How Many Female Chess Grandmasters Are There?

If you mean women with the open Grandmaster title, the January 2026 FIDE title summary listed 44. If you mean Woman Grandmaster title holders, it listed 339 WGM holders in January 2026.

The January 2026 FIDE title summary listed 44 women with the open Grandmaster title.

The January 2026 FIDE title summary listed 339 Woman Grandmaster title holders, and FIDE approved additional WGM titles after that date.

No, WGM and GM are different titles. GM is the open Grandmaster title, while WGM is a separate women-only title.

Yes, women can earn the open Grandmaster title if they meet the same requirements as any other player.

No, GM is not male-only. It is an open FIDE title available to any qualifying player.

People confuse GM and WGM because both contain the word Grandmaster. In FIDE titles, however, GM and WGM are separate categories with different requirements.

WGM means Woman Grandmaster. It is a women-only FIDE title below the open GM title in terms of rating requirement.

GM means Grandmaster. It is the highest open over-the-board chess title awarded by FIDE.

The normal rating milestone for the open GM title is 2500 FIDE, plus qualifying norms or another approved route.

The normal rating milestone for WGM is 2300 FIDE, plus qualifying norms or another approved route.

Yes, the WGM title has lower rating and performance requirements than the open GM title.

Yes, a woman can hold both titles if she has earned them. Some players hold both, while others only use or pursue the open title.

Judit Polgar earned the open GM title and is famous for competing mainly in open events. She did not rely on the WGM title as her main title.

Judit Polgar is widely regarded as the strongest female chess player ever. She reached the world top 10 in open rankings.

Famous women with the open GM title include Judit Polgar, Hou Yifan, Humpy Koneru, Alexandra Kosteniuk and the Muzychuk sisters.

Women with the open GM title are extremely rare. The January 2026 title summary listed only 44 women among 1,879 open-title Grandmasters.

Using the January 2026 counts of 44 women and 1,879 total open-title GMs, women were about 2.3 percent of open-title Grandmasters.

There are many historical and participation factors behind the low number of female GMs, including lower female participation in competitive chess and fewer pathways into elite events.

No, the low number of women at the top should not be treated as proof of innate ability differences. Participation, opportunity and culture matter greatly.

Yes, girls can become open-title Grandmasters. The GM title is open to any player who meets the requirements.

Yes, Woman Grandmaster is an official FIDE title. It is separate from the open Grandmaster title.

No, Women's World Champion is a competitive world title, while WGM is a FIDE title category.

WGM and IM are different categories. IM is an open title with a higher normal rating milestone than WGM.

WGM and FM are different title categories. Their requirements are not identical, so they should not be treated as a simple one-ladder comparison.

The January 2026 open-title summary listed 141 women with the open International Master title.

The January 2026 women's-title summary listed 917 Woman International Master title holders.

Correct as of 7 July 2026, remember 44 women with the open GM title in the January 2026 FIDE summary, and 339 WGM holders in that same January summary.

Use the ChessWorld trivia guide for more title counts, records and beginner-friendly chess statistics. This page focuses on female chess grandmaster counts.

The short answer is 44 women with the open GM title in the January 2026 FIDE summary, or 339 WGM title holders if you mean the separate Woman Grandmaster title.