Chiburdanidze Maya Grigorievna (17.01.1961)

Georgian Grandmaster (1984) and Women Grandmaster. World Women Champion (1978-1991).

Maya began to play chess at the age of 6, she improved her chess skills at the Tbilisi Pioneer Palace under the coaching of Shishov.  In 1974 she got the title of the International Master having played at her first International tournament at Brasov without any loss. In 1976 she was the USSR Junior Champion and in 1977 USSR Women Champion.

Best results: winner or shared first at Tbilisi in 1975, Budapest 1978, Barcelona 1979, Smeredevska 1983, New Delhi 1984, Banja Luka 1985, Yaitse 1985, Belgrade II 1992, Lippstadt 1995 and 1999.

During 1977-1978 she played several matches of the Candidates Cycle, and she won her quarter-final versus Nana Alexandria 5½-4½, semi-final with Elena Akhmylovskaya – 6½ : 5½ and final with Alla Kushnir 7½-6½. Having won in 1978 the title-match against Nona Gaprindashvili with the score of 8½-6½ and she became the youngest World Women Champion in the history of chess. In 1981 she retained her title having won the title-match against Alexandria 8-8. She repeated it in 1984 against Irina Levitina 8,5-5,5, and in 1986 against Elena Akhmylovskaya 8½ : 5½. In 1991 in Manila, she lost her title to a young Chinese chess player named Xie Jun with a score 6½-8½.

She participated in Women’s Olympiads during 28 years with an achievement of  nine gold medals in Chess Olympiads with former USSR and Georgia.

Peak rating: 2560 in 1988.