GMKateryna Lagno

Kateryna Lagno was born in Lviv and emerged as one of the leading girls of her generation. She won the world under-10 title in 1999 and the European under-14 title in 2001. At twelve she became the youngest woman grandmaster at that time. She won the 2005 European Women's Championship after beating Nadezhda Kosintseva in a blitz playoff. The North Urals Cup followed in 2006, and she earned the unrestricted grandmaster title in 2007. She helped Ukraine win Olympiad gold in 2006 and Russia win the same title in 2014. In 2018 she reached the Women's World Championship final, losing to Ju Wenjun. Her speed-chess career brought consecutive world blitz titles in 2018 and 2019, making her one of the leading specialists in the women's game.