Gaprindashvili Nona Terentyevna (03.05.1941)

Georgian Grandmaster (1978) and the 5th Women World Champion (1962-1978). Women’s World Senior Champion in 1995, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Nona began playing chess at 5. At 12 she started to take part in chess events and started to be coached by Karseladze. At 14 she was the 2nd at Tbilisi championship. The following year became a Georgian women champion and participated in the USSR Championship where she finished 7th. Well-placed in the 1960 USSR Championship she got the right to participate in the 1961 Candidates Women Tournament. Having won the latter she became a challenger to challenge the World Champion. In 1962 at Moscow she played the title match with Bykova and won with a score 9:2. Haven’t lost any game she became World Champion at 21. Her best results included victories in 1963 at Beverwijk, in 1967 at Kiev, in 1975 at Wijk aan Zee and Timisoara, in 1981 and 1982 at Jajce, in 1982 at Bad Kissingen, in 1983 at Barcelona, in 1987 at Yer. Several times she participated in Belgrade tournaments with victories in 1966, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1978. At Timisoara (1975) and Belgrade (1971), she won all the games. She successfully participated in men’s tournaments like: Hastings Challengers 63/64, 1st; Hastings Premier 64, 5th; Goteborg 1967-68, 3rd; Sandomierz 1976, 2nd; Reggio Emilia 1983, 1st; Brussels in 1987, 1st; Lone Pine 1977, 1st-3rd; Wijk aan Zee 1987 II, 1-2nd; Dortmund 1978, 2nd; Genting Highlands 1990, 1st; Baden-Baden 1991, 1st-4th; Subotica 1991, 1st-2nd; Gyorgy Marx WGM Paks 2010, 1st. She competed in International events in Georgia, Tbilisi and was the 1st in 1964, 1971, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1987.

During the period 1962-1975, she successfully defended her title. Three times she played with Alla Kushnir: in 1965 in Riga she won 8½:4½; in 1969 in Tbilisi-Moscow she won 8½:4½ and in 1972 in Riga she won once more with a score of 8½:7½. In 1975 she contested with Nana Alexandria in Pitsunda winning the match 8½:3½. In 1978 she lost her title match to Maya Chiburdanidze in Pitsunda 6:8. She was 5 times USSR Women Champion between 1964 and 1985.

As a member of the USSR Women team, she won 10 times the Women Olympiads (1963-86) and 25 individual or team medals.

Her play is characterized by universal style and high technique of playing endings. Euwe considered Gaprindashvili as a chess player of very wide perspective and her play versatile and bright.