The 1956

Women's World Chess Championship The Women's World Chess Championship (WWCC) is played to determine the world champion in women's chess. Like the World Chess Championship, it is administered by FIDE. Unlike with most sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee, wher ...

was won by

Olga Rubtsova Olga Nikolaevna Rubtsova (russian: О́льга Никола́евна Рубцо́ва; 20 August 1909 – 13 December 1994) was a Soviet chess player and the fourth women's world chess champion. In 2015, she was inducted into the World Chess ...

, who became the fourth women's champion. The Candidates Tournament was won by Rubtsova. Instead of her playing the defending champion

Elisabeth Bykova Elisaveta Ivanovna Bykova (or ''Elisabeth Bykova'', Russian: Елизаве́та Ива́новна Бы́кова; 4 November 1913 – 8 March 1989) was a Soviet chess player and twice Women's World Chess Champion, from 1953 until 1956, and a ...

, however,

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...

decided that the championship would be decided between the top three female players: Rubtsova, Bykova, and

Lyudmila Rudenko Lyudmila Vladimirovna Rudenko (russian: Людми́ла Влади́мировна Руде́нко, uk, Людмила Володимирівна Руденко; 27 July 1904 – 4 March 1986) was a Soviet chess player and the second women' ...

, ex-champion and loser of the last title match.

1955 Candidates Tournament

The Candidates Tournament was held in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in October 1955. Rubtsova won narrowly, only half a point ahead of her closest competitor. :

1956 Championship Tournament

The championship tournament was held in

in 1956. The three players each played 8-game mini-matches against each other, with Rubtsova eventually clinching the title. :

References

{{Women's World Chess Championships Women's World Chess Championships 1956 in chess