Woman Grandmaster and International Master Ekaterina Atalik is one of the most accomplished chess players today.
Ekaterina first made news in 1997 after winning the girls' under-16 section of the European Youth Chess Championship in 1997. But that was only the beginning.
In 2006, a year after marrying Turkish Grandmaster Suat Atalik, Ekaterina took clear second place at the 3rd Mediterranean Chess Championship... next only to her husband. She finished the tournament without dropping a single game and edged out grandmasters rated at least 80 points higher.
In the same year, Ekaterina also won the 96-player 7th European Women's Championship. After 11 rounds of chess, she was unbeaten in with a score of 6 wins, 5 draws and zero losses. She took home €4,000 for her fine effort.
But perhaps most impressive of all:
In a country with strong chess culture and full of tough opponents, Ekaterina won the women's national championship five times. She was Turkish Women's Champion in 2008, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Even more impressive was the manner in which she clinched those championships.
In 2020 and 2021, Ekaterina didn't suffer a single loss... scored 6.5/7 on both occasions... and won games by playing punchy, dynamic chess.
Combine her aggressive playstyle with her splendid opening preparation and mental fortitude, and it's of little wonder why Ekaterina is one of the strongest chess players in the world (top 30 in the women's list) for over a decade.
