The European Women’s Chess Championship 2025 came to a thrilling end in Rhodes, Greece, and it was Teodora Injac of Serbia who walked away with the gold medal after a performance that left everyone talking. What made her victory even more remarkable is how it happened. Injac started the tournament with a loss in round one but then pulled off one of the most stunning comebacks in recent championship history—winning nine consecutive games and securing the title with one round to spare.
A Rough Start Turned Into a Winning Streak
Teodora Injac’s tournament couldn’t have started worse. In round one, she lost to 16-year-old WFM Anastasia Kirtadze from Georgia. Injac had a winning position but missed a mate-in-two, which led to an upset loss. Most players would have struggled to recover, but Injac responded with confidence and focus.
From round two to round ten, she didn’t lose a single game. In fact, she won all nine of them. Along the way, she beat two strong grandmasters, Natalia Zhukova and Bella Khotenashvili, and took down her closest rival, IM Irina Bulmaga, in round ten—a must-win situation for both.
In the final round, with the title already secured, Injac drew her game against IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya and finished with a final score of 9.5 out of 11. That score earned her the championship, a €10,000 first prize, and plenty of admiration from fans and fellow players.
Final Top Standings
| Rank | Name | Country | Title | Rating | Points | Rating Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teodora Injac | Serbia | IM | 2455 | 9.5 | +18.7 |
| 2 | Irina Bulmaga | Romania | IM | 2377 | 8 | +12.9 |
| 3 | Mai Narva | Estonia | IM | 2371 | 8 | +16.5 |
| 4 | Aleksandra Maltsevskaya | Poland | IM | 2383 | 8 | +14.5 |
| 5 | Stavroula Tsolakidou | Greece | IM | 2436 | 5 | 6 |
A total of 136 players from 34 countries took part in this year’s championship. With so many strong players in the field, including multiple Grandmasters and over a dozen rated above 2400, the competition was intense from start to finish.
Other Notable Performances
While Injac stole the spotlight, there were several standout performances worth mentioning.
Anastasia Kirtadze, the young Georgian player who defeated Injac in round one, had a fantastic tournament overall. She gained an incredible 154 rating points, finishing with a performance rating of 2446.
Slovenia’s WIM Zala Urh also impressed, earning 57 rating points, while Latvian WFM Agnesa Ter-Avetisjana gained 100 points by scoring 4.5/6 in the second half of the event.
Estonian IM Mai Narva’s game against Viktoria Radeva was considered one of the best of the tournament. Narva sacrificed two exchanges in the Sicilian and won with clean positional play. It was the kind of game that shows just how deep the field was this year.
Who Is Teodora Injac?
Teodora Injac was born on May 26, 2000, in Belgrade, Serbia. She is currently one of the top female chess players in the country and is quickly gaining recognition internationally.
She started making headlines early in her career. Injac became the youngest ever winner of the Serbian Women’s Chess Championship, a title she claimed in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Her talent didn’t go unnoticed, and in 2021 she earned the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title. By 2023, she was awarded the International Master (IM) title, becoming one of the few Serbian women to reach that level.
In the 2023 European Team Championship, Injac made history again by achieving her first Grandmaster norm—the first Serbian woman ever to do so. She scored 7 out of 9 playing on the top board for her national team, earning a performance rating of 2596.
She has also represented Serbia in several major events, including the Chess Olympiads in 2018 and 2022, and has competed in multiple editions of the Women’s World Cup. In 2023, she had an especially memorable run, defeating top players like Sophie Milliet and former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk before being eliminated in the fourth round.
Now, with this European Championship title under her belt, Injac has proven that she belongs among Europe’s elite. Her mix of tactical sharpness, strong nerves, and determination has made her one of the most exciting players to watch in women’s chess today.
What’s Next?
With her performance in Rhodes, Teodora Injac has not only won a major title but also qualified for the next Women’s World Cup. It’s clear that this victory is not the end, but a new beginning in what is already a remarkable career.
Whether she’s chasing down a GM title or aiming for more international medals, one thing is clear—Injac is a name we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the chess world.
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