Vera Menchik

Vera Menchik (Czech: Věra Menčíková, February 16, 1906, Moscow – June 26, 1944, Kent, England) was a British-Czech female chess player and the first Women's World Champion in chess. Image File history File links Menchik. ... Image File history File links Menchik. ... February 16 is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Chess is an abstract strategy board game and mental sport for two players. ...

She was born in Moscow; her father was Czech and her mother British. Her father taught her chess when she was nine. The family moved to England in 1921, and Vera won the British girls' championship that year. The following year, she became a pupil of Géza Maróczy, one of the best players in the world in the early 1900s. Géza Maróczy (pronounced GEH-zaw MAHR-ot-see, not MarOXy) (3 March 1870—29 May 1951) was a leading Hungarian chess master, one of the best players in the world in his time. ...

She won the first Women's World Championship in 1927 and successfully defended her title 6 times in every other championship in her lifetime, and only lost one game, while winning 78 and drawing 4 games. The Womens World Chess Championship is played to determine the womens world champion in chess. ...

• In 1927, she played as a representative of Russia in 1st WWCh in London (+10 –0 =1).
• In 1930, she played as a representative of Czechoslovakia in 2nd WWCh in Hamburg (+6 –1 =1).
• In 1931, she played as a representative of Czechoslovakia at 3rd WWCh in Prague (+8 –0 =0).
• In 1933, she played as a representative of Czechoslovakia in 4th WWCh in Folkestone (+14 –0 =0).
• In 1935, she played as a representative of Czechoslovakia in 5th WWCh in Warsaw (+9 –0 =0).
• In 1937, she played as a representative of Czechoslovakia in 6th WWCh in Stockholm (+14 –0 =0).
• In 1939, she played as a representative of England in 7th WWCh in Buenos Aires (+17 –0 =2).

Vera Menchik won two matches against Sonja Graf for the Women’s World Champion title; (+3 –1 =0) at Rotterdam 1934, and (+9 –2 =5) at Semmering 1937. London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Hamburgs motto: May the posterity endeavour with dignity to conserve the freedom, which the forefathers acquired. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Folkestone Harbour, picture taken from the golf court Folkestone (pronounced fōkstun) is a coastal resort town in the Shepway district of Kent, England. ... Warsaw (Polish: , , in full The Capital City of Warsaw, Polish: Miasto StoÅ‚eczne Warszawa) is the capital of Poland and its largest city. ...   (IPA: ; UN/LOCODE: SE STO) is the capital of Sweden, and consequently the site of its Government and Parliament as well as the residence of the Swedish head of state, King Carl XVI Gustaf. ... Buenos Aires (English: ; originally , City of the Most Holy Trinity and Port of Saint Mary of the Fair Winds;[1] pronounced ) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port. ... Sonja (Susanna) Graf (Stevenson) (December 16, 1908–March 6, 1965) was a professional chess player and two time winner of the U.S. Womens Chess Championship. ...

In 1937, she married Rufus Stevenson, editor of the British Chess Magazine and later secretary of the British Chess Federation.

Male chess players whom Menchik defeated in tournament play were said to belong to the Menchik club. This included Albert Becker, Max Euwe, Samuel Reshevsky, Mir Sultan Khan, Frederic Lazard, Sir George Thomas, Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander, Edgar Colle, Frederick Yates, William Winter, Lajos Steiner, Frederich Sämisch, Philip Stuart Milner-Barry, Harry Golombek, Karel Opočensky, and Jacques Mieses. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Machgielis (Max) Euwe (last name is pronounced /ø:wÉ™/) (May 20, 1901 – November 26, 1981) was a Dutch chess player. ... Samuel Herman (Sammy) Reshevsky (born November 26, 1911, Ozorkow, Poland - died April 4, 1992, New York, USA) was a leading American chess Grandmaster. ... Mir Sultan Khan (1905 - 1966) was generally considered to have been the strongest chess master of his time from Asia. ...

Vera Menchik was older sister to Olga Menchik, also a chess player. While Vera was still reigning world champion, she, Olga, and their mother were all killed in a bombing raid on Kent, England in World War II. Strategic bombing is a military strategem used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead...

The trophy for the winning team in the Women's Chess Olympiad is known as the Vera Menchik Cup. The Chess Olympiad is a chess event which has been officially organised by FIDE since 1927 and takes place in even years. ...

Notable chess games

• Frederic Lazard vs Vera Menchik, Paris 1929, Bird Opening: From Gambit (A02), 0-1 A nice combination in an open position leaves Lazard without a Bishop
• Mir Sultan Khan vs Vera Menchik, Hastings 1931, Queen's Gambit Declined (D35), 0-1 A sharp game with attacks on both sides of the board. At the end, Menchik is able to queen her advanced Pawn.
• Vera Menchik vs George Alan Thomas, Poděbrady 1936, Queen's Gambit Declined Slav (D11), 1-0 The chess queen queens another passed pawn in a Rook ending.

External links

• Vera Menchik by Bill Wall
• Ten crucial positions from her games
• Vera Menchik at ChessGames.com