The 1962 Women's World Chess Championship was won by Nona Gaprindashvili, who beat the reigning champion Elisabeth Bykova in the title match.

The Candidates Tournament was held in Vrnjačka Banja in October–November 1961 and utterly dominated by rising star Gaprindashvili, who went through the event undefeated and finished a full two points ahead of her closest competitor.^[1]

1961 Women's Candidates Tournament

	Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Points	Tie break
1	Nona Gaprindashvili (Soviet Union)	-	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	13
2	Valentina Borisenko (Soviet Union)	0	-	0	½	1	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	11
3	Kira Zvorykina (Soviet Union)	½	1	-	½	1	0	0	1	0	½	1	½	1	1	0	1	1	10
4	Verica Nedeljković (Yugoslavia)	½	½	½	-	0	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	1	9½	68.00
5	Milunka Lazarević (Yugoslavia)	0	0	0	1	-	1	0	½	1	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	½	9½	67.75
6	Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Soviet Union)	0	0	1	1	0	-	1	0	0	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	9½	64.00
7	Alexandra Nicolau (Romania)	0	0	1	½	1	0	-	1	1	½	½	½	½	0	1	½	1	9	66.50
8	Larissa Volpert (Soviet Union)	0	½	0	½	½	1	0	-	1	1	½	0	1	1	0	1	1	9	65.00
9	Eva Ladanyike-Karakas (Hungary)	½	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	-	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	9	63.25
10	Elisabeta Polihroniade (Romania)	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	0	-	1	1	½	1	0	1	1	8
11	Henrijeta Konarkowska (Poland)	0	½	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	0	-	½	0	½	½	½	½	7
12	Chantal Chaudé de Silans (France)	½	½	½	0	½	0	½	1	0	0	½	-	1	0	½	0	½	6	48.75
13	Gisela Kahn Gresser (USA)	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	0	-	1	1	½	0	6	46.50
14	Lisa Lane (USA)	½	0	0	½	0	0	1	0	½	0	½	1	0	-	1	0	1	6	42.25
15	Fenny Heemskerk (Netherlands)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	½	1	½	½	0	0	-	0	1	5½	40.50
16	Elfriede Rinder (West Germany)	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	1	½	1	1	-	1	5½	31.00
17	Sandagdorj Handsuren (Mongolia)	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	0	0	0	-	2½

The championship match was played in Moscow in 1962. A 21-year-old Gaprindashvili crushed the defending champion Bykova by 9–2, not losing a single game, to become the fifth - and by far youngest - Women's World Champion.^[2]

Women's World Championship Match 1962

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
Elisaveta Bykova (Soviet Union)	½	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	2
Nona Gaprindashvili (Soviet Union)	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	9