The people behind the game
Antoaneta Stefanova
Bulgaria’s first women’s world champion, with an inventive and combative approach to the game.
- Born
- 1979
- Country connections
- Bulgaria
At the board
The games. The ideas.
Explore classic encounters and championship battles. Play every move, or jump straight to the moments that tell the story.
2004 · Women’s world championship · Final · game 2
Stefanova’s second final win
Stefanova’s second win in the 2004 women’s final is a long technical game with a queenside pawn majority.
Read the position
Every move sets the scene.
Use the controls to explore the full game, or select an annotated moment below. Each explanation describes the position immediately after its highlighted move.
Complete move list 67 moves
The journey
A remarkable path.
Stefanova has represented Bulgaria in both open and women’s Olympiad competition. Her world championship reign ran from 2004 to 2006, and she returned to the championship final in 2012, when Anna Ushenina won the title. [1]
Explore the championship record →The championship record
Time with the crown.
- 2004–2006Women’s world championship
Reigns are periods of title ownership, not a count of championship victories. Open-ended reigns reflect the record checked on 18 October 2026.
Sources & credits
Biographical details and title records checked . Country connections describe the player’s career and background, rather than a live federation listing.
Portrait: This photo was taken by Krzysztof SzelągAutorem zdjęcia jest Krzysztof SzelągWykorzystując zdjęcie proszę podać jako autora:Krzysztof Szeląg / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed in monochrome and cropped.
