LaviChess

Olga Rubtsova

Olga Rubtsova of the Soviet Union was women's world chess champion in 1956–1958. She won the title in a tournament against the reigning champion, Elisaveta Bykova, and the former one, Lyudmila Rudenko. In 1972 she also became the women's world champion in correspondence chess, chess played by mail.

Olga Rubtsova
Photo: Wim van Rossem / Anefo, Nationaal Archief, 1957. Free to use (CC0 1.0). Cropped and toned.
  • BornAugust 20, 1909, Moscow
  • DiedDecember 13, 1994, Moscow
  • CountrySoviet Union
  • Women's world champion1956–1958
  • In the line of women's championsNo. 4 of 17
  • Highest ratingShe played her championships before FIDE's lists
    FIDE's official lists began in July 1971

The road to the title

Rubtsova was born in Moscow in 1909. She won the Soviet women's championship four times, first in 1927 and last in 1948. In the first championship tournament after the war, in the winter of 1949–1950, she finished second, a point behind Lyudmila Rudenko.

Title tournaments and matches

Rubtsova's points come first, then wins (+), losses (−) and draws (=) in the classical games. A tiebreak at faster time controls is given separately.
YearAgainstResultWhere
1956Tournament with Bykova and Rudenko10 of 16
Won the title · title tournament		Moscow
1958Elisaveta Bykova5½–8½ (+4 −7 =3)
Lost the title		Moscow

World champion

In 1956 FIDE had the three best players contest the title in a tournament in which each met the others eight times. Rubtsova won with 10 points, half a point ahead of the reigning champion, Elisaveta Bykova. Two years later she lost the title to Bykova in a match.

By correspondence

Rubtsova also played correspondence chess, where the moves are sent between the players and a game can last for months. In 1972 she won the women's world championship in that form of the game. She was also on the Soviet team that won the first Women's Chess Olympiad, in 1957.

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Olga Rubtsova
  • Chess.com: Olga Rubtsova
  • Wikipedia (Russian): Olga Rubtsova
  • Mark Weeks: the women's championship 1949–1950, 1956, and 1958

The facts on this page come from the sources above, checked against each other. Where the sources disagree, only what they agree on is given. The match results are also checked game by game.

Updated November 8, 2026