In Gallipoli, at the Senior World Championships, three female Grandmasters are competing. I don’t mean players with the title of WGM (Women’s Grandmaster), but with the actual title of GM (Grandmaster), which, although it’s not specified, is considered to have been achieved in the Open category, therefore without distinction of gender. I’m talking about Nona Gaprindashvili (Women’s Over 65) and Pia Cramling and Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (Women’s Over 50).
A curious thing about the GM title earned by women is that so far (and hopefully for a very long time) it seems to guarantee longevity. The numbers speak for themselves: from 1978 to today, 44 players have achieved the title, and all are still alive and, most of them, active at the chessboard!
The first woman to be named Grandmaster was, needless to say, Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978, when she was 37. Moving on to another Georgian, Maia Chiburdanidze, and the two Polgar sisters (Susan and Judit—of the three, Sofia never won the title), we arrive at the fifth GM in chronological order: Pia Cramling, who won the title in 1992 at the age of 28.
In 2008, the title was won by Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant. Originally Georgian and then Scottish after marrying chess player Jonathan Grant, she is the player who became a GM the latest, at 40. This characteristic of maintaining a high level of play despite her age is still present, as after seven rounds she is firmly in the top spots in the Over-50 tournament.
Let’s see how she managed to force her position against the American Tsokidova.
[Site “Gallipoli (ITA)”]
[Date “2025.10.20”]
[Round “4”]
[White “Natalia Tsodikova”]
[Black “Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant”]
[Result “0-1”][SetUp “1”]
[FEN “3r4/8/1p2bpp1/pPp1k3/P1PpPpP1/3B1P1P/4RK2/8 b – – 6 47”]
{[#] Black’s position is visually superior (White’s bishop has long since been transformed into a pawn, and the pawn passed to d4 represents a clear advantage), but it’s unclear whether and how Black can open the position. After several preparatory moves, Arakhamia-Grant decides it’s time to turn the game around.}
47… Bxc4 48. Bxc4 d3 49. Rd2 Rd4 50. Bf7?
({White can’t bring himself to give the piece back with} 50. Bxd3 c4 51. Ke2 cxd3+ 52. Kxd3 Kxa4 {believing the endgame would be lost. In reality after} 53. h4 {Black’s advantage is minimal and both players have something to play for.})
50… g5
({Simple and decisive. })
51… Ke1
({It did not save} 51. Kg2 c4 52. Bxc4 Rxc4 53. Rxd3 Rxa4 {and White has no counterplay on the kingside.})
51… c4 52. Kd1
({Leaving the two passed pawns alive can only hasten the defeat, but also} 52. Bxc4 {left Black with a big advantage as we have seen.})
52… c3 53. Ra2 Rb4
({Now everything is easy. The white bishop has gone from being a pawn to being a useless and out-of-play piece: not a great improvement…})
54… Ra1 Kd4 55. Bd5 Rb2 56. Ke1 Rh2 0-1
[/pgn]
Nona Gaprindashvili is currently second in the Over 65 tournament behind the “young” Russian Galina Strutinskaia (68 years old), but her eye for tactics is still keen as we can see in the conclusion of her match against the Russian Tatiana Bogumil.
Nona Gaprindashvili has young admirers in Salento too (photo by Roberto Cassano, edited)
[Site “Gallipoli (ITA)”][Date “2025.10.26”]
[Round “6”]
[White “Tatiana Bogumil”]
[Black “Nona Gaprindashvili”]
[Result “0-1”]
[SetUp “1”]
[FEN “r5k1/1p3pbp/2qp2p1/8/2P1P3/3B4/4KPPP/rR1Q3R b – – 5 29”]
{[#] It’s clear that the white king is too easy a target to identify. Nona does so with admirable effectiveness.}
29… R1a2+ 30. Kf3
({After} 30. Kf1 {decides} 30… Bd4 {and the attack on f2 is unstoppable.})
30… Qc5 31. Rf1
({It would not have saved White} 31. Qf1 K8a3 32. Kd1 Bd4 {with a quick catastrophe on f2. After this move, however, Black has a nice sequence, geometrically pleasing to see.})
31… Qh5+ 32. Ke3
({After} 32. Kg3 Be5+ 33. f4 Qg5+ 34. Qg4 Rxg2+ {Black wins quickly.})
32… Bd4+!
({Luring Sacrifice!})
33. Kxd4 Qc5+ 34. Kc3 K8a3+ 35. Kb3 Qe5+ {and White resigns 0-1. The continuation would have been} 36. Kb4 Qa5#
[/pgn]
The Open tournaments have seen some changes in the lead, but anything is possible in the final four rounds.
Currently, the Over 50s are led by Israeli Victor Mikhalevski, half a point ahead of six players, including our own Fabio Bellini and Michele Godena.
You can watch a short interview with Michele here, who will play White on board one today against Mikhalevski: a great opportunity to try to take the lead in the tournament: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPml-uKQzJc&t=2s
The Over 60s are once again led by an Israeli, Alexander Mikhalevski, who has caught up with Ukrainian Alexander Reprintsev. Thirteen players are trailing, all within half a point of each other. The best of our players is Lexy Ortega, one point behind the top two.
Now the final stretch begins, which will conclude on November 1st with the 11th and final round.
Translated from the original Italian version
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