Georgian chess player international grandmaster. Kuzminki Chess School. Nona Gaprindashvili. Important career milestones
The founding congress of the new party “Democratic Party of United Georgia”, behind which is businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili, will be held in Tbilisi in the near future. The party will be led by five-time world chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili. In the famous residence of the oligarch, located on the banks of the Kura River, a conversation took place between the head of the RIA Novosti Representative Office in Georgia, Besik Pipia, and the legendary chess player.
Nona Terentyevna, what paths led you to this fashionable palace, what did the chess player and the disgraced oligarch have in common?
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of independent Georgia, I was asked and agreed to head the National Olympic Committee. She led the committee until 1996, but at the same time remained the honorary president of the NOC. In 2004, Badri Patarkatsishvili was elected president of the Olympic Committee. It should be noted that Mikheil Saakashvili really wanted to see him in this post. The President personally asked the entrepreneur to take part in the revival of Georgian sports.
Without exaggeration, I can say that Badri turned out to be the savior of Georgian sports. He managed to stop sports emigration. After all, before this, Georgian athletes left the country, changed citizenship and competed at the Olympic Games under the flags of other states. They not only performed, but brought gold medals to the treasury of these states. Thus, at the Olympics in Greece in 2004, Georgians won gold medals for Greece, Germany, Uzbekistan... In a word, Badri managed to revive Georgian sports, athletes began to receive everything they needed for full preparation, including monetary rewards unprecedented on the scale of Georgia. If the state paid an athlete 25 thousand dollars for an Olympic gold medal, then Badri gave 225 thousand dollars!
So the sports track brought me and Badri together. And in difficult moments for him, I felt obligated to be with him.
- Nona Terentyevna, what cat ran between Badri Patarkatsishvili and Mikheil Saakashvili?
This cat was the Imedi television company, owned by Patarkatsishvili. Those in power did not like the fact that criticism was being addressed to them, and constructive criticism at that. TV journalists from Imedi did not ignore sensitive topics, drawing public attention to high-profile murders, mass arrests, illegal deprivation of property of citizens and organizations, state business racketeering, and so on.
It turns out that “pink” revolutionaries like it when they are exclusively praised. There were attempts on the part of the authorities to interfere with the editorial policy of the television company, but Badri did not allow them to do so. Then representatives of the authorities offered very large sums of money so that he would sell them Imedi and talked about exchanging Imedi for Georgian Railways. Then Badri answered them: “Imedi” is my brainchild, and children are not sold.”
- For what purpose is the new opposition party being created, which you agreed to lead?
The current presidential elections have shown that hundreds of thousands of people sympathize with the program for the revival of Georgia proposed by Badri Patarkatsishvili. And it would be unacceptable for us to abandon these people to their fate. We continue our fight. Badri's Presidential program "Support - Breakthrough - Prosperity" remains in force and it will be implemented.
Badri Patarkatsishvili promised to spend about one billion dollars within 18 months if he came to power. But he did not become president. To what kind of people will he now cover the costs of gas, electricity, water, pay unemployment benefits, give money and considerable amounts - 2-3 thousand dollars - for the birth of children? Members of your party? There are 2 million unemployed people in Georgia alone.
A scheme for providing assistance to the population is being developed, and not only members of our party will be able to receive it.
Nona Terentyevna, are the authorities putting pressure on you? For you, for example, to leave Badri, you should engage not in politics, but in chess.
To put pressure, you need compromising evidence. But the authorities cannot dig up incriminating evidence on me, because I don’t have any. I lived an honest and decent life. The authorities will not be able to change my position. They can only kill me.
Nona Terentyevna, how did it happen that a girl from the little-known Georgian city of Zugdidi achieved record victories in chess that have not yet been surpassed in the world? You are a five-time world champion, won the Olympics 11 times, and won the European Cup twice.
