The 1975 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Nona Gaprindashvili, who successfully defended her title against challenger Nana Alexandria. This was Gaprindashvili's fourth title defense - and the last successful one.
An Interzonal tournament was held in Menorca in October and November 1973, featuring the best players from each FIDE zone. A total of 20 players took part, with the top four qualifying for the Candidates Tournament. Kozlovskaya won the tournament and progressed directly, while the four players tied for second place contested a playoff from which one (Konopleva) was eliminated.
Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Points | Tie break | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Valentina Kozlovskaya (Soviet Union) | - | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13½ | |
2 | Marta Shul (Soviet Union) | 1 | - | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 13 | 112.25 |
3 | Natalia Konopleva (Soviet Union) | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 110.00 |
4 | Irina Levitina (Soviet Union) | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 107.25 |
5 | Nana Alexandria (Soviet Union) | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | - | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 104.00 |
6 | Jana Hartson (England) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 12 | 106.00 |
7 | Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Soviet Union) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 98.00 |
8 | Alexandra Nicolau (Romania) | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 95.00 |
9 | Zsuzsa Veroci (Hungary) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11½ | |
10 | Elisabeta Polihroniade (Romania) | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | - | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 11 | 100.50 |
11 | Katarina Jovanović (Yugoslavia) | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | - | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 88.00 |
12 | Gertrude Baumstark (Romania) | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9½ | |
13 | Milunka Lazarević (Yugoslavia) | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | - | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
14 | Pepita Ferrer (Spain) | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | - | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 8½ | |
15 | Eva Ladanyike-Karakas (Hungary) | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 7½ | |
16 | Ljubica Zivkovic (Yugoslavia) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | - | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
17 | Ruth Volgl Cardoso (Brazil) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | - | ½ | 0 | ½ | 4½ | |
18 | Eva Aronson (USA) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | - | 1 | ½ | 3½ | 20.25 |
19 | Linda Maddern (Australia) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 3½ | 17.75 |
20 | Ruth Donnelly (USA) | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | - | 2 |
The top three from the Interzonal were supposed to have been joined by Alla Kushnir, the loser of the last championship match. However, Kushnir had recently fled the Soviet Union and was unable to participate, so instead four players qualified from the Interzonal (Kushnir later settled in Israel and went on to represent her new country in the next championship cycle).
These four players contested a knock-out series of matches. Alexandria won, earning the right to challenge reigning champion Gaprindashvili.
1st Round |
Final |
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Riga, May-June 1974 | ||||||||||
Nana Alexandria | 5½ | |||||||||
Marta Shul | 2½ | Moscow, Feb-Mar 1975 | ||||||||
Nana Alexandria | 9 | |||||||||
Kislovodsk, May-June 1974 | Irina Levitina | 8 | ||||||||
Irina Levitina | 6½ | |||||||||
Valentina Kozlovskaya | 5½ |
The championship match was played in Pitsunda and Tbilisi in 1975. In the end, Alexandria was no match for Gaprindashvili, who retained her title by a comfortable margin.
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nona Gaprindashvili (Soviet Union) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8½ |
Nana Alexandria (Soviet Union) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3½ |