# Women's World Chess Championship 1981

The 1981 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Maia Chiburdanidze, who successfully defended her title against challenger Nana Alexandria after a closely fought match, which ended in an 8-8 tie.

## 1979 Interzonals

Like the previous one, this championship cycle contained two Interzonal tournaments, held in Rio de Janeiro in September and Alicante in October 1979, featuring the best players from each FIDE zone. A total of 35 players took part, with the top three from Rio (17 players) and the top four from Alicante (18 players) qualifying for the Candidates' matches.
Ioseliani won convincingly in Rio, 2½ points ahead of Veroci-Petronic and Alexandria.
In Alicante, Lematschko and Akhmilovskaya shared first place, well ahead of Gurieli and Litinskaya. However, Lematschko subsequently defected from socialist Bulgaria and was unable to take part in the Candidates' matches, so her place was given to Fischdick as fourth-placed from the Rio Interzonal (on tie-breaks). Lematschko later settled in Switzerland and reached the Candidates' matches again in the following cycle, representing her new country.
    1979 Women's Interzonal, Rio de Janeiro Player1234567891011121314151617PointsTie break 1 Nana Ioseliani (Soviet Union)-½11½111111111½1114½ 2 Zsuzsa Veroci-Petronic (Hungary)½-1½½½½½1½11111½112 3 Nana Alexandria (Soviet Union)00-½½10110111111111 4 Gisela Fischdick (West Germany)0½½-½11½11½01½½1110½74.50 5 Elisabeta Polihroniade (Romania)½½½½-½1½½½½01111110½73.50 6 Valentina Kozlovskaya (Soviet Union)0½00½-11½1110½½119½63.25 7 Milunka Lazarević (Yugoslavia)0½1000-01111101119½60.50 8 Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Soviet Union)0½0½½01-½00111111955.50 9 Kveta Eretova (Czechoslovakia)0000½½0½-111111½1954.25 10 Borislava Borisova (Sweden)0½10½0010-1½0½1118 11 Jana Miles (England)000½½00100-1½11117½ 12 Rachel Crotto (USA)000110000½0-1½½116½38.50 13 Rohini Khadilkar (India)0000010001½0-11116½33.25 14 Barbara Hund (West Germany)000½0½100½0½0-1116 15 Edith Soppe (Argentina)½00½0½00000½00-114 16 Ruth Volgl Cardoso (Brazil)0½000000½000000-½1½ 17 Ana Luisa Carvajal (Cuba)000000000000000½-½
    1979 Women's Interzonal, Alicante Player123456789101112131415161718PointsTie break 1 Tatjana Lematschko (Bulgaria)-½111½1101½½½1111113½107.75 2 Elena Akhmilovskaya (Soviet Union)½-½101111101½1111113½104.50 3 Nino Gurieli (Soviet Union)0½-001½11½½111111112 4 Marta Litinskaya (Soviet Union)001-0001½11111111111½ 5 Diane Savereide (USA)0111-½00011½½11½1111 6 Elena Fatalibekova (Soviet Union)½001½-0010½111111110½ 7 Mária Ivánka (Hungary)00½111-11½½1½0001110 8 Maaja Ranniku (Soviet Union)0000110-½1½½0½11119 9 Nieves García (Spain)100½100½-110½½0½118½65.25 10 Gertrude Baumstark (Romania)00½001½00-½01111118½54.50 11 Alexandra van der Mije (Netherlands)½1½00½½½0½-½½01½½1864.75 12 Asela De Armas (Cuba)½000½00½11½-1101½½858.25 13 Gordana Marković (Yugoslavia)½½00½0½1½0½0-½10106½53.00 14 Olivera Prokopovic (Yugoslavia)0000001½½010½-01116½40.00 15 Nava Shterenberg (Canada)00000010100101-0116 16 Berna Carrasco (Chile)0000½010½0½0101-0½5 17 Narelle Kellner (Australia)0000000000½½0001-½2½14.25 18 Miyoko Watai (Japan)00000000000½100½½-2½14.25

## 1980–81 Candidates' matches

The seven qualifiers from the two Interzonals were joined by ex-champion Gaprindashvili, who had been seeded into the tournament.
These eight players contested a knock-out series of matches. The semifinal Ioseliani-Gaprindashvili ended 7-7; in the end, Ioseliani won the lucky draw and advanced to the final. Here she lost to Alexandria, who earned the right to challenge the reigning champion for the second time (after 1975).
| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| Kislovodsk, Mar 1980 | Kislovodsk, Mar 1980 | | | |
| Nana Alexandria | 5½ | | | |
| Nana Alexandria | 5½ | Vilnius, Sep 1980 | Vilnius, Sep 1980 | | |
| Elena Akhmilovskaya | 3½ | Vilnius, Sep 1980 | Vilnius, Sep 1980 | |
| Elena Akhmilovskaya | 3½ | Nana Alexandria | 7 | |
| Baden-Baden, Mar 1980 | Baden-Baden, Mar 1980 | | Nana Alexandria | 7 | |
| Baden-Baden, Mar 1980 | Baden-Baden, Mar 1980 | Marta Litinskaya | 5 | |
| Marta Litinskaya | 4½ | Marta Litinskaya | 5 | |
| Marta Litinskaya | 4½ | | | | Tbilisi, Jan 1981 | Tbilisi, Jan 1981 |
| Gisela Fischdick | 3½ | | | | Tbilisi, Jan 1981 | Tbilisi, Jan 1981 |
| Gisela Fischdick | 3½ | | | | Nana Alexandria | 6½ |
| Donji Milanovac, Mar 1980 | Donji Milanovac, Mar 1980 | | | | | Nana Alexandria | 6½ |
| Donji Milanovac, Mar 1980 | Donji Milanovac, Mar 1980 | | | | Nana Ioseliani | 2½ |
| Nana Ioseliani | 6 | | | | Nana Ioseliani | 2½ |
| Nana Ioseliani | 6 | Tbilisi, Sep 1980 | Tbilisi, Sep 1980 | | | |
| Zsuzsa Veroci-Petronic | 3 | Tbilisi, Sep 1980 | Tbilisi, Sep 1980 | | | |
| Zsuzsa Veroci-Petronic | 3 | Nana Ioseliani | 7 | | | |
| Tbilisi, Mar 1980 | Tbilisi, Mar 1980 | | Nana Ioseliani | 7 | | | |
| Tbilisi, Mar 1980 | Tbilisi, Mar 1980 | Nona Gaprindashvili | 7 | |
| Nona Gaprindashvili | 6 | Nona Gaprindashvili | 7 | |
| Nino Gurieli | 3 | | | |

## 1981 Championship Match

The championship match was played in Borjomi and Tbilisi in 1981. A tough match went the full 16 games and ended in an 8-8 tie, with champion Chiburdanidze thus retaining her title.
    Women's World Championship Match 1981 12345678910111213141516Total  Maia Chiburdanidze (Soviet Union) ½½½½011½100½½½108  Nana Alexandria (Soviet Union) ½½½½100½011½½½018