This International Women’s Day, let us celebrate the female chess authors who contributed to our community, generously shared their knowledge with students, and helped build Chessable into the digital publishing powerhouse it is now. (And yes, their courses are on sale, too! We’ll give you the details at the end of the post.)
Let’s get started!
Woman International Master Tijana Blagojević
Tijana may not be a full-time professional player. But even with a bustling life away from the chessboard, she has achieved many feats which the average club player could only dream of.
For starters, Tijana clinched the Woman International Master title before she was 18 years old — earning norms in the Premier Montenegro League (2012), Karpos Open (2014), Grand Europe Cup Albena (2014) and Grand Europe Cup Golden Sands (2014).
The year 2015 was remarkably successful for Tijana. Not only did she win bronze medals at the European Youth Championship and World Youth Championship — she also achieved an International Master norm in the Petrovac Open after beating two grandmasters and drawing against one.
Tijana’s debut course — Everyone’s First Strategy Kit — gives club players a practical guide to game-winning positional play.
Inside, she sheds light on the specific strategic skills students struggle with the most, and strengthens these parts of your game with targeted training.
You’ll learn to exchange the right pieces at the right time… map out a winning plan based on the pawn structure… and exploit critical squares to gain a winning edge.
Woman International Master Camelia Ciobanu
Camelia began playing in tournaments at the tender age of 8, and her growth as a player was nothing short of impressive.
Not only did Camelia win three Romanian chess championships before the age of 20… she also won gold medals in team competitions including the European Girls’ U18 Team Chess Championship (2003).
Fast forward to today, Camelia’s focus has shifted to coaching. She has over 100 students, while her video courses for chess schools in China and Italy only expanded her reach.
Her course Searching For A Stalemate shows you a three-step method for saving “lost” endgames. It’s the ultimate tool for the stalwart defender to “keep the faith”… fight for the half-point… and earn a different kind of victory.
International Master Irina Bulmaga
Irina is the queen of Romanian chess, and she sits at the 31st spot in the world rankings.
She’s a two-time Moldovan Women’s Chess Champion (2007 and 2008), Romanian Women’s Blitz Chess Champion (2010), and Romanian Women’s Classical Chess Champion (2018).
Irina also represented her country in three European Team Chess Championships and five Chess Olympiads. She was also part of the team which won bronze in the 41st Olympiad (2014) held in Tromsø, Norway.
Irina’s biggest strength as a pro is her flexible opening play. Throughout her career, she played nearly every major opening variation you can think of. And you can bet she’s taught it to her students, too.
Irina’s course The Active Bogo-Indian Defense is an excellent illustration of her versatile playing style.
It’s an energetic and newbie-friendly defense to 1.d4, where Black holds back their center pawns. This approach not only denies White potential targets… it also sets up a spirited counterattack after the first player commits to a setup.
Woman FIDE Master Maaike Keetman
Maaike spent her younger years basking in the attacking masterpieces of Mikhail Tal and Judit Polgar. And it’s this sturdy foundation in aggressive, energetic play which propelled Maaike to her best feats yet.
By playing “cut and thrust” chess, Maaike won multiple national championships, shared second place at the European Youth Chess Championship (2015), and reached her peak FIDE rating of 2254.
But even better: Maaike’s uncompromising attitude over the board also made its way into her course, The Fierce Nimzo-Indian.
When others settle for forced draws and perpetual checks — especially with the Black pieces — Maaike fights for the full point with pawn storms, piece sacrifices, and unorthodox attacking plans even “booked-up” opponents won’t see coming.
International Master Ekaterina Atalik
The chess world first took notice of Ekaterina after she won the girls’ under-16 section of the European Youth Chess Championship (1997). Since then, she hasn’t looked back!
In Turkey — a country rich in chess culture and strong players — Ekaterina won the women’s national championship five times. However, what’s even more impressive is the manner in which she won those titles.
In 2020 and 2021, Ekaterina became Turkish women’s champion without suffering a single loss. On both occasions, she scored 6.5/7 and treated fans to a stellar display of punchy, dynamic chess.
Ekaterina is an eagle-eyed tactical player with an excellent command of piece play.
And in her course The Method Of Quick Development, she shows you simple techniques for building a decisive numbers advantage out of the opening…
So you can close the game in style in 30 moves or less!
