Mariya Muzychuk

Mariya Muzychuk comes from an illustrious chess family. Her parents were both professional chess coaches and introduced her to the game at the early age of two. Her older sister, Anna Muzychuk, is also a chess professional and is ranked among the top 10 female players in the world. Mariya had a breakout year in 2015, winning the Women’s World Championship against top players, among which were fellow Cairns Cup competitors Harika Dronavalli, Humpy Koneru, and Antoaneta Stefanova. This title was claimed by Yifan Hou the following year, but Mariya has been a top player in women’s chess ever since, peaking at #3 on the rating list. Currently at 2552, she is the #6 female player in the world and is a competitive top player from Ukraine.