Women's World Chess Championship 1956

The 1956 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Olga Rubtsova, who became the fourth women's champion.

The Candidates Tournament was won by Rubtsova. Instead of her playing the defending champion Elisabeth Bykova, however, FIDE decided that the championship would be decided between the top three female players: Rubtsova, Bykova, and Lyudmila Rudenko, ex-champion and loser of the last title match.

	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Points	Tie break
1	Olga Rubtsova (Soviet Union)	-	0	0	1	½	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	15
2	Larissa Volpert (Soviet Union)	1	-	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	14½
3	Edith Keller-Herrmann (East Germany)	1	½	-	1	1	½	0	1	0	½	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	14
4	Kira Zvorykina (Soviet Union)	0	½	0	-	1	1	1	1	0	1	½	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	13½
5	Valentina Borisenko (Soviet Union)	½	½	0	0	-	1	½	0	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	13
6	Verica Nedeljković (Yugoslavia)	½	0	½	0	0	-	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	12½
7	Milunka Lazarević (Yugoslavia)	0	½	1	0	½	½	-	0	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	12
8	Antonia Ivanova (Bulgaria)	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	-	1	½	½	1	1	1	0	1	½	1	½	½	11½
9	Fenny Heemskerk (Netherlands)	½	0	1	1	½	0	1	0	-	½	½	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	10
10	Olga Ignatieva (Soviet Union)	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	½	½	-	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	0	½	9½	84.25
11	Gisela Kahn Gresser (USA)	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	-	½	½	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	9½	70.50
12	Chantal Chaudé de Silans (France)	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	½	-	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	9½	67.75
13	Sonja Graf-Stevenson (USA)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	-	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9½	63.75
14	Eva Kertesz (Hungary)	0	½	1	0	0	½	0	0	1	½	0	½	0	-	1	0	½	0	½	1	7
15	Josefa Gurfinkel (Soviet Union)	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	1	1	0	½	½	0	0	-	0	½	0	1	1	6½	53.75
16	Krystyna Hołuj (Poland)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	-	0	½	1	1	6½	43.25
17	Mona May Karff (USA)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	½	0	0	0	½	½	1	-	1	0	½	5½
18	Celia Baudot de Moschini (Argentina)	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	½	0	-	1	½	4½
19	Ruzena Sucha (Czechoslovakia)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	0	-	1	4
20	Berna Carrasco (Chile)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	-	2

	Player	1	2	3	Total
1	Olga Rubtsova (Soviet Union)	-	4½	5½	10
2	Elisabeth Bykova (Soviet Union)	3½	-	6	9½
3	Lyudmila Rudenko (Soviet Union)	2½	2	-	4½

v t e Women's World Chess Championships
List of Women's World Chess Championships Development FIDE Women's Grand Prix Women's Chess World Cup‎ FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament‎ Women's Candidates Tournament
Tournament format	1927, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, Jul 1937, Aug 1937, 1939 (Menchik) 1949–50 (Rudenko)
Match format	1953 (Bykova) 1956 (Rubtsova) 1958, 1959 (Bykova) 1962, 1965, 1969, 1972, 1975 (Gaprindashvili) 1978, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988 (Chiburdanidze) 1991, 1993 (Xie Jun) 1996 (Su. Polgar) 1999 (Xie Jun)
Knock-out format	2000 (Xie Jun) 2001 (Zhu Chen) 2004 (Stefanova) 2006 (Xu Yuhua) 2008 (Kosteniuk) 2010 (Hou Yifan)
Alternating format	2011 (Hou Yifan) 2012 (Ushenina) 2013 (Hou Yifan) 2015 (M. Muzychuk) 2016 (Hou Yifan) 2017 (Tan Zhongyi) May 2018, Nov 2018 (Ju Wenjun)
Match format	2020, 2023, 2025 (Ju Wenjun) 2026
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Women's World Chess Championship 1956

1956 Championship Tournament

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