I was born in Zugdidi, in a city that I love very much, in the family of a teacher. My father Terenty taught accounting at a technical school, my mother Vera Grigolia was a housewife. She raised five boys and one girl. All my brothers played chess, I watched them, and sometimes they allowed me to play too. Once upon a time, a chess tournament among boys was held in the city house of pioneers. One of my brothers was unable to take part in it due to a cold; they urgently looked for a replacement and offered it to me. I sat down at the board and quickly checkmated my opponent, who was several years older than me. The coaches paid attention to me.
- Do your followers, future champions grow up in the family?
I have a son, David, he is 36 years old, works in the office of a British company for demining in conflict zones. There are two grandchildren - Leri is 12 years old, Nikoloz is one and a half years old.
I don’t see any future champions in the whole country today. Maybe nature is resting in Georgia now. For 40 years, Georgian chess players have occupied leading positions in the world. My record, indeed, was not broken, but it was repeated by a friend, Georgian chess player Maya Chiburdanidze.
- Nona Terentyevna, do you manage to find time for chess today?
I participate in various competitions, two years ago I took second place at the chess veterans tournament in Italy. I get invited to Russia a lot; recently I’ve been to tournaments in Siberia and the Urals. I felt from the Russians towards themselves, towards Georgia, the Georgian people the same warm feelings that they had in Soviet times. It's not good when our rulers conflict. Will God forgive us for this, will we be able to explain to the Almighty how two Christian Orthodox countries have come to such relations?
- (b. May 3, 1941 Zugdidi, Georgia), Georgian chess player, Honored Master of Sports (1964); fifth world champion in chess history (1962-78), the first international women's grandmaster (1976) and the first woman to be awarded the title... ...
- (b. 1941) Georgian chess player, international grandmaster (1976), Honored Master of Sports (1964). World champion (in 1962 78), USSR (1964, 1974, 1981, 1983, 1985). President of the National Olympic Committee of Georgia since 1989. First... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Gaprindashvili Nona Terentyevna- (b. 3.5.1941, Zugdidi), Soviet chess player, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1964), International Master (1961). Graduated from the Tbilisi Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages. Member of the CPSU since 1966. USSR champion (1964), 3-time world champion... ...
Gaprindashvili, Nona Terentyevna- GAPRINDASHVILI Nona Terentyevna (born in 1941), Georgian chess player. 5-time world champion (1962-78), 5-time USSR champion (1964, 1973/74, 1981, 1983, 1985). The first woman to be awarded the title of international grandmaster among... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Gaprindashvili Nona Terentyevna- (b. 1941), Georgian chess player, international grandmaster (1976), Honored Master of Sports (1964). World champion (in 1962 78), USSR (1964, 1974, 1981, 1983, 1985). President of the NOC of Georgia (in 1989 96). The first woman to win a chess... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Gaprindashvili Nona Terentyevna- ... Wikipedia
Nona Terentyevna Gaprindashvili- Nona Gaprindashvili Nona Terentyevna Gaprindashvili (Georgian ნონა გაფრინდაშვილი; born May 3, 1941, Zugdidi, Georgia) Georgian chess player, Honored Master of Sports (1964); fifth world champion in chess history (1962 1978), first international... ... Wikipedia
GAPRINDASHVILI- Nona Terentyevna (born 1941), Georgian chess player. 5-time world champion (1962-78), 5-time USSR champion (1964, 1973/74, 1981, 1983, 1985). The first woman to be awarded the title of International Grandmaster among men (1978) ... Modern encyclopedia
Gaprindashvili- (Georgian გაფრინდაშვილი) Georgian surname. Famous speakers: Gaprindashvili, Valerian Ivanovich (1888 1941) Georgian poet, translator. Gaprindashvili, Valerian (chess player) (born 1982) Georgian chess player, grandmaster (2001). Gaprindashvili, Nona ... Wikipedia
Gaprindashvili- I Gaprindashvili Valerian Ivanovich, Georgian Soviet poet. Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Moscow University (1914). The first collection “Twilight” was published in 1919. G. one of the founders... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
When it comes to chess and great grandmasters, men's names such as Fischer, Karpov and others are heard in conversations. But there are also great and outstanding women in this intellectual sport. Nona Gaprindashvili held the championship among women for many years.
