Antoaneta Stefanova

Biography (1979)

Born in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia, in 1979, Antoaneta Stefanova received her first chess lessons from her father at the age of four. Her bright chess future became apparent very early. At age seven, Antoanetta won a local women's tournament and, in 1989, took first place in the Girls U10 section at the World Youth Chess Festival in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Three years later, at 13, she debuted at Chess Olympiad (Manila, 1992). The same year, she became the European under-14 girls' champion at the European Youth Chess Championship in Rimavská Sobota.On her way up, Stefanova won the Bulgarian Women's Championship (1995), the 3rd European Individual Women's Championship in Varna (2002) and in the same year, became the ninth woman in history to get the GM title.Antoaneta reached the acme of her chess career in 2004 by winning a 64-player knockout Women's World Championship held in Elista, Kalmykia, but lost her title two years later.Stefanova had a great chance to repeat this achievement in 2012 as she reached the final of the Women's World Championship in Khanty-Mansiysk but fell short of her second title after succumbing to Anna Ushinina in a tiebreak.

Notable game

In a 2009 interview, Antoaneta described this game from the 2008 Gibraltar Masters as one of her best

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What has kept me playing chess for many years is that it is never the same; the possibilities are endless.

My chess style? Creative. It can be quite different from day to day.

On Stefanova

The adventurous spirit that sparks Antoaneta's behaviour also appears in her style over the chessboard, especially in her early years, when she liked to play off-beat openings.

Stefanova's chess strength makes her a favorite in tournaments of any format, and her fighting qualities are well-suited for knockout competitions. She is always prepared for a long struggle, and her opening repertoire is built accordingly. Her strong endgame technique, combined with physical endurance, provides her with additional advantages in long fights.