The Women’s Chess Olympiad is an international event held by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) beginning in 1957 in which teams of women compete for their nations. Representing the USSR alongside Nona Gaprindashvili and Kira Zvorykina in only the tournament’s second year, Tatiana Zatulovskaya brought home the gold. She won the title a second time in 1966. 

Tatiana Zatulovskaya was born in Baku, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, USSR, on December 8, 1935. Although she had a difficult early life, her Soviet environment and culture inspired her to pursue her passion for chess and develop into an internationally decorated, respected, and driven woman. Zatulovskaya also made headlines within the Soviet Union by winning the Women's Soviet Chess Championship in 1960, 1962, and 1963.

Zatulovskaya reached a peak rating of 2270, ranking eleventh in the world among women in July1972. In an age where men and women did not compete against each other, her career became a testament to the capabilities of women in the male-dominated game.

After the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Zatulovskaya, like many other Jews, fled her home in search of a better life. In 2000, she made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel. By that time, she had already been awarded the titles of Woman International Master (WIM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM) by FIDE. In 2002, she represented Israel in the Women’s Chess Olympiad. In addition to chess, she also worked as a geological engineer and even competed as a gymnast. She lived in Israel until her death on July 2, 2017. 

Sources: 

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. "An Israeli Grandmaster." Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.ifcj.org/news/fellowship-blog/an-israeli-grandmaster.