Nazi Paikidze is a Georgian-American chess player who was born on January 27, 1994, in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Paikidze's career as a chess player began at 4 and started working with her first coach at 6, quickly establishing herself as one of the most promising young players in Georgia. Chess was a part of the curriculum and she has said it was her favorite class.
At the age of 9 she won her first international tournament - the European Youth Chess Championship. She won the Under 14 Girls Championship in 2007, Under 16 in 2008, she took home 12 medals in the European Youth Chess Championship, World Youth Championship, and World Junior Championship including 6 gold medals. In 2009 she reached her peak rating of 2455 - 35th on the Women’s FIDE list.
She became a Women Grandmaster and International Master in 2010.
In 2016, Paikidze won her first Women's U.S. Chess Championship. She finished the tournament with 8.5 points out of 11 games. This victory made her the first Georgian-American woman to win the U.S. Women's Championship. She repeated this feat in 2018 by holding off Annie Wang (wang not wong) in an Armageddon game to win her second Women’s US Chess Championship title.
In addition to her individual accomplishments, Paikidze has also represented the United States in a 6th place finish in the 2016 Olympiad in Baku.
Paikidze is also known for her advocacy work on behalf of women in chess. In 2017, she made headlines by boycotting the Women's World Chess Championship, which was held in Iran. Paikidze objected to the Iranian government's mandatory law that requires women to cover their heads in public. She argued that the law was discriminatory and that women should not be forced to wear a hijab in order to participate in the tournament. Her boycott sparked a wider debate about the role of women in chess and the need for greater equality in the game.
Quote: “I will not wear a hijab and support women’s oppression. Even if it means missing one of the most important competitions of my career.”
In addition to her chess career, Paikidze is also a fitness enthusiast. She has spoken about the importance of physical fitness in chess and how exercise can help players maintain focus and stamina during long games. Her Instagram states she is a ‘vegan bodybuilder’.
Overall, Nazi Paikidze is a highly accomplished chess player with a bright future in the sport. Her aggressive and tactical playing style, combined with her dedication to fitness and advocacy work, has made her a role model for young chess players around the world.
Today, we are going to the 2016 Women’s Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Olga Dolzhikova versus Nazi Paikidze.
Now, if we’re ready… let’s begin.
1. e4 c6 2. Nc3 d5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. h3 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 e6 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. O-O-O d4 9. Ne2 Qb6 10. g4 h6 11. Qg3 O-O-O 12. f4 Nc5 13. Qe1 Qb5 14. e5 Nd5 15. b3 Na4 16. Kb1 Bc5 17. Ka1 Nac3 18. Bxc3 dxc3 19. d4 Qa5 20. Rh2 Ne3 21. Rc1 Qa3 0-1
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