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More Lady Players, Volume IV (# 4)

GM Nona Gaprindashvili

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The games of this player.

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Susan Polgar likes to brag (7th item in her list); that she is the FIRST woman (ever!) to have made the (men's) GM title, and many chess magazines have been foolish (and stupid!) enough to reprint these rather ridiculous claims. (Really a complete and terrible falsehood.) But the simple fact is that there is a lady player who can hold her own with men ... and she was doing so long before Susan was out of diapers.

When I was coming up in chess, (1970's); this lady ruled the (WOMEN's) World Championship with an iron fist ... for a long period of time she seemed simply unbeatable. Furthermore, I was personally present at two different tournaments where she played with the guys ... and did quite well, thank you! (I was a spectator at the SUPER-POWERFUL LONE PINE {swiss} tournament ...... where this player tied for first!!)

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Nona Terentyevna Gaprindashvili - born May 03, 1941, she went on to become one of the first in a line of lady chess-players of Georgian descent ... who seem to play a very predominant role in the World's Chess Championships of the 'fairer sex.'

Gaprindashvili very decisively defeated Bykova, (+7, =4, -0); in a match to gain her first World Championship title in 1962. She defended it with wins over Kushnir in 1965, (+7, =3, -3); in 1969, (+6, =5, -2); and also in 1972, (+5, =7, -4). In 1975 she defeated Alexandria by the score of +8, =1, -3. She finally was beaten by another Georgian, M. Chiburdanidze in 1978. (see below) She also won the title of USSR Woman's Champion five times during the period of 1964 to 1985.

She has (successfully) played head-to-head with the men on a number of occasions. Some of her best results are: First Place, Brussels, (Cat XI) 1987. She also had - Equal First, (=1, with Balashov, Panno, etc.); at Lone Pine, 1977; (swiss) and another tie (with Farago and Winants) for First (=1) at Hoogoven's "B" / Wijk aan Zee, NED; 1987. She took second at Dortmund, 1978. She was awarded the title of GM (men's) by FIDE in 1978.

{Former} World Champion - GM Maya Chiburdanidze

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The games of this player.

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Another VERY strong lady player ... ... ... who also happens to have (at least!) about half a DOZEN clear first-place finishes ... in MEN's tournaments!! (1st Yatsa, 1979; 1st New Delhi, 1984; and 1st at Banja Luka, 1985. Just to name three of her more impressive victories.)

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Maia Grigoryevna Chiburdanidze - Born January 17th, 1961, she is only the second woman (ever) in the world to hold the full (men's) GrandMaster Title. (Awarded by FIDE in 1984.)

She (first) won the title of the Women's USSR Champion in 1977. She wrested the crown away from Nona Gaprindashavilli in a VERY tough match in 1978, a title she held for for thirteen long years. (Defeating Alexandria in 1981, Levitina in 1984, Ahkmilovskaya in 1986, and Ioselani in 1988.) She finally lost to the powerful Chinese lady-player, Xie Jun in 1991.

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"She began very young and by age 12 was a real force in women's chess."

"Chiburdanidze competes successfully in men's events, coming equal 3rd at Bilbao 1987, (XII); and 2nd at Brussels, 1987. (XI) She and Gaprindashvili are the only two women to hold the full GM title."

( - "The Batsford Encyclopedia of Chess," by Nathan Divinsky, page # 46.)

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Page first created - from some notes I made earlier - on August 28th, 2004. Page last modified: January 06, 2013 .