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After WWII there seems to have been a declining interest in women's chess in
America. While the reasons for this aren't entirely clear, there's no doubt
that reports, when available at all, were sparse and lacking in the rich
details that exemplified those of earlier years. All the information I was
able to access
through the New York Times and Chess Review for the years of
1946-1951 are listed on this page with no attempt at a narrative.
1946 -
In the Women's Tournament, Miss
N. May Karff of Boston scored as easy victory by winning all but her last game
for a final score of 8½ - ½. Mrs. Mary Bain of Los Angeles was a good
second with 7½ - 1½, while former champion Mrs. Gisela Gresser of New York
City came third with 6½ - 2½. Thus both champions, Denker and Mrs. Gresser,
lost their titles.
1947 -
Nothing to report.
1948 -
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New York Times -
Aug. 24, 1948
South Fallsburg, N. Y.
Mrs. Caroline
D. Marshall, widow of the late Frank J. Marshall, whose birthday
anniversary was recently observed at the Marshall Chess Club, arrived in
the company of Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Brieger of the Queens Club. She will
have charge of the United States women's championship tournament,
starting here tomorrow afternoon. Miss N. May Karff of Boston, the
title-holder, is also here, as well as Mrs. Gisela Kahn Gresser,
champion in 1944.
Mrs. Mary Bain is due in form Miami, Fla., and Miss Lucille Kellner
[1]
from Detroit. Others who will play are Mrs. Mary D. Selensky of
Philadelphia, Miss Adele S. Raettig of Hoboken, N. J., Mrs. Lena
Grumette of Brooklyn and Miss Elizabeth Wray of Manhattan, who recently
won the championship of the New York Women;s Chess Club. Miss Edith L.
Weart of Jackson Height's will be the assistant tournament director. |
Note that Edith Weart, whose name hadn't
been mentioned in a long time, assisted in directing the tournament.
The following comes from Chess Review:
|
Miss Karff, Mrs. Gresser
Tie
For the next
two years the U. S. Women's Chess Championship will be shared by Miss N.
May Karff of Boston and Mrs. Gisela K. Gresser of New York City. Each
had 6½-½ when their final game ended in a draw. Both were far ahead on
Mrs. Mary Bain of Miami Beach, 4-3. Mrs. Lena Grumette of Brooklyn
had an even 3½-3½.
|
| UNITED STATES
WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP |
South Fallsburg, N.Y
August 23-31, 1948 |
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
W |
L |
D |
Score |
| 1 Mrs. Gisela
Gerrer (New York City)... |
- |
½ |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
6½ - ½ |
| 2 Miss N. May
Karff (New York City).. |
½ |
- |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
1 |
6½ - ½ |
| 3 Mrs. Mary Bain
(Miami Beach)........... |
0 |
0 |
- |
½ |
1 |
1 |
½ |
1 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
4 - 3 |
| 4 Mrs. Lena
Grumette (Brooklyn, N.Y.). |
0 |
0 |
½ |
- |
½ |
1 |
½ |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3½ - 3½ |
| 5 Miss Lucille
Kellner (Detroit).............. |
0 |
0 |
0 |
½ |
- |
0 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
2½ - 4½ |
| 6 Miss Adele
Raettig (Hoboken, N. J.)... |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
- |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
5 |
2 - 5 |
| 7 Mrs. Mary
Selensky (Philadelphia)...... |
0 |
0 |
½ |
½ |
0 |
1 |
- |
0 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
2 - 5 |
| 8 Miss Elizabeth
Wray (New York City) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
- |
1 |
6 |
0 |
1 - 6 |
|
Female of the Species
Women chess-players will have their fling when the women's world
championship is revived next year. A meeting of the International Chess
Federation approved a proposal by the U.S.S.R. to hold such a tournament
in the Soviet Union. There are to be sixteen entrants, four from the
U.S.S.R. This title has been vacant since the death of Mrs. Vera Menchik
Stevenson during World War II. |
N. May Karff would also win the
1948 U. S. Women's Open in Baltimore.
1949 -
nothing to report.
1950 -
nothing to report.
1951 -
|
New York Times,
Nov. 5, 1951
Mrs. Bain Takes U. S. Chess
Title,
Beating Miss Raettig in 45 Moves
Miami Contestant Scores
at Marshall Club
After 107-Play Eighth-Round Draw With
Mrs. Gresser -- Miss Karff Triumphs.
Mrs. Mary Bain of Miami, Fla., defeated Miss Adele S. Raettig of
Hoboken in forty-five moves in the ninth round to win the United States
women's chess championship at the Marshall C. C. yesterday. She finished
the tournament with a score of 8½ - ½.
Mrs. Raettig played an irregular defense to Mrs.
Bain's queen's pawn opening. The new champion won the exchange at the
twenty-fifth move and captured two pawns later.
Miss N. May Karff of Boston won her last game from Miss
Lucille Kellenr of Detroit in a queen's pawn opening, lasting
forty-eight moves. Miss Karff finished the tourney with a score of 6 -
3.
Mrs. Gisela K. Gresser of New York finished second with
6½ - 2½. She won her final game from Kathryn Slater of Manhattan in
fifty-four moves.
Mrs. Bain had drawn her eighth-round match with Mrs.
Gresser to enter the last session with a point advantage over the field.
There was some delay in starting the third sitting of this match, which
began on Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Gresser was of the opinion that all
adjournments should be cleared up before the final round.
Mrs. Caroline Marshall, tournament director, obtained
the consent of the ninth-round opponents of the two leaders so that the
match could go on. Eighty moves had been recorded when they adjourned
Saturday night. Mrs. Gresser, the only contestant with a chance to
overtake Mrs. Bain, had three pawns to two and a bishop against a knight
and was striving for a victory.
Mrs. Bain soon began application of the rule which
requires a player, bent of victory, to checkmate in fifty moves,
with the provision that the count starts again whenever a capture is
made of a pawn moved by the opponent. But Mrs. Gresser agreed to the
draw after only twenty-seven additional moves.
The competition closed with the presentation of prizes
by Hans Kmoch, vice president of the United States Chess Federation.
|
P. S.
Nancy Roos of Belgium would finally become a U. S. Women's co-champion (with
Gisela Gresser) in 1955.
Adele (Rivero) Belcher, another Belgian, moved to Bristol, Vermont, where for
an unspecified period, she was undefeated in Vermont tournament chess. At one
point she gave a 26 board simul scoring +25=1.
Mary Bain, while never again winning the U. S. Women's Chess Championship,
would win the U. S. Women's Chess Open in 1965 (with Kathryn Slater) and 1966.
Kathryn Slater would win the U. S. Women's Chess Open in 1962, 1964 (with
Cecilia Rock) and 1965 (with Mary Bain).
1. Lucille Kellner
of Detroit, Michigan was co-winner, with N. May Karff of the Women's U. S.
Open in 1950 [back]
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