Person of day   -  29 SEPTEMBER 2023

KIRA ZVORYKINA

KIRA ZVORYKINA

She played in 20 (!) Soviet championship and won three of them- in 1951, 1953 and 1956. She could have won in 1957 and 1958 but lost the tie-breaks to Valentina Borisenko and Larisa Volpert.  

In 1950s and 1960s, Zvorykina fought for the world championship and played in five candidates’ tournaments. She won one of these in 1959 and played against world champion Elizaveta Bykova, but lost 4,5:8,5.  

As a member of the Soviet team, Kira won the 1957 and 1963 Chess Olympiads. She also played in several international tournaments and won Belorussian and Red Army championships. She played with an aggressive attacking style that made her games dramatic and interesting, full of sacrifices and combinations.

Kira Zvorykina died on 6thSeptember 2014 in Moscow, two weeks before her 95thbirthday.