Women's World Champion #6
1978–1991
Soviet Union (Georgia)
Maia Chiburdanidze
Became champion at just 17 — the youngest Women's World Champion ever at the time — and held the title for 13 years.
Photo: Gerhard Hund · CC BY 3.0 / GFDL 1.2
Biography
Born in 1961 in Soviet Georgia, Chiburdanidze dethroned fellow Georgian Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978 at age 17, then went on to defend the title successfully throughout the 1980s.
She finally lost it in 1991 to China's Xie Jun — ending 41 unbroken years of Soviet players holding the Women's World Championship, dating all the way back to Rudenko's 1950 win.
Playing Style
Sharp and universal, considered one of the strongest women players of the 20th century by rating.
Notable Games
1978 Championship win over Gaprindashvili
The match that made her champion at 17, a record for youngest Women's World Champion that stood for over a decade.
Fun Facts
- Her loss in 1991 ended 41 consecutive years of Soviet women holding the Women's World Championship.