Elizabeth Bykova Bio (Third and Fifth Women’s World Chess Champion)

Elisabeth Bykova

Third and Fifth Women’s World Chess Champion

Elisabeth Bykova was the third was a Sovietchess player and the third and fifth Women's World Chess Champion, from 1953 until 1956, and again from 1958 to 1962. Rudenko was born on November 4, 1913 in Bogolyubovo, Russian Empire and died March 8, 1989 in Moscow, Soviet Union). She was awarded the title of Woman International Master in 1950, International Master in 1953, and Woman Grandmaster in 1976.

Elisabeth Bykova was raised in a large peasant family. After graduating from elementary school she moved to her older brother, Basil, who lived in Moscow in another family of three daughters. It was here where Elisabeth became acquainted with chess and for the first time in fourteen years took part in school competitions. However, Elisabeth could not play serious chess because of school. After grade school she went to the Planning and Economic College and then the Institute of Economic Accounting which kept her away from serious chess study.

After graduation, Bykova went to work at "ЦУНХУ" (Central Statistical Directorate of the former Soviet Union). In those years, the future women's world champion played chess from time to time and didn't know much chess theory. Despite her lack of serious attention to chess, Elisabeth had a hidden talent in chess which was her perseverance in achieving goals, persistence in failure, and her will to work hard.

Elisabeth Bykova also had many other sporting hobbies which helped to cultivate her character - ice skating, tennis, bicycling in the Red Square, and motorbiking.She worked as an engineer in a large Moscow printing house, and was also an author and columnist about chess in the USSR. Passionate about women’s chess, Bykova also wrote three books about Vera Menchik, Soviet women chess players, and the Women’s World Championship. She also promoted chess through lectures and the organization of tournaments.