Elisaveta Ivanovna Bykova (or ''Elisabeth Bykova'',

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: Елизаве́та Ива́новна Бы́кова; 4 November 1913 – 8 March 1989) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

player and twice

Women's World Chess Champion The Women's World Chess Championship is a chess match played to determine the Women's World Chess Champion. It has been administered by FIDE since its inception in 1927, unlike the absolute World Chess Championship, which only came under FIDE's ...

, from 1953 until 1956, and again from 1958 to 1962. She was awarded the titles of

Woman International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

in 1950,

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

in 1953, and

Woman Grandmaster FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

in 1976. In 2013, she was inducted into the

World Chess Hall of Fame The World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) is a nonprofit collecting institution in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1984, it features chess exhibits, engages in educational outreach, and maintains a ...

Career

Bykova was born to a peasant family. When she was twelve, her family moved to Moscow, where she began to play chess with her brother. Her talent became apparent in 1927, when she won her school's chess championship. In 1938, she won the women's Moscow championship and after the Second World War she was a three-time winner of the

Women's Soviet Chess Championship The Women's Soviet Chess Championship was played in the Soviet Union from 1927 through 1991 to determine the women's chess national champion. The championship was not played on a regular basis in the years 1927–1937 and there was a break durin ...

(1946, 1947 and 1950). After winning in 1952 the Women's

Candidates Tournament The Candidates Tournament (or in some periods Candidates Matches) is a chess tournament organized by FIDE, chess's international governing body, since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The win ...

in Moscow, in 1953 she defeated in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

the reigning champion

Lyudmila Rudenko Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko (, ; 27 July 1904 – 4 March 1986) was a Soviet chess player and the second women's world chess champion, from 1950 until 1953. Rudenko was awarded the FIDE titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Interna ...

, with seven wins, five losses, and two draws. She lost the title to

Olga Rubtsova Olga Nikolayevna Rubtsova (; 20 August 1909 – 13 December 1994) was a Soviet chess player and the fourth women's world chess champion. In 2015, she was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Career Rubtsova won the Soviet Women's Champ ...

in 1956, but won it back two years later, becoming the first woman to do so. In 1960, she defended successfully the title against

Kira Zvorykina Kira Alekseyevna Zvorykina (, ; September 29, 1919 – September 6, 2014) was a Soviet chess player who spent many years living in Belarus. She was a three-time winner of the Women's Soviet Championship. In 2018, she was inducted into the World C ...

(+6 –2 =5), but in 1962, she lost the title against the 21-year-old

Nona Gaprindashvili Nona Gaprindashvili ( ka, ნონა გაფრინდაშვილი; born 3 May 1941) is a Georgian chess Grandmaster. Noted for her aggressive style of play, she was the women's world chess champion from 1962 to 1978, and in 1978 ...

(+0 –7 =4). She worked as an engineer in a large Moscow printing house, and was also an author and columnist about chess in the USSR. Passionate about women's chess, Bykova also wrote three books about

Vera Menchik Vera Francevna Mencikova (, ''Vera Frantsevna Menchik''; ; 16 February 1906 – 26 June 1944), was a Russian-born Czechoslovak chess player who primarily resided in England. She was the first and longest-reigning Women's World Chess Champ ...

, Soviet women chess players, and the Women's World Championship. She also promoted chess through lectures and the organization of tournaments.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bykova, Elisaveta 1913 births 1989 deaths Women's world chess champions Chess International Masters Chess Woman Grandmasters Soviet female chess players Soviet chess players Russian female chess players Russian chess players Russian chess writers People from Suzdalsky District 20th-century Russian sportswomen