Georgia’s chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili turns 82
Georgia’s five-time World Chess Champion and winner of 11 Chess Olympiad tournaments, Nona Gaprindashvili, turned 82 today. Photo: 1TV
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Georgia’s five-time World Chess Champion Nona Gaprindashvili turned 82 today, with the country’s officials and enthusiasts of the sport sending their messages on the date to the first woman to be awarded the International Chess Federation’s title of Grandmaster.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili called Gaprindashvili “one of the greatest and most prominent chess players in the world, a Grandmaster, and Georgia’s national pride and joy”.
Praising her “phenomenal talent and hard work”, the PM said Gaprindashvili had introduced her country to the wider world and remained a ”household name” in the sport.
I wish good health and vigor to [...] this truly great person and patriot who has dedicated her whole life to her homeland”, Garibashvilii said.
Born in the western Georgian city of Zugdidi in 1941, Gaprindashvili went on to win World Championships in 1962, 1965, 1969, 1972 and 1975, in addition to 11 Chess Olympiad tournaments between 1963-1992. She was recognised with the Grandmaster title in 1978.
She was officially recognised as the greatest Georgian female sportsperson of the 20th Century in 1999, and has served as the Honorary President of Georgia's National Olympic Committee since 1996.
Gaprindashvili has been active in competitions over the recent years, winning the World Senior Chess Championship for players aged above 65 in Bucharest, Romania in 2019.
Her achievements have been recognised in Georgia with public honours, including the naming of Tbilisi's Chess Palace venue after her in 2001, and the state title of the Order of Excellence of Georgia, bestowed on her in 2015.
Gaprindashvili’s achievements in the sport led to her being featured in a number of media productions, including a reference to her in a popular Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit.
In 2021, the Georgian chess legend filed a defamation lawsuit against the company for the reference in an episode of the series, where a remark wrongly said she had “never faced men” during her career.
Netflix settled the dispute with the former multi-World Champion and her legal team last year without the terms of the settlement being disclosed.
Netflix has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the legendary Georgian chess player and five-time world champion Nona Gaprindashvili following a year of legal proceedings over the latter’s claim of defamation in an episode of The Queen’s Gambit television series, entertainment website variety.com reported on Tuesday.
Netflix has refused to remove a disputed reference to Georgian chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili in TV series The Queen’s Gambit, in the latest development in an ongoing lawsuit filed by the five-time world champion against the cinema platform earlier this month.
Legendary Georgian chess player and five-time world champion Nona Gaprindashvili has filed a lawsuit against Netflix over its hit series - The Queen’s Gambit.The series is based on a 1983 novel and focuses on the rise of fictional chess player Beth Harmon.In the final episode Harmon is described as the only female champion who faced men.
“Happy Birthday, Nona!” - the world-known Argentinian football player Lionel Messi has sent a signed T-shirt to Georgia's chess legend and five-time world champion Nona Gaprindashvili on her 80th anniversary.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Thursday awarded Nona Gaprindashvili, the Georgian chess legend, the Order of King Tamar for her “invaluable contribution to raising awareness of Georgia and forming a positive attitude towards the country, as well as for her unique sports achievements”.