IM Lela Javakhishvili

Lela Javakhishvili is a Georgian international master and four-time national champion. Her four Women’s Georgian Chess Championships came over a span of 15 years, in 2001, 2007, 2014, and 2016. In 2012, she made it to the third round of the Women’s World Championship knockout tournament, scoring an impressive victory over GM Kateryna Lagno. As a junior, Javakhishvili was a regular in the list of top-20 girls in the world. She first made it on the list of top-20 women in the world at the age of 23—ranked 14 (her peak as of February 2021)—and has remained in that classification or close to it ever since.