Her best and favorite games? In terms of content and quality of play, the fourth
match game against Nana Ioseliani in the 1981 Final Candidates’ Match
stands out among the best. But the one that brings fondest memories is her game
as black against E. Rubtsova in 1962. “This was my first game that appeared
on the papers of the Sports Magazine. I was twelve years old then. There was
the photo article about me with this very game entitled, ‘Remember this
girl!’ It was my first tournament outside of Georgia”, Nana recalls.

If Nana had not pursued an active chess career, she would have been a teacher
at the Tbilisi University. She is a philologist by education, and did postgraduate
work in literature. She had varied hobbies such as collecting postcards and
photos of famous international artists. Because of her love for music, she studied
piano for five years. At school she did well in mathematics. In summary, Nana
is a well-rounded individual with wide-ranging interests.

Nana is not just brainy. Twenty-nine years ago, she captured the hearts of
many when her lovely face appeared in Chess Life (USCF) magazine. She
has retained her beauty and charm and – more importantly – when
she could only manage to tie the score of her second challenge match for the
world crown in 1981, Nana Alexandria was undaunted. She remained competitive
and aspired for an even greater, more valuable goal – advocating the cause
of women’s chess with intensity and determination to see to it that women
chessplayers enjoy virtually the same recognition and privileges accorded their
male counterparts.