Women's World Chess Championship 1981

Last updated July 03, 2023

The 1981 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Maia Chiburdanidze, who successfully defended her title against challenger Nana Alexandria after a closely fought match, which ended in an 8-8 tie.

1979 Interzonals

Like the previous one, this championship cycle contained two Interzonal tournaments, held in Rio de Janeiro in September and Alicante in October 1979, featuring the best players from each FIDE zone. A total of 35 players took part, with the top three from Rio (17 players) and the top four from Alicante (18 players) qualifying for the Candidates' matches.

Ioseliani won convincingly in Rio, 2½ points ahead of Veroci-Petronic and Alexandria.^[1]

In Alicante, Lematschko and Akhmilovskaya shared first place, well ahead of Gurieli and Litinskaya. However, Lematschko subsequently defected from socialist Bulgaria and was unable to take part in the Candidates' matches, so her place was given to Fischdick as fourth-placed from the Rio Interzonal (on tie-breaks).^[2] Lematschko later settled in Switzerland and reached the Candidates' matches again in the following cycle, representing her new country.

1979 Women's Interzonal, Rio de Janeiro
	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	Tie break
1	Nana Ioseliani (Soviet Union)	-	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	14½
2	Zsuzsa Veroci-Petronic (Hungary)	½	-	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	12
3	Nana Alexandria (Soviet Union)	0	0	-	½	½	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	11
4	Gisela Fischdick (West Germany)	0	½	½	-	½	1	1	½	1	1	½	0	1	½	½	1	1	10½	74.50
5	Elisabeta Polihroniade (Romania)	½	½	½	½	-	½	1	½	½	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	10½	73.50
6	Valentina Kozlovskaya (Soviet Union)	0	½	0	0	½	-	1	1	½	1	1	1	0	½	½	1	1	9½	63.25
7	Milunka Lazarević (Yugoslavia)	0	½	1	0	0	0	-	0	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	9½	60.50
8	Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Soviet Union)	0	½	0	½	½	0	1	-	½	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	9	55.50
9	Kveta Eretova (Czechoslovakia)	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	-	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	9	54.25
10	Borislava Borisova (Sweden)	0	½	1	0	½	0	0	1	0	-	1	½	0	½	1	1	1	8
11	Jana Miles (England)	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	1	0	0	-	1	½	1	1	1	1	7½
12	Rachel Crotto (USA)	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	½	0	-	1	½	½	1	1	6½	38.50
13	Rohini Khadilkar (India)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	½	0	-	1	1	1	1	6½	33.25
14	Barbara Hund (West Germany)	0	0	0	½	0	½	1	0	0	½	0	½	0	-	1	1	1	6
15	Edith Soppe (Argentina)	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	-	1	1	4
16	Ruth Volgl Cardoso (Brazil)	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	½	1½
17	Ana Luisa Carvajal (Cuba)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	-	½

1979 Women's Interzonal, Alicante
	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Points	Tie break
1	Tatjana Lematschko (Bulgaria)	-	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	0	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	13½	107.75
2	Elena Akhmilovskaya (Soviet Union)	½	-	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	13½	104.50
3	Nino Gurieli (Soviet Union)	0	½	-	0	0	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	12
4	Marta Litinskaya (Soviet Union)	0	0	1	-	0	0	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	11½
5	Diane Savereide (USA)	0	1	1	1	-	½	0	0	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	11
6	Elena Fatalibekova (Soviet Union)	½	0	0	1	½	-	0	0	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10½
7	Mária Ivánka (Hungary)	0	0	½	1	1	1	-	1	1	½	½	1	½	0	0	0	1	1	10
8	Maaja Ranniku (Soviet Union)	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	-	½	1	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	9
9	Nieves García (Spain)	1	0	0	½	1	0	0	½	-	1	1	0	½	½	0	½	1	1	8½	65.25
10	Gertrude Baumstark (Romania)	0	0	½	0	0	1	½	0	0	-	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	8½	54.50
11	Alexandra van der Mije (Netherlands)	½	1	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	-	½	½	0	1	½	½	1	8	64.75
12	Asela De Armas (Cuba)	½	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	1	½	-	1	1	0	1	½	½	8	58.25
13	Gordana Marković (Yugoslavia)	½	½	0	0	½	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	-	½	1	0	1	0	6½	53.00
14	Olivera Prokopovic (Yugoslavia)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	½	0	1	0	½	-	0	1	1	1	6½	40.00
15	Nava Shterenberg (Canada)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	-	0	1	1	6
16	Berna Carrasco (Chile)	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	0	½	0	½	0	1	0	1	-	0	½	5
17	Narelle Kellner (Australia)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	-	½	2½	14.25
18	Miyoko Watai (Japan)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	0	0	½	½	-	2½	14.25

1980–81 Candidates' matches

The seven qualifiers from the two Interzonals were joined by ex-champion Gaprindashvili, who had been seeded into the tournament.