Chess biography
The future great athlete and international grandmaster was born in early May 1941 in Georgia. Almost everyone in the family was fond of chess, so little Nona Gaprindashvili mastered this game from an early age. This was facilitated by the fact that her brothers constantly worked with her and themselves participated in city competitions.
Nona got to her first championship by accident. Her brothers were supposed to participate, but one of them caught a cold, and it was urgently necessary to find a replacement. Nona was included in the list, and she quickly checkmated her first opponent, who was much older and more experienced, which attracted the attention of the coaches. At the age of 12 she entered a chess school.
Nona Gaprindashvili’s first leader and mentor was Karseladze Vakhtang Ilyich, who not only looked after her during her studies, but also protected her from the enthusiastic public and fans during the championships. The young chess player was prepared for higher awards and competitions at the strongest level by Mikhail Shishov, a well-known coach in the USSR, and was assisted by grandmaster Aivar Gipslis.
Nona Gaprindashvili, a chess player who has no equal to this day, held her champion title for a record time for this game - for 16 years. In subsequent championships she was in 2nd or 3rd place.
Family
Nona Gaprindashvili was born into a large family. She had 5 older brothers, thanks to whom she became interested in chess. The father of the future grandmaster worked at the technical school in the city of Zugdidi, where the whole family lived, as an accounting teacher. Mother, Vera Grigolia, ran the household and kept order in the house.
Son David has accompanied his famous mother to championships since childhood and was present at almost all awards. He currently works in the UK and lives there with his family. Nona Gaprindashvili has a grandson and granddaughter, with whom she tries to meet as often as possible, which her workload in social and political activities does not allow.
Achievements
Nona Gaprindashvili becomes the owner of many awards and achievements as a result of her painstaking work. The biography of the great chess player interested the whole world. Nona becomes famous and in demand when, at the age of 21, she wins the title of world champion. But her first fame came at the age of 15. At competitions for adults, a young girl defeats her opponents one after another and becomes the champion of Georgia.
Having won the women's chess championship in 1963 and repeating her triumph 3 years later, Nona Gaprindashvili set a goal for herself - to become a winner in competitions for men. Many hours of training and painstaking work on strategy and tactics of the game led to the fact that in 1978, after numerous victories in competitions among men, Nona was awarded the title of grandmaster.
Having lost to her compatriot Nona in the World Championship, and in subsequent years she remained one of the most. Until 1990, she participated in many competitions and Olympics, taking prizes and adding new victories and regalia to her treasury. She was awarded orders, medals and badges of honor not only for victories, but also for her contribution to the development of the game in the country.
Currently, Nona Gaprindashvili, whose photo can be seen in our article, constantly participates in various games and tournaments for veterans and takes prizes. Unlike many of her colleagues, she did not retire after achieving all her goals, but continues to actively participate in the life and development of her favorite game.
Social activity
In 1991, after the collapse of the Union, independent sports and other associations began to form in Georgia. The head of the Olympic Committee until 1996 was Nona Gaprindashvili, who was already a well-known and titled chess player during this period of time. For a long time she remained the honorary president of the NOC.
In 2008, Nona Gaprindashvili headed the Democratic Party of United Georgia and worked in this direction for several years. From the very beginning of her career to the present day, the great chess player has been trying to develop and popularize the game.
The legendary Nona Gaprindashvili is one of the most prominent figures in the chess world. Fifth world champion, five-time champion of the USSR, multiple Olympic champion as part of the national team, winner of international tournaments. How many times did Nona Terentyevna become the first? She is also the first female grandmaster, the first woman to receive the title of male grandmaster, and the first female Oscar winner.
Until now, Nona Gaprindashvili is active in life; many young girls will envy her energy. True, a considerable part of her energy now is not spent on chess - she actively participates in the political life of her country, fights for justice, without fear of being in opposition to the authorities. When Nona Terentyevna began to talk about the problems of Georgia, she spoke as one of her most important parties.
But the conversation about politics started after the interview, in the office of the rector of RGSU Vasily Ivanovich Zhukov. Before that, talking over a cup of coffee during the World Blitz Championship, we only talked about chess...
