Nana's romance with chess continues

IT ALL began with presents. On her fourth birthday, Nana Alexandria got a chessboard and set as a gift. She loved it.

Then ten years later, while she was still in school, she qualified for the Soviet women's championship, and made a sensation. She finished sixth in the tournament and was presented with a big doll for the best end game, for her win against former World champion Olga Rubtsova. She received the gift from Mikhail Tal. She was overjoyed, and inspired. She was convinced chess was going to be her life.

It still is, though she no longer is a professional player. Now as an administrator with the world chess governing body, FIDE, Nana, who challenged the World title twice, is working overtime to improve the lot of women chess players. She is in New Delhi now as a member of the Appeals Committee of the on-going World chess championship. Earlier this week, she found time to speak to TheHindu about her life and the never ending romance with the game.

Nana, born on October 13, 1949, learnt the game from her father, who she watched play with his friends at their home in Tblise, Georgia. She began to show a lot of promise at a young age, and soon started playing in tournaments, though there were not that many at that time. She won the Georgian championship at the age of 15. ``People started taking note of me when I played in that Soviet women's championship in 1964, in my school uniform and with bows in my hair. I had created quite a sensation,'' she recalls.

Then in 1966 she became the youngest champion in the history of the Soviet women's championship. ``The Soviet championship then was easily the strongest tournament in the world,'' she says. She retained her title the following year, and triumphed for a third time in 1969.

In 1975, she contested the World championship match against Nona Gaprindashvilli at Pitsund and Tbilisi. Though she fought hard in the beginning to make it 1-1, she lost the next two games and could never really recover. She lost 8.5-3.5.

In 1981, she came close to become the World champion. She drew 8- 8 with the defending champion Maya Chiburdanidze, who is also a very good friend of hers. A half-a-point more would have fetched the World title, as Maya needed only a draw to retain her crown. ``That was very disappointing,'' admits Nana.

She won golds in the Olympiad for the former Soviet Union, in 1978 and in 1982. She also captained the Georgian team which won a hat- trick of golds in 1992, 1994 and 1996.

That was the time when Georgia ruled the women's game, absolutely. She is dismayed to see that her country no longer produces players like Maya and Nana. ``There are many reasons for the decline, mainly economical. It is very depressing to find that not even a single Georgian could progress beyond the third round in this World championship here. Remember, for a period of 30 years, the World title was held by Georgian women.''

It is not the cause of the women players in Georgia alone that Nana has been championing for many years. She became the chairperson of the Women's Committee in the FIDE in 1986. Already she has achieved quite a lot as an administrator, a role this energetic, articulate woman obviously relishes.

She succeeded in introducing a separate World championship for the junior girls. And it was her idea to hold the women's World championship, along with the men's event. Says Pravin Thipsay, ``She is a very resourceful, enterprising woman. She also tried to organise a World family chess championship, but it did not work out.''

Nana says she is happy to make contributions to the women's game. ``But there is still a lot more to be done,'' she feels.

Like many chess players in the world, Nana wishes India's Viswanathan Anand wins the World championship this time. ``I like him a lot, and he deserves to be the champion. The game needs a player like Vishy as the World champion. He is such a nice person. He often reminds me of Mikhail Tal, who was also very gentle.''

Nana says she was disappointed by the early elimination of S. Vijayalakshmi from the women's championship. ``She is a very talented girl, and should have done better. I think it was the pressure of playing at home more than anything else that worked against her. And I am glad to see India is doing well in chess now. You really have got the right environment for the development of chess,'' she says.

Nana, who is also kept busy by the activities of the famous Tbilisi chess school back home, says she will continue her association with the game as long she can. That of course is good news for women's chess.

P. K. AJITH KUMAR

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Hobby is serious business for the FIDE boss
Next     : Nkala's cameo keeps series alive