Pia Cramling

Inducted 2025 1963 -

Sweden

Biography

Pia Cramling of Sweden has been one of the strongest female players in the world for over four decades. She was the top-rated woman on the January 1984 FIDE rating list (equal first January 1983 and July 1984). Since the mid-1980s, Cramling has regularly participated in the Women’s World Championship cycle, placing third in the Candidates in 1996 and fourth in 1986 and reaching the semi-finals twice (2008 and 2015) after the event switched to a knockout format. She was the fifth woman to be awarded the title of grandmaster in 1992, and is a two-time winner of the European Women’s Chess Championship (2003 and 2010). Cramling is one of the few elite players to have competed in both the Open and Women’s sections of Olympiads, winning three individual gold medals on board one in the latter.

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