“GAPRINDASHVILI” in Georgian means “SOARING DAUGHTER”...
Maria Fominykh
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– Nona Terentyevna, as you know, you really love blitz. What episodes associated with the blitz do you remember most?
– In my younger years, I played blitz quite well. I still love to play, and in general I still enjoy chess, but especially blitz. Of course, most of all I remember my meetings with the greatest man and chess player; brilliant and talented, he was intellectual and humorous... In a word, he had everything. This is Misha Tal. And it so happened that he and I once played in a row, first in England, then in Iceland. In England in different tournaments, and in Iceland in one.
In Iceland the tour didn't start until half past eight in the evening. Imagine, we finished the games at about half past one in the morning! But what to do? The organizers wanted it this way because of the public, and we could not protest. There were embassy workers there, among them two very nice couples, they were with us all the time, they came to get sick. But Iceland was remembered most of all by the fact that Tal and I took out chess and watches there and played blitz every day.
Once I told him: “Misha, it’s probably better to play with you when you’re drunk.” Usually a drunk person always plays worse, and I wanted to take advantage of this.
By the way, a blitz tournament was held in England on the weekend. We paid fees, and prizes were made up of them. There was no clock in that tournament; we played by gong. As soon as the gong hits, you must immediately make a move, otherwise you will lose. It’s more difficult to play like this than with a clock, you have to adapt. It so happened that five people reached the finals - one winner from each semi-final. And in the first round of the final we met with Tal, and I won. He sacrificed a piece, but I defended my position. After that I won all the other games and took first place.
But in general Tal won in our matches. I resisted and won some games, but the overall score was in his favor. So, I wanted to win the match against him and so I said that I wanted to play with him when he was drunk. He said he didn't mind, and one day I caught him. We were at some reception in England, he drank, and then we started playing blitz.
It was incredible! Drunk, he played blitz in such a way that you couldn’t get close! I will never forget this, because his usual game is nothing compared to how he played then! He played brilliantly, with sacrifices, beautifully.
– I recently read an interview in which Lilienthal called Petrosian the most outstanding blitz player. Tal is best known for his achievements in blitz. Why then Petrosyan?
– I haven’t played with Petrosyan, but I can make a guess. Petrosyan was distinguished by his intuition. And in blitz, when there is no time to count, intuition is very important. Since Lilienthal said so, he can be trusted. Surely he played with it and saw it. But I can say that intuitively Petrosyan was superior to everyone.
– Do you consider yourself an intuitive chess player?
– To be honest, I’m more like Tal. And not only in chess terms. The USSR Championship was held in Baku. I was invited to be a guest. And there one researcher conducted psychological tests with us. He asked all the chess players the same questions. It turned out that Tal’s answers and mine coincided 98%.
In my younger years, I often found interesting ideas at the board. When I began to know the opening at a good level, I was no longer a world champion. For sixteen years I was a world champion, won many Olympics, but opening was by no means my strongest point. On the contrary, only when I lost the title of champion did I begin to seriously study the opening, Georgy Konstantinovich Borisenko helped me with this. His wife Valentina Borisenko is a five-time Union champion. We played together in many tournaments, and he accompanied her. I wonder how I started working with him.
After the match with Chiburdanidze, I parted ways with my coach Gipslis. But life doesn’t end with the loss of a title, and I was looking for a person with whom I could work on chess. I knew that there was such a young talented person, Elizbar Ubilava, who worked with Nana Ioseliani. But for some reason their union broke up at that moment, and he was alone. And I needed an assistant, because when two chess players work together, it is useful for both. I invited him to conduct the training camp, and he agreed.
And now, my first training camp after the match with Chiburdanidze. Ubilava said that he knows Naum Rashkovsky, the Russian grandmaster, very well. They were friends, and he offered to invite him to the gathering too. Naum is a humorous, open-minded person with his own chic. But it turned out that he took more from this collection than he gave to us. I told him: “Nahum, this is the first time I’ve seen that a coach at a training camp takes more than he gives.” And he replies: “But I will soon give you such advice that you will thank me all the time.” Of course, I didn’t take these words seriously.
