Women's World Chess Championship 1981

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 Tournament.

Ioseliani won convincingly in Rio, 2½ points ahead of 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 Tournament, 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 Tournament 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 Tournament

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]

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

Kislovodsk, Mar 1980

Nana Alexandria

5½

Elena Akhmilovskaya

3½

Vilnius, Sep 1980

Nana Alexandria

7

Baden-Baden, Mar 1980

Marta Litinskaya

5

Marta Litinskaya

4½

Gisela Fischdick

3½

Tbilisi, Jan 1981

Nana Alexandria

6½

Donji Milanovac, Mar 1980

Nana Ioseliani

2½

Nana Ioseliani

6

Zsuzsa Veroci-Petronic

3

Tbilisi, Sep 1980

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

References