The 1953 Women's World Chess Championship was the first to feature a Candidates Tournament that produced a challenger for the reigning champion, much like the system used for the open championship title.
The first Candidates Tournament was won by Elisabeth Bykova, who went on to beat Lyudmila Rudenko and become the third Women's World Champion.
1952 Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament was held in Moscow in October and November 1952, with Bykova eventually emerging the winner.
{| class="wikitable" |+ 1952 Women's Candidates Tournament |- ! !! Player !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! 15 !! 16 !! Points !! Tie break |- style="background:#cfc;" | 1 || || - || 0 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || ½ || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 11½ || |- | 2 || || 1 || - || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0 || ½ || 0 || ½ || ½ || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 10½ || 69.00 |- | 3 || || 0 || 0 || - || ½ || ½ || 1 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || ½ || 1 || 1 || 1 || 10½ || 67.25 |- | 4 || || 1 || 0 || ½ || - || 1 || ½ || ½ || ½ || 1 || ½ || ½ || 1 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 10 || 69.75 |- | 5 || || 0 || 1 || ½ || 0 || - || 1 || ½ || 0 || ½ || ½ || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 10 || 62.75 |- | 6 || || 0 || 1 || 0 || ½ || 0 || - || 1 || ½ || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 10 || 61.00 |- | 7 || || 1 || ½ || 0 || ½ || ½ || 0 || - || 0 || 1 || 1 || ½ || 1 || ½ || 1 || ½ || 1 || 9 || |- | 8 || || 0 || 1 || 1 || ½ || 1 || ½ || 1 || - || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || ½ || ½ || 1 || 1 || 8 || 58.50 |- | 9 || || 0 || ½ || 0 || 0 || ½ || 1 || 0 || 1 || - || 1 || 0 || ½ || ½ || 1 || 1 || 1 || 8 || 49.00 |- | 10 || || ½ || ½ || 0 || ½ || ½ || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || - || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 1 || 8 || 48.50 |- | 11 || || 0 || 0 || 0 || ½ || 0 || 0 || ½ || 1 || 1 || 0 || - || 1 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 7 || |- | 12 || || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || ½ || 1 || 0 || - || ½ || 1 || 0 || 1 || 5 || |- | 13 || || 0 || 0 || ½ || 0 || 0 || 0 || ½ || ½ || ½ || 0 || 0 || ½ || - || 0 || 1 || 1 || 4½ || |- | 14 || || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || ½ || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || - || ½ || ½ || 3½ || |- | 15 || || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || ½ || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || ½ || - || 0 || 3 || |- | 16 || || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || ½ || 1 || - || 1½ ||
1953 Championship Match
The championship match was played in Leningrad from 15 August to 20 September 1953. It was a 14-game event (the first player to reach 7.5 points will be the winner.)"She met Ludmila Rudenko, the reigning champion, in a 14-game world title match in Leningrad in August and September 1953", The Soviet School of Chess, by Alexandr Kotov and Mikhail Yudovich, 1961 (1958), page 355. Bykova won three of the last four games and thus the title.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Women's World Championship Match 1953 |- ! !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10 !! 11 !! 12 !! 13 !! 14 !! Total |- | align=left | | 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 6 |- | align=left | |style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| ½ || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || ½ ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 0 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 1 || 1 ||style="background:black; color:white"| 0 || 1 || 8
References