But when the next training camp came up, Rashkovsky suggested that we invite Borisenko. And when he started working with us, I realized that I had achieved everything without knowing how to work on chess, especially openings. I still enjoy the game thanks to the fact that I have my own experience in the openings that I play. I go a little to the side, always looking for my ideas in the position. This makes a huge difference.
Nowadays, technically, computers help chess players a lot, but at the same time, they still need to move the pieces with their hands and look for something of their own. Everyone knows the basic theory; this won’t surprise anyone. Borisenko was one of those leading coaches who helped him find his way. Among them are Boleslavsky, Furman, Bondarevsky. Georgy Konstantinovich now lives in Uzbekistan, and although he is almost 90, he continues to work successfully.
But, since I won so many games without knowing the openings, it means that my intuition also worked, because at such a moment I could make a sacrifice when others in this position simply would not look for it. This helped me a lot. When I started playing with men, my findings especially helped out. When a player uses a new product, he immediately gains a psychological advantage. I remember the statement of Victor Ciociltea, he was the second chess player in Romania, after Georgiu. Since Chokyltya we often played together in tournaments. And I remember how once they used a new black in Sicilian style on me. I thought about it for half an hour. And it turns out that while I was thinking, Chokyltya said to others: “Nona doesn’t know this move, now she’ll think about it and find a refutation.” And I actually found a refutation and won the game. And I have enough of such games.
In 2001, I published a book of the best games. There are three sections: short games, games against women and against men. There is not a single game won by opening against men. I only knew the ideas and could sometimes apply them. Now, when I talk to chess players, I give them the following advice: work on your openings, look for your ideas in them. Unfortunately, they mostly don’t listen. And this is a very important point.
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There's only one draw in my book. And do you know why she got there? I played in the open with Velimirovic. He sacrificed a piece in the Sicialian for three pawns and also wanted to take the fourth. I then thought about it and realized that if I hesitate, he will simply strangle me. He had already made a long castling, he had pawns on a2, b2 and c2. I saw how the game could be complicated and played b4-b3. After this, something incredible began, the kings moved to the other flank. I had to defend myself, but I found incredible tactical defense. This was the year when the USSR Chess Federation established a prize for the best game of the year - it did not matter who played, a man or a woman. I made a draw with Velimirovic, we agreed when there was almost nothing left on the board. After the game, chess players surrounded us and applauded both of us. Of course, the batch ended up in Informator; there were no computers then. Then we analyzed this game; we couldn’t find a win for him anywhere, although he had the initiative. And I received a prize - “For the best game of the year.”
I've always been good with tactics. There was such a chess player in Georgia - Blagidze, he became the champion of Georgia several times. In a game with him, I sacrificed the f4 pawn completely out of the blue. And then she performed a beautiful combination and checkmate. Tal liked this combination so much that he showed it to Botvinnik. Tal said that this was my party and offered to find a solution. Botvinnik was not found. I asked Tal: Did Botvinnik approve of the pawn sacrifice? It turned out, no, Botvinnik told him: “I don’t even look at such pawns!”
Different styles, different attitudes! I sacrificed a pawn because I immediately gained an advantage in development and the initiative on the kingside. I sometimes wondered how I even came up with such ideas? Apparently it was ingrained in me. I consider tactics to be my strongest point, although I didn’t have any particularly weak points anywhere.
I had an interesting meeting with Furman in Holland. He played in the men's tournament, I played in the women's. Then on one day they organized a general blitz tournament. I started poorly, but Furman started well. At the moment we met, he was in the lead. And I crushed him - I sacrificed two pieces, and everything worked out for me. Then he told me: “Yes, Nona Terentyevna, I didn’t know that you can combine so well.” This hurt me - everyone knew what I could do, because all my great victories were connected precisely with tactics. But he put it that way because he was offended, because he was in the lead, although it was only the first half of the tournament. But all the same, I answered him: “It’s too bad that you didn’t know.”
After the tournament we flew on the same plane. Balashov showed sketches, we solved them. And suddenly I hear Furman say to me: “Nona Terentyevna! I want to say that I expressed myself incorrectly. It’s not that I didn’t know that you combine well, but I just forgot.”
