Nona Gaprindashvili: What We Believe About Success

It takes talent and hard work to win a championship, but mental and physical strength and personality traits are equally important

What do you believe about success?

Knowing what one believes is very difficult until one knows what he plans to do. Growing up in Zugdidi, with five brothers, mostly I played with the boys in our yard: we had a pool table, a football field, volleyball; from these experiences, I gained a strong character as well as the ability to fight, which I was able to utilize in my career afterwards. As a family, we also held chess tournaments from a very young age, before I participated in my first team championship in Batumi at the age of 12; the coach who attended this competition requested my parents to send me to Tbilisi for chess classes; after considering this matter for a while, they permitted it. 1954 I came to Tbilisi, in 1955 I placed second in the adult category, and in 1956 I became champion of Georgia, won the semi-finals of the Soviet Union championship and went to the finals... This is how it all started...

My answer to your question is that once I achieved my first successes, I knew that I had to keep going in this direction. My success at the beginning is what led me to where I am today.

Is there a special role your parents played in your success?

Parents played a key role in our development, they supported our development as much as possible and had a positive impact on each of us; they did not restrict us in any way, they gave us the freedom to choose a profession and mostly limited themselves to life advice. In my first time as world champion, my father encouraged me to be humble, instead of becoming proud as a peacock. I had such simple, but fair-minded parents.

I try to share my experiences and give advice to the young generation; sometimes I even get to have some words with the parents. The most important thing is if the parent doesn’t get too involved; you shouldn’t get angry with your child for losing a game. The first thing you should do is ask the coach what support you (parents) can provide at this particular stage of your child’s career; sadly, they rarely do this.

What is your most vivid memory of becoming the champion for the first time?

Then, after my victory, I was traveling from Moscow to Tbilisi by train, and everyone, whether familiar or unfamiliar, jumped into our train to congratulate me and there were thousands of people entering the Tbilisi station. Such universal joy, celebration, and euphoria usually accompany football victories.

A meeting was arranged for me the next day at the Opera and Ballet Theater of Tbilisi, where luminaries of sports, literature, art, and science congratulated me. I remember every moment of that event. A documentary film was made by Mikheil Chiaureli about me, and he managed to capture all the emotions and happy moments in 10 minutes. The first championship and the love, warmth, and joy that the Georgian people expressed toward me will stay with me forever.

The majority of your career coincided with the Soviet period, what impact did this have on your success?

There were many types of restrictions in the Soviet Union, and sports were no exception; I was the reigning world champion and was invited to many tournaments around the world, but due to travel restrictions, I rarely played more than two tournaments outside the Soviet Union each year. Despite the existing reality, Georgia had an amazing generation in all fields: it had an amazing generation in all fields: writing and poetry, art, science, sports; every one of us worked at the highest level and established Georgian talent and genes all over the globe. In that regard, I was not an exception, I represented the Soviet Union, but the whole world is aware that I am Georgian, and proud of being born in Zugdidi and living in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. If you were to ask any successful Georgian what is their greatest reward, they would answer: the love of the people.

The Georgian women held the title of world champion for almost 30 years. According to the statutes of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), an entry into the Chess Olympiad requires membership in the United Nations; Georgia had just gained independence at that time, and did not belong to the United Nations. FIDE lawyer said that it was impossible not to allow such a successful chess nation to the Chess Olympiad, and that Georgia would soon become a member of the United Nations. Indeed, Georgia won the Chess Olympiad and also joined the UN. I was honored to be part of that winning team and the Olympic champion for my country.

Why do we no longer have that level of success today?

It is important that the tradition continues and that very interesting young people are coming in both girls and boys; our generation’s success was so phenomenal that it is extremely difficult to repeat it; I am confident that Georgia will reclaim its rightful place on the chess Olympiad stage.

It takes talent and hard work to win a championship, but mental and physical strength and personality traits are equally important. Victories of this magnitude come with stress, so psychosocial preparation is necessary. People have problems handling a lot of stress, I didn’t even take a sleeping pill during the tournaments; If you’re under psychological stress, scared of something, and you don’t get out of that position, it can be very difficult for you; There are athletes who, because of this, are half a step short of becoming world champions.

Generally speaking, success and failure are inseparable, you don’t always win, sometimes you lose; you must have great character; and you must quickly forget the failure, this is of great importance for athletes. A majority of chess players who lose a game would try to resolve the draw the next day; this was not the same in my case, after losing a game, I couldn’t wait to win and get a point; I refused to think about the draw; I only focused on winning. The character I possess is one I think has been instilled in me since childhood; I was never afraid of any opponents, male or female; I am confident I could succeed in any profession I chose.

Having a passion for billiards and table tennis, do you think you would succeed in these sports?

I used to search through hotels and sanatoriums wherever I went for chess tournaments for the best billiards and table tennis tables. These two sports were a great way for me to relax, and I played both very well. Once, when I entered the billiard room, there was a man of two meters who was the master of sports in athletics at that time. Many of those who knew my abilities introduced me to this man. They offered him to play billiards and table tennis with me. The fact that I was very thin surprised him about how I played, but he agreed, so we decided to play 10 plays of each game. In my mind, he would probably win billiards, so the main thing for me was to win table tennis. We started with table tennis, and I won 10-0, this broke his psychological resistance, while I was so excited that I won the match in 5 minutes.

Having a successful career and being a woman is not easy; working and raising children takes a greater toll on women than men; how did you handle this?

The family supported me tremendously; when my son was born, my mother helped me a lot; I also took my son to the matches, and my mother came with me to let me focus on my game. She was a very strong woman, even when she was unwell, she told me to play calmly and she would regain her strength. Family life is never without problems, but as long as you have a strong character and your family stands by you, you will be able to cope.

In chess, however, family and children are not the only challenges; when you are a woman and play against men, then the biological factor is most significant, women have other challenges to contend with. It’s not everyone that has such serious problems, but you still have unequal circumstances, you’re distracted, however if you’re strong, you will prove it in your next tournament when you’re ready and your situation is stable.

I was quickly accepted into the elite circle of male chess players, my time with them was marked by respect; before that, there had been different attitude toward female chess players. I earned my place among them through my play and struggle and in 1978 I became the first female grandmaster among men.

What do you believe when you go to a major competition?

While sometimes I play well, sometimes I play worse, I always go into every game with a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook, and even when I play worse, my mood is positive and I don’t have a hopeless attitude.

It is important for me that even today, when I go to the senior championship, I enter my world, my world of chess. The chessboard gives me a wonderful charge, positive emotions, and thus prolongs my life. My first trip since the pandemic will be to Italy, where the men’s team world championship is held; Nana Ioseliani and I will join three male Grandmasters from Georgia; I am still playing senior tournaments and I am willing to do so for as long as I’m able.

Finally, I wish peace and success to my country; I am an optimist by nature, and I believe in our promising young generation.