Antoaneta Stefanova, 25, who is described by Pergammon Chess as "sexy, self-confident, sociable " is a (male) International Chess Master and is rated 2480 by FIDE.

Antoaneta was born on April 19, 1979, in Sofia.

Her chess-bound passion was enflamed when she was just 4 years old and she received first classes on the black-and-white chessboard by her own father, Andon Stefanov, himself a designing artist. With her elder sister, Liana, Antoaneta had made her best mating tandem.

Turning only 7, Eti - called by her closest friends and relatives - became a Sofia champion.

In 1989, Eti swept the world chess crown for kids in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico and later the same year triumphed in the Czech championship, smashing through all 14-aged rivals.

Since 1994, Eti has successively stormed gross master championships, tanking even seventh among male nationals in 1993.

She has played in 5 chess Olympiads so far, starting in Manilla, the Philippines, when just 13.

In 2000, her coach promoted her in the national male team for the Itsnabul Olympiad.

In 1997 Stefanova ranked in the top 10 of FIDE and the International Feredaration made her gross (male) master in June 2003. That unique and prestigious title belongs to only 9 women worldwide.

"Sexy, self-confident, sociable ... can we be talking about a professional chess player? Yes, we can," says Pergammon Chess where her photo was on the cover.

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