– Do any of the modern female chess players seem close to you in style?
- It's hard for me to say. I don’t play much and therefore am not very familiar with the work of modern female chess players. In order to judge, you need to know very well. I don’t play with them now, I only see individual games.
– Maybe there is someone close among the Georgians?
– Among the Georgians, Dzagnidze stands out, she sees tactics, this is her strong point. But I can’t say that we have similar styles. I can't name anyone.
– What is the current situation with women’s chess in Georgia?
– You see what’s the matter, we’ve been winning everything in chess for almost forty years. Sometimes there was an internal world championship. Georgians played in the World Cup finals, both in the semi-finals and quarter-finals. Georgians played for the union's Olympic team. (For example, the 1982 team looked like this: Nona Gaprindashvili, Nana Alexandria, Nana Ioseliani, Maya Chiburdanidze - M.F.)
If you take my career, I was at the top for 40 years. Even when I lost the title, I won a lot of tournaments. Twice later I was very close to playing a world championship match. I did not win absolutely winning positions in the last games. Maybe she lost concentration then, or her nerves couldn’t stand it at the last moment. But in terms of history, it was an interesting moment when, after so many years, I could come back and play a championship match again. But I missed this chance.
In 1982 she received the first women's chess Oscar, this prize was awarded based on the results of the year.
That year I won all the tournaments. In Soviet times, the phenomenon of Georgian female chess players arose. Therefore, even in Russia, although chess has always developed here, this has not happened. This was a real phenomenon, and therefore it will take a long time for it to ever happen again. I, Nana Alexandria, chess players of my generation continued to play at a time when new strong girls were already growing up. We continued to play, and the young ones caught up. That is why our hegemony was so extended over time.
Now only young people perform. But it is necessary that experienced ones who have won championships also play. Yes, Georgians won the Olympics two years ago. But if you compare it with the results that were before, this is only a particle. Overall, they are not dominant right now. The Chinese are more dominant, and the Russians have risen. Ukraine is very strong now. But I think that our traditions will still make themselves felt, and, of course, there will be chess players who will be seriously aimed at the world championship.
– What forecast can you give for the next Olympics?
– I think this generation can also achieve results in team competitions. I can’t say for sure whether Georgians will win the Olympics in Khanty-Mansiysk. They just can compete for prizes. Everything will depend on the details. It is very important how the leader plays. Without luck, of course, you can’t go anywhere either... Unfortunately, I won’t go to Khanty-Mansiysk. I will be in Georgia, this is related to my political affairs.
It amazes me that every time at the Olympics the Chinese team fields a new squad. There are probably too many of them.
– So, there is no clear favorite?
– Yes, the main feature in chess now is that there are no stable results. There is no such thing as someone winning several years in a row. The winners change all the time. Therefore, it is difficult to make predictions.
– In his election campaign, Anatoly Karpov said that chess is now in a much worse situation compared to Soviet times. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov gives different assessments. What is your opinion?
– I don’t understand at all how you can not thank Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. My generation, which achieved so much success, always looked weak financially. We received salaries that were enough from month to month. The premiums were small. I received 900 rubles for the World Championship. The prizes abroad were modest. It was then that Fischer ensured that the prizes were raised. And we gave away half of the winnings. Now look how many women's commercial tournaments there are! Here is the World Blitz Championship, the Grand Prix series. There was nothing like it in our time. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov raised the level of average chess players. The first numbers can always earn money. But now there are conditions not only for elite chess players. You can play chess and still feed your family. Not appreciating what he has done is ingratitude. If we talk about the fact that there are no those classic long matches, then life no longer allows it. Chess is speeding up, and now most people watch games via the Internet. Time makes its own adjustments. But the fact that many new tournaments are appearing where you can show results and earn money suggests that chess is not in such a bad situation.
– Many people are worried that spectators do not come to tournaments.
