and three bronze) and five individual medals (two silver and three bronze). She is the author of Chess Champion from China: The Life and Games of Xie Jun (1998), one of the first game collections on a female player.

Xie Jun's Hall of Fame Plaque

Notable Games

Xie Jun at the 1994 Chess Olympiad, Moscow, Russia

Bill Hook

Xie Jun at the 1994 Chess Olympiad, Moscow, Russia

1994

4 x 6 in.

Photograph

Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame

Xie Jun Playing in the 1996 Women vs Veterans Match in London, England

Lesley Collett

Xie Jun Playing in the 1996 Women vs Veterans Match in London, England

1996

7 ¼ x 5 ½ in.

Photograph

Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame, gift of Raquel Browne