GMZhongyi Tan

Tan Zhongyi grew up in Chongqing and began learning chess in 1997. She won consecutive world girls' under-ten titles in 2000 and 2001. The under-twelve crown followed in 2002. Alongside chess, she studied law at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, graduating in 2013. Her university years brought individual victories at the 2011 Universiade and the 2012 World University Championship.

Tan won her first Chinese women's championship in 2015. She earned individual gold on board four at the 2016 Olympiad. In 2017, she defeated Anna Muzychuk in rapid tiebreaks to become women's world champion. The victory also earned her the grandmaster title. Ju Wenjun took the crown from her in their 2018 match.

Tan became women's world rapid champion in 2022. Her unbeaten victory in the 2024 Women's Candidates earned another match against Ju. She lost that 2025 contest, but returned to the Candidates through third place in the Women's World Cup. She won the Cairns Cup in 2024 and again in 2026. That second success made her the tournament's first repeat winner.