– Just other interests now. Is it Ilyumzhinov’s fault that the audience doesn’t come? Everyone now wants to sit at home, watch games and still do their own thing. Nowadays even qualifying tournaments are held over the Internet. I say that Ilyumzhinov did a lot for chess only because I really think so. How much of his own money did he spend? He gave, and not the other way around. I have always been considered an objective person; I always say what I think.
If we talk about women’s chess, at one time I couldn’t earn enough to buy an apartment, but Dzagnidze had already managed to buy herself an apartment. Evaluate her successes and mine. I have 12 Olympic medals, but I would never have been able to buy an apartment if the state had not given it to me. Modern female chess players do not play better than we did, but they earn more.
But it is clear that women see that men earn much more, so this issue is raised. I think this difference will gradually decrease. At the FIDE Congress, the question was already raised that women need to increase prizes, but not all at once. However, I can reassure women: we earned less than we can earn now.
– But your generation had fame. People recognized you on the street and still do. Dzagnidze is unlikely to be recognized.
- Of course they will recognize me. But to be recognized, you need to be at the top for many years. Now, can you name a chess player who wins everything all the time? Even I need to remember who is the world champion now. Previously, all grandmasters were individuals, they all had their own style, and the depth of the game was different.
– Now you play in the veteran world championships, last year you became the women’s champion.
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– I was once very close to winning the men's championship. At the World Veterans Championship in 2005 in Italy, I played well, everything went well for me. But in the decisive game against Lyuben Spassov, she made a terrible mistake in a winning position. This move with the king on f7 still stands before my eyes! As a result, Spassov won the game and the tournament.
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L. Spassov - N. Gaprindashvili
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Nona Terentyevna Gaprindashvili is considered one of the few female chess players who have held the world championship for many years. Her name is often put on a par with outstanding masters in this sport: Fischer and Karpov. Therefore, the life path of this extraordinary woman deserves attention.
Early years of life and beginning of chess training
The future champion was born in Georgia in 1941. Her father once taught accounting at a technical school in the city of Zugdidi, and her mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. In addition to Nona, the family had 5 more sons. All of them were older than their daughter, and they were the first to become interested in chess, even to the point of participating in tournaments. Thanks to them, Nona herself was introduced to this game, which was the first step on the path to success.
Nona Gaprindashvili first tried her hand at the tournament when she replaced her brother in the competition, who could not participate due to illness. It was then that she achieved success, in a short time she checkmated an opponent who was older and more experienced than her. This victory did not go unnoticed by professionals. Therefore, at the age of 12, Nonna was invited to study at a chess school. The training took place in the Tbilisi Palace of Pioneers.
The first mentor of the future champion was Vakhtan Ilyich Karseladze. It is believed that thanks to his efforts, the women's chess school in Georgia achieved high results. When working with Nona, he skillfully combined the functions of coach, guardian and defender. Sometimes this was necessary during the young chess player’s tournaments due to a particularly violent reaction from observers and fans.
As Nona Naprindashvili’s skill grew, she needed a change of mentor. To prepare for competitions at a higher level, she used the advice of Mikhail Shishov, who was the most famous coach in the USSR. Grandmaster Aivar Gipslis also helped in the development of the young chess player. As a result, already at the age of 15 she becomes the champion of Tbilisi and Georgia.
Important career milestones
A feature of Nona Gaprindanshvili’s work in chess has always been the presence of a goal. And as soon as it was achieved, a new one was immediately installed. This helped the chess player remain the best for many years and not retire upon reaching a respectable age.
Having become the best in Georgia, Nona Gaprindashvili began to prepare to conquer the world. And already at the age of 19 she made her way to the Candidates’ Tournament in the Yugoslav city of Vrnjacka Banja (1961). Here she became the best, beating the second-place chess player by 2 points.
A year later, Nona Gaprindashvili won the championship title for the first time, beating her predecessor Elizaveta Bykova at the tournament. Thus, she became the fifth woman to receive such a high status in the entire history of chess. Since that time, the Georgian chess player has consistently shown high results, confirming the champion title:
- victory in fights with Alla Kushnir in Tbilisi and Riga (1965, 1969, 1972), with Nana Alexandria in 1975;
- first places in the USSR chess championships held among women in 1964, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1983, 1985;
- During her career, Nona Gaprindashvili became the winner of the World Chess Olympiads as a member of the USSR national team at least ten times;
- After the collapse of the USSR, she joined the Georgian national team, which became the best at the Chess Olympiad in 1992.
