Maia Chiburdanidze facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maia Chiburdanidzeმაია ჩიბურდანიძე |
|
|---|---|
Maia Chiburdanidze, Thessaloniki 1984
|
|
| Country | Soviet Union → Georgia |
| Born | 17 January 1961 Kutaisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1984) |
| Women's World Champion | 1978–1991 |
| FIDE rating | 2500 (June 2025) [inactive] |
| Peak rating | 2560 (January 1988) |
| Peak ranking | No. 48 (January 1988) |
Maia Chiburdanidze (Georgian: მაია ჩიბურდანიძე; born January 17, 1961) is a famous Georgian chess player. She holds the highest title in chess, called Grandmaster. Maia was the sixth Women's World Chess Champion. She held this important title for 13 years, from 1978 to 1991.
When she won, Maia was the youngest world champion ever. This record was later broken in 2010 by Hou Yifan. Maia Chiburdanidze was also the second woman in history to become a Grandmaster. This special title was given to her by FIDE, the world chess organization, in 1984. She has also helped her teams win nine gold medals at the Women's Chess Olympiad.
Contents
Becoming a Chess Star
Early Life and First Wins
Maia Chiburdanidze was born in Kutaisi, which was part of the Soviet Union at the time. She started playing chess when she was about eight years old. She quickly became very good at the game.
In 1976, she won the championship for girls in the USSR. Just one year later, she won the women's national title. In 1977, FIDE gave her the title of Woman Grandmaster.
Rising Through Tournaments
Maia won her very first international tournament in Braşov in 1974. She was only 13 years old then! She won another tournament in Tbilisi in 1975. These wins helped her enter the women's world championship competition in 1976/77.
Her chess style was strong and attacking. It was based on classic chess ideas. A top Soviet coach named Eduard Gufeld helped her a lot when she was young.
World Champion Years (1978–1991)
Winning the World Title
In 1976, Maia Chiburdanidze finished second in a big tournament in Tbilisi. This meant she could play in the 1977 Candidates matches. She played very well and reached the final. There, she beat Alla Kushnir in a close match.
This win set up a world title match against Nona Gaprindashvili. Nona was the reigning women's world champion. The match took place in Pitsunda, Georgia. Maia defeated Nona by a score of 8½–6½. This made Maia the new Women's World Chess Champion!
Defending Her Title
Maia successfully defended her world title four times against different challengers.
- In 1981, she drew 8–8 with Nana Alexandria to keep her title.
- Three years later, in 1984, she beat Irina Levitina by 8½–5½.
- In 1986, she won against Elena Akhmilovskaya by 8½–5½.
- Her last defense was in 1988, when she beat Nana Ioseliani by 8½–7½.
In 1984, FIDE gave Maia Chiburdanidze the title of Grandmaster. She was only the second woman ever to receive this high honor, after Nona Gaprindashvili.
Losing the Title and Later Efforts
End of a Long Reign
In February 1991, Xie Jun from China earned the right to challenge Maia for the world championship. Maia lost her title to the young Chinese player in Manila by a score of 8½–6½.
Her reign as champion lasted for 13 years. This was the third longest reign in women's chess history. Only Vera Menchik (17 years) and Nona Gaprindashvili (16 years) held the title longer.
Trying to Win Back the Title
After losing her title, Maia tried to become world champion again. However, it became harder because of strong players from China and the amazing Polgár sisters.
Her best result after 1991 was winning a tournament in Tilburg in 1994. But she lost a playoff match to Zsuzsa Polgár. Even though she didn't like the knockout style of the world championships, she kept playing. She reached the semi-finals in 2001, losing to Zhu Chen. In 2004, she again reached the semi-finals, where she lost to Antoaneta Stefanova.
Other Chess Achievements
Playing in Open Tournaments
Maia Chiburdanidze believes that there should be no difference between men's and women's chess. She hopes for a time when all tournaments are open to everyone. She often played in "men's" tournaments around the world. Her best performances were in the 1980s and early 1990s.
She won tournaments in New Delhi (1984) and Banja Luka (1985). She also finished third in Bilbao (1987) against very strong players. In the 1990s, she won tournaments in Belgrade (1992), Vienna (1993), and Lippstadt (1995, 1996, 1997). She was the first woman to win elite tournaments where everyone played each other.
Team Successes
Maia was a very important player for the USSR team. This team was dominant in the women's Olympiads during the 1980s. When Georgia became an independent country in 1990, she played on the top board for the new Georgian national team. This team won four gold medals at the Olympiads, in 1992, 1994, 1996, and 2008.
She also played in the European Team Championships in 1997, where Georgia won gold. In 2001, she played in a special match between Europe and Asia. At the 2008 Dresden Olympiad, she played on Board 1 for Georgia. Her team won the gold medal, and she also won a gold medal for her own great performance. She played her last tournament in July 2012.
Honors and Recognition
Maia Chiburdanidze has received many honors from her country. Several postage stamps have been made to celebrate her chess achievements. For example, Mongolia released a stamp in 1986 showing a position from one of her games.
In 2014, she was added to the World Chess Hall of Fame. This is a very special honor for chess legends. In 2021, Maia appeared in a documentary film called Glory to the Queen. She was featured alongside other famous Georgian chess players like Nana Alexandria, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Nana Ioseliani.
See also
In Spanish: Maia Chiburdanidze para niños
