# Women's World Chess Championship 1978

The 1978 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Maia Chiburdanidze, who defeated the incumbent champion Nona Gaprindashvili At only 17 years of age, Chiburdanidze became the sixth and youngest Women's World Champion (Gaprindashvili had been 20 when she first won the title).

## 1976 Interzonals

For the first time, the women's cycle contained not one but two Interzonal tournaments, held in Roosendaal, Netherlands and Tbilisi, Georgian SSR in November and December 1976, featuring the best players from each FIDE zone. A total of 25 players took part, with the top three from each Interzonal qualifying for the Candidates Tournament.
Akhmilovskaya and former three-time challenger Kushnir (now representing Israel) shared first place in Roosendaal, while Lematschko took the third and last spot in the Candidates after a playoff against van der Mije.
In Tbilisi, Fatalibekova won, half a point ahead of Kozlovskaya and 15-year-old prodigy Chiburdanidze.
    1976 Women's Interzonal, Roosendaal Player1234567891011121314PointsTie break 1 Elena Akhmilovskaya (Soviet Union)-½01½1½½11½1119½54.25 2 Alla Kushnir (Israel)½-½01½½1111½119½54.00 3 Alexandra van der Mije (Netherlands)1½-1½½1½½0½111954.75 4 Tatjana Lematschko (Bulgaria)010-01½111½111949.00 5 Zsuzsa Veroci (Hungary)½0½1-½10½1½1118½ 6 Jana Malypetrová (England)0½½0½-½1½½1½117½ 7 Liudmila Belavenets (Soviet Union)½½0½0½-½½11½½17 8 Tatyana Fomina (Soviet Union)½0½010½-01½½116½34.75 9 Milunka Lazarević (Yugoslavia)00½0½½½1-0½1116½32.50 10 Corry Vreeken (Netherlands)00100½001-1½1½5½ 11 Ruth Orton (USA)½0½½½00½½0-1015 12 Maria Cristina de Oliveira (Brazil)0½000½½½0½0-1½4 13 Ilse de Caro (Colombia)000000½00010-12½ 14 Rita Gramignani (Italy)000000000½0½0-1
    1976 Women's Interzonal, Tbilisi Player1234567891011PointsTie break 1 Elena Fatalibekova (Soviet Union)-½1½½½½1½117 2 Maia Chiburdanidze (Soviet Union)½-10½11½1½½6½31.25 3 Valentina Kozlovskaya (Soviet Union)00-11½½11½16½28.75 4 Marta Litinskaya (Soviet Union)½10-1½½½011628.00 5 Mária Ivánka (Hungary)½½00-½1½111625.00 6 Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Soviet Union)½0½½½-0½1½15 7 Petra Feustel (East Germany)½0½½01-½½014½21.00 8 Gertrude Baumstark (Romania)0½0½½½½-½1½4½20.00 9 Brigitte Hofmann (East Germany)½00100½½-½14 10 Diane Savereide (USA)0½½00½10½-03 11 Narelle Kellner (Australia)0½00000½01-2

## 1977-78 Candidates matches

The top three from each of the two Interzonals were joined by seeded players Alexandria and Levitina, the finalists from the last Candidates Tournament. These eight players contested a knock-out series of matches. Sixteen-year-old Chiburdanidze beat Kushnir in the final, earning the right to challenge reigning champion Gaprindashvili.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| Tbilisi, Apr-May 1977 | Tbilisi, Apr-May 1977 | Tbilisi, Apr-May 1977 | | | | | | |
| Maia Chiburdanidze | Maia Chiburdanidze | 5½ | | | | | | |
| Maia Chiburdanidze | Maia Chiburdanidze | 5½ | Tallinn, Sep–Oct 1977 | Tallinn, Sep–Oct 1977 | Tallinn, Sep–Oct 1977 | | | |
| Nana Alexandria | Nana Alexandria | 4½ | Tallinn, Sep–Oct 1977 | Tallinn, Sep–Oct 1977 | Tallinn, Sep–Oct 1977 | | | |
| Nana Alexandria | Nana Alexandria | 4½ | Maia Chiburdanidze | Maia Chiburdanidze | 6½ | | | |
| Sofia, May–June 1977 | Sofia, May–June 1977 | Sofia, May–June 1977 | Maia Chiburdanidze | Maia Chiburdanidze | 6½ | | | |
| Sofia, May–June 1977 | Sofia, May–June 1977 | Sofia, May–June 1977 | Elena Akhmilovskaya | Elena Akhmilovskaya | 5½ | | | |
| Elena Akhmilovskaya | Elena Akhmilovskaya | 6½ | Elena Akhmilovskaya | Elena Akhmilovskaya | 5½ | | | |
| Elena Akhmilovskaya | Elena Akhmilovskaya | 6½ | | | | Bad Kissingen, Jan 1978 | Bad Kissingen, Jan 1978 | Bad Kissingen, Jan 1978 |
| Tatjana Lematschko | Tatjana Lematschko | 5½ | | | | Bad Kissingen, Jan 1978 | Bad Kissingen, Jan 1978 | Bad Kissingen, Jan 1978 |
| Tatjana Lematschko | Tatjana Lematschko | 5½ | | | | Maia Chiburdanidze | Maia Chiburdanidze | 7½ |
| Dortmund, May–June 1977 | Dortmund, May–June 1977 | Dortmund, May–June 1977 | | | | Maia Chiburdanidze | Maia Chiburdanidze | 7½ |
| Dortmund, May–June 1977 | Dortmund, May–June 1977 | Dortmund, May–June 1977 | | | | Alla Kushnir | Alla Kushnir | 6½ |
| Alla Kushnir | Alla Kushnir | 6 | | | | Alla Kushnir | Alla Kushnir | 6½ |
| Alla Kushnir | Alla Kushnir | 6 | West Berlin, Sep–Oct 1977 | West Berlin, Sep–Oct 1977 | West Berlin, Sep–Oct 1977 | | | |
| Irina Levitina | Irina Levitina | 3 | West Berlin, Sep–Oct 1977 | West Berlin, Sep–Oct 1977 | West Berlin, Sep–Oct 1977 | | | |
| Irina Levitina | Irina Levitina | 3 | Alla Kushnir | Alla Kushnir | 6½ | | | |
| Sochi, Apr-May 1977 | Sochi, Apr-May 1977 | Sochi, Apr-May 1977 | Alla Kushnir | Alla Kushnir | 6½ | | | |
| Sochi, Apr-May 1977 | Sochi, Apr-May 1977 | Sochi, Apr-May 1977 | Elena Fatalibekova | Elena Fatalibekova | 3½ | | | |
| Elena Fatalibekova | Elena Fatalibekova | 6 | Elena Fatalibekova | Elena Fatalibekova | 3½ | | | |
| Valentina Kozlovskaya | Valentina Kozlovskaya | 2 | | | | | | |

## 1978 Championship Match

The championship match was played in Tbilisi from August 19 to October 12, 1978. A close match ended with a victory for 17-year-old Chiburdanidze against her twenty-year older opponent.
    Women's World Championship Match 1978 123456789101112131415Total  Maia Chiburdanidze (Soviet Union) ½½½11½0½1½0½1½½8½  Nona Gaprindashvili (Soviet Union) ½½½00½1½0½1½0½½6½