Chess Review June-July 1940

          Women in Chess
          by Edith Lucie Weart
          Random Reflections on the U. S. Women's Championship -

Congratulations to Mrs. Adele Rivero for winning the tournament - and with such an excellent score. She lost only one game .... This tournament was the strongest ever, and the most exciting. Although first place was decided during the semi-final round, the standing of the other players was uncertain until the adjourned games of the final round were finished .... Nice prizes for the players. George Emlen Roosevelt gave a beautiful silver tray for first prize. A chess set and the book "Chessmen" went to Miss N. May Karff, second prize winner. Dr. Helen Weisenstein and Mrs. Giselda Gresser, who shared third place, each got elaborate kits of beauty preparations. Similar kits, but smaller, went to Mrs. Mary Bain and Mrs. Raphael McCready who tied for fifth place. Consolation prizes - chess pins - to the remaining players .... Unusual confusion before the tourney started. Should non-citizens be allowed to compete? This question was raised only a few weeks before the starting date. In 1938 the citizenship rule was abrogated. Final decision, made only a few days before the tournament started, allowed those who held their first papers to compete this year. This permitted Mrs. Rivero and Dr. Weisenstein to play .... Who would run the tournament and where it would be held was not finally decided until the night before the play started.  Mrs. Frank Marshall again donated her time as director .... The men certainly had the best arrangements at the Astor -- larger tables, more comfortable chairs, better light and better protection from the fans. But the women were good sports about it ..... Greatest surprise to us was the moment when Miss Raettig resigned to Mrs. Rivero. She has a reputation of playing out to the bitter end, hoping for a stalemate, apparently. After she finished her last game she bought a beginning chess book. "I thought I needed it," Miss Raettig said, apparently somewhat depressed by her poor showing. Some of the men who had played against Mrs. Gresser at the Marshal Chess Club expected her to win the tournament. We weren't so sure, knowing that club play is not adequate preparation for playing in an important tournament. Certainly she suffered from "tournament jitters." She said the strain of the tourney took her completely by surprise. She did pretty well, at that .... She seemed to have a new costume for each session. Perhaps it gave her confidence to feel she looked attractive .... Dr. Lasker asked Mrs. Kashdan why she wasn't playing. "My husband doesn't want me to," Helen answered. "You should learn to assert yourself," the doctor told her .... We felt pretty bad ourselves, to have the tournament start without us, but we didn't have time to play .... Too bad none of the women from the mid-West could have come on to compete .... And whatever has happened Mrs. Kathryn Slater and Mrs. Wm. Davey who were such promising players in the New York Tournament of 1937? .... Milton Hanauer complimented the women by saying that were playing good chess ....  Mrs. Bain still forgets to punch her clock when she is short of time. She ought to tie a red string around her thumb, or something, to remind herself .... As Mrs. Gresser mated Miss Karff she said, "I'm sorry." .... Mrs. Rivero seemed to have learned to control her nervousness. We didn't see a single shredded handkerchief around the chair .... The newspapers gave the women good publicity. The World Telegram wrote up Mrs. Rivero and the Sun had an article about Mrs. McCready, with pictures of her whole family playing chess .... Mrs. Harmath played better chess than you would think from her score. She should have drawn several important games. More experience in the end game and she will place much higher in the next tournament.... The women had many spectators as the men for some of their games. Hard to get near the tables sometimes.
E.L.W.

   MRS. RIVERO WINS
      72- MOVE CONTEST

Champion Beats Miss Raettig 
as Play Ends in U. S. Title Women's Chess Tourney

MISS KARFF IS RUNNER-UP

Mrs. Gresser Takes Match and Ties Dr. Weissenstein, Who
Is Held to a Draw

  FINAL STANDING OF THE PLAYERS
                          W.   L.                          W.   L.
Mrs.Rivero        7    1   Mrs.McCrdy   4½ 3½
Miss.Karff      5½ 2½  Mrs.Harmath   4½ 3½
Mrs.Gresser      5   3    Miss Raettig     1    7
Dr.Weisenstein 5  3    Miss Wray        1    7
Mrs.Bain           4½ 3½

   Mrs. Adele Rivero, the new women's champion of the United States Chess Federation, finished her schedule in the tournament at the Hotel Astor last night when she defeated Miss Adele Raettig of Hoboken in their ninth-round match after a drawn-out game lasting seventy-two moves.
   Having garnered many of her opponent's pawns, the champion seemed sure of victory when Miss Raettig sacrificed a rook and then offered her queen. Capture of that important piece would have brought about a stalemate and a draw, but Mrs. Rivero moved her own Queen to avoid this possibility and eventually forced resignation.
   Mrs. Rivero, who had lost only one game, to Dr. Helen Weissenstein in the fifth round, finished with a score of 7-1. When prizes are presented at the conclusion of the congress she will receive an engraved silver service tray, donated by George Emlen Roosevelt, president of the Marshall Chess Club.
   The other three prizes will go to Miss N. May Karff of Boston, former champion, who had a bye in the final and whose score is 5½-2½, and to Mrs. Gissela Gresser and Dr. Weissenstein, each with 5-3. Mrs. Gresser won from Mary Bain in fifty-eight moves, while Dr. Weissenstein drew in sixty-one moves with Mrs. Raphael McCready. Those who won from Miss Karff were Mrs. Rivero and Mrs. Gresser.