These eight players contested a knock-out series of matches. The semifinal Ioseliani-Gaprindashvili ended 7-7; in the end, Ioseliani won the lucky draw and advanced to the final. Here she lost to Alexandria, who earned the right to challenge the reigning champion for the second time (after 1975).^[3]

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final

Kislovodsk, Mar 1980

Nana Alexandria	5½
		Vilnius, Sep 1980
Elena Akhmilovskaya	3½
		Nana Alexandria	7
Baden-Baden, Mar 1980
		Marta Litinskaya	5
Marta Litinskaya	4½
				Tbilisi, Jan 1981
Gisela Fischdick	3½
				Nana Alexandria	6½
Donji Milanovac, Mar 1980
				Nana Ioseliani	2½
Nana Ioseliani	6
		Tbilisi, Sep 1980
Zsuzsa Veroci-Petronic	3
		Nana Ioseliani	7
Tbilisi, Mar 1980
		Nona Gaprindashvili	7
Nona Gaprindashvili	6

Nino Gurieli	3

1981 Championship Match

The championship match was played in Borjomi and Tbilisi in 1981. A tough match went the full 16 games and ended in an 8-8 tie, with champion Chiburdanidze thus retaining her title.^[4]

Women's World Championship Match 1981
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Total
Maia Chiburdanidze (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	½	0	1	1	½	1	0	0	½	½	½	1	0	8
Nana Alexandria (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	½	1	0	0	½	0	1	1	½	½	½	0	1	8

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's World Chess Championship 1984</span> International chess competition

The 1984 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Maia Chiburdanidze, who successfully defended her title against challenger Irina Levitina.

The 1986 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Maia Chiburdanidze, who successfully defended her title against challenger Elena Akhmilovskaya.

The 1988 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Maia Chiburdanidze, who successfully defended her title against challenger Nana Ioseliani.

The 1991 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Xie Jun, who defeated the incumbent champion Maia Chiburdanidze in the title match.

The 1993 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Xie Jun, who successfully defended her title against challenger Nana Ioseliani in the title match.

The 1996 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Hungarian Zsuzsa Polgar, who defeated the incumbent champion Xie Jun in the title match. Polgar was seeking American Citizenship at the time.

The 1999 Women's World Chess Championship was won by former champion Xie Jun, who regained her title after defeating Alisa Galliamova. Previous to the match, reigning champion Susan Polgar had been stripped of her title after much controversy.

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References

↑ "World Chess Championship (women) : 1979 Rio de Janeiro Interzonal Tournament". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
↑ "World Chess Championship (women) : 1979 Alicante Interzonal Tournament". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
↑ "World Chess Championship (women) : 1980-81 cycle : Candidates Matches". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
↑ "World Chess Championship (women) : 1981 Chiburdanidze - Alexandria". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.

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[1] "World Chess Championship (women) : 1979 Rio de Janeiro Interzonal Tournament". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.

[2] "World Chess Championship (women) : 1979 Alicante Interzonal Tournament". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.

[3] "World Chess Championship (women) : 1980-81 cycle : Candidates Matches". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.

[4] "World Chess Championship (women) : 1981 Chiburdanidze - Alexandria". Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved 2012-02-06.

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v t e Women's World Chess Championships
List of Women's World Chess Championships Development FIDE Women's Grand Prix
Tournament format	1927, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, Jul 1937, Aug 1937, 1939 (Menchik) 1949–50 (Rudenko)
Match format	1953 (Bykova) 1956 (Rubtsova) 1958, 1959 (Bykova) 1962, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1975 (Gaprindashvili) 1978, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988 (Chiburdanidze) 1991, 1993 (Xie) 1996 (Polgar) 1999 (Xie)
Knock-out format	2000 (Xie) 2001 (Zhu) 2004 (Stefanova) 2006 (Xu) 2008 (Kosteniuk) 2010 (Hou)
Alternating format	2011 (Hou) 2012 (Ushenina) 2013 (Hou) 2015 (Muzychuk) 2016 (Hou) 2017 (Tan) May 2018, Nov 2018 (Ju)
Match format	2020 (Ju) 2023
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