Amber & Anika Arora
Amber and Anika are two of the most valued members of the Chessable community — warmly welcoming and treating everyone with their emoji-filled kindness.
In 2020, the sisters became Chessable’s youngest authors when they joined our first ever Create Your Own Course Challenge.
Their mission: to bring Chessablers a course that’s not only fun and easy to digest… but also one which can bring noticeable improvement in as little time as possible.
Their course, Mastering Checkmates, fits the bill like a hand in glove. The idea is simple. Every day, for the next 31 days, you get 11 puzzles where you need to find the quickest way to mate.
The course’s structure lets you ease into daily training, which is a habit your chess will be thankful for.
And with MoveTrainer optimizing your reviews, committing the checkmating patterns in the course into your long-term memory is only a matter of time.
International Master Anna Rudolf
Anna now spends most of her time streaming chess, covering live tournaments, and interacting with fans through social media.
Back when she was an active player, however, she was a fierce and skilled warrior on the chessboard. So much so that, in a tournament in 2008, three International Masters and a Grandmaster couldn’t believe how she’s playing way above her rating. Sadly, her stellar performance ultimately led to false accusations of cheating.
The experience was disheartening, but Anna didn’t let it drag her down. Since then, she won the Hungarian Women’s Chess Championship three times (2008, 2010 and 2011)…
Reached her overall career best rating of 2401 FIDE…
And gained the International Master title.
Anna’s playing style is universal. She can steamroll opponents in a technical endgame… outsmart them with sophisticated positional play… or blow them away with a direct checkmating attack.
In Anna’s Anatomy Of The Attack: Same-Side Castling, she showcased her mastery of attacking chess.
It’s a tactics and strategy course where Anna teaches you how to zero-in on hidden opportunities… calculate variations with pinpoint accuracy… and launch a precision-engineered offensive against the castled enemy king.
International Master Sopiko Guramishvili
Sopiko might be “all-smiles” in front of the camera. But when it’s game time, she is anything but sweet!
She’s a two-time Women’s World Chess Championship contender, and one of the top 100 female players today.
Sopiko’s fans call her “Miss Tactics” because of her penchant for sharp tactics and board-ripping combinations. And true to her style, she developed an opening repertoire that’s as sharp as it gets.
Lifetime Repertoires: Queen’s Gambit Accepted is a repertoire versus 1.d4 that’s built around energetic piece play and well-timed pawn breaks.
It features an exchange sacrifice, which defies 400 years of opening theory and challenges White’s most ambitious moves. If the first player isn’t careful, you might just win in 20 moves!
Grandmaster Judit Polgar
No list of female chess legends and authors will be complete without the one and only Judit Polgar.
Judit is the greatest female chess player of all time. The real-life Beth Harmon. And the hero which everyone on this list looks up to.
Judit was the first female player to cross the 2700-mark when she achieved her peak FIDE rating of 2735. And she’s the only female player to have broken into the world’s top 10.
But perhaps most memorable of all, Judit has defeated 11 former and reigning world champions… in splendid tactical style no less!
When talking about her “never before seen” — and so far “never been repeated” — achievements in chess, Judit credits the robust foundation laid down by her father.
And in Master Your Chess With Judit Polgar, she aims to give you the same sturdy base she had as a youngster. In this three-part series, Judit equips you with the essential chess patterns and decision-making shortcuts she has developed through the years. So you too can become the best player you can be.
From punishing weak opening play… spotting winning tactics hidden in the position… to attacking like a mad genius, Judit will teach you all of these and more.
Celebrating Female Chess Players And Authors With A Massive International Women’s Day Sale
In celebration of the International Women’s Day, we are offering all titles by female chess authors with a massive discount. Starting today until March 12, you can get any or all their courses with up to 50% off.
PLUS, all titles with “Queen” on them — and repertoires on the favorite openings of legendary female players — are in on the action, too.
The list includes the Sicilian Defense, which is a lifelong Judit Polgar specialty. And the Caro-Kann Defense, Aleksandra Goryakchina’s counter to 1.e4 during the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament (2019) and Russian Superfinal Championship (2021).
If you’re looking for the next game-changing course to sink your teeth on… and want to support our amazing female authors… then head over to our International Women’s Day Sale.