In addition to matches with strong female chess players, Nona Gaprindashvili also tried her hand at games among men. This career path also bore fruit due to the versatile playing style of the chess player. In some cases she uses openings. In other situations, intuition comes to the rescue. According to the chess player herself, this feeling sometimes prompted decisions that turned the course of the game. The most memorable games are described in a separate book created by Nona Gaprindashvili.
The strong point of the Georgian chess player has always been blitz play. Therefore, she often took part in tournaments dedicated to this type of chess. At the same time, time during a duel on the chessboard was not always measured in hours. So, in the English competition, the move was made at the signal of the gong. And any delay by the player was automatically regarded as a loss. However, this was the indescribable atmosphere of the game in Foggy Albion.
Major events include victories at a side tournament in Hastings, the US Open in Lone Pine, Reggio Emilia, and Wijk aan Zee. All this led to Nano Naprindashvili becoming the first woman to receive international grandmaster status among men. This happened in 1978. A similar status among women was achieved two years earlier.
Until 1990, the Georgian chess player took an active part in many major competitions. During this period of time, victory in the interzonal tournament in Bad Kissingheg and Kuala Lumpur, as well as second place in a similar competition in Smeredevske-Palanka, are considered important.
For numerous achievements in the field of chess, Nona Gaprindashvili was awarded government awards. So, in 1965, the first regalia of the chess player was the medal “For Labor Distinction”, in 1966 she was awarded the Order of Lenin, in 1985 the grandmaster became the owner of the Order “Badge of Honor”. And three years earlier, a Georgian female grandmaster became the first to be awarded the Chess Oscar.
But even after 1990, Nona Gaprindashvili was not going to stop there. Over the past years, she continued to play in veterans' tournaments, earning new prizes. And many fans are sincerely glad that over the years chess has not faded into the background in her life.
In July 1987, Nonna Gaprindashvili's maximum rating was recorded. It amounted to 2495 points. Now this figure is significantly lower than the record - 2305 points, but still allows him to remain a favorite among modern chess players.
Social activities and personal life
After Georgia became an independent country, Nona Gaprindashvili began to take an active part in its public life. Until 1996, she headed the National Olympic Committee. Another major appointment was the presidency of the IOC. One of the goals of this work was to make decisions that would allow the development and popularization of chess in Georgia.
Nona Gaprindashvili directed her efforts to improve the lives of other people in another way. Since 2002, she was elected as a deputy of the Tbilisi City Council. And in 2008, the female grandmaster began to head the Democratic Party of United Georgia. She worked in this capacity for several years.
Although Nona Gaprindashvili was always a busy person, she tried to pay attention to her son David. From a young age, the boy accompanied his mother to all tournaments. He was always there when she received another award.
Currently, David is an adult. He has his own family and work in the UK. And Nona Gaprindashvili became a good grandmother for her grandson and granddaughter. And although her schedule is still quite busy, she does not forget to devote more time to her family.
Chess player quotes
“I can’t imagine life without a checkered board and wooden figures, sometimes silent, indifferent and monotonous, sometimes eloquent. temperamental and sharply different from one another.”
“Compared to other participants (in men's tournaments), I was in unequal conditions. And not only because men are more resilient both physically and mentally. Not only because men desperately fight until their last breath, tenaciously taking advantage of any chance that comes their way, which is rare in women’s competitions. Men are definitely ashamed to lose to a chess player, even if she is a world champion. They play with me with full dedication of all their strength, even risking losing the next game due to fatigue... Do you think grandmasters, when meeting a woman at the chessboard, show at least a drop of gallantry? No matter how it is!”
“I always had this thought inside me: I play because I want to fight only for the highest awards.”
“I have nothing to hide and nothing to be modest: I have not done anything in my life that I could not explain. And I can be proud of this.”
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