MARK RUBERY CHESS

Nona Gaprindashvili was without doubt the most dominant Women’s World Champion having held the highest title from 19621978. Born in 1941, she was the first lady to play in GM events and emerge with a creditable score.

In 1978 she became the first woman to be awarded the Grandmaster title as a result of winning Lone Pine 1977 against a field of 45 players, mostly grandmasters. Here she fields a few questions:

Q: What part of your life does chess play now?

NG: I am still very interested in chess. Every time that I get invited I respond with pleasure – no matter if it is a tournament, or just to pay a visit for some chess event. I love chess, and I cannot quit this pleasure – if you quit all the nice things in life you will grow old immediately. I take part in blitz tournaments and in senior tournaments, where I am doing quite well.

Q: Do you think that female players should not take part in male events?

NG: Yes, men and women should play separately, since male players have a number of advantages before the start of the game. Firstly from their birth boys are genetically predisposed to fight. Secondly the physiological processes that occur and male and female bodies are not in favour of the latter when we speak about chess. Thirdly the psychological stability that is better in men. And lastly a female’s active chess life ends when she creates a family, or in best case until she has a child. From this moment on she can never dedicate herself to chess, while the man, if he has earned enough and has taken good care of his family, can be “excluded” from his parent’s obligations. If we summarize all this you will understand why women should not compete in male tournaments.

Q: Do you think that there is an optimal age for a good chess player?

NG: No. Unless longevity depends on the sum factors: chess talent, physical health, and psychological stability. The summary of these components determines the long lasting good chess form.

WHITE TO PLAY

In 2022 she successfully sued Netflix for a line in its hit series The Queen’s Gambit calling the assertion “grossly sexist and belittling”. The line in question was: “There’s Nona Gaprindashvili, but she’s the female world champion and has never faced men.”