Елизавета Ивановна Быкова (1913–1989)

Elisabeth Ivanovna Bykova was born in the village of Bogolyubovo, Russia, to a peasant family. Her family moved to Moscow when she was 12 years old and she began to play chess with her brother. In 1927, she won her school’s chess championship. In 1938, she won the women's Moscow championship and after World War II, she was a three-time winner of the women's Soviet championship. She was the Women's World Chess Champion from 1953 until 1956, and again from 1958 to 1962. She was awarded the title of Woman International Master in 1950, International Master in 1953, and Woman Grandmaster in 1976. Elisabeth worked as an engineer in a large Moscow printing house, and also was an author and columnist about chess. She wrote three books about Vera Menchik (1957), Soviet women chess players, and the Women’s World Championship.