Vera Menchik

Vera Menchik

Vera Francevna Menchik (Mencikova) was born in Moscow, Russia on February 16, 1906. Her father was Czech and her mother was British. When Vera was 15, the family and she moved to England in 1921. She became affiliated with Géza Maróczy, who started coaching her in 1922. In 1923 she began participating in men’s international tournaments. FIDE established the first world championship for women in July, 1927, which Vera won at the age of 21 […]

Manhattan CC vs Franklin CC (1904)

Manhattan CC vs Franklin CC (1904)

The last encounter between American chess legends Harry Nelson Pillsbury and Frank James Marshall took place on May 30, 1904 (Decoration Day). The two were paired on the second board of the Manhattan vs. Franklin chess match at the Manhattan Chess Club. The event occurred shortly after the Cambridge Springs International Tournament (where Marshall mated Pillsbury in 23 moves) and marked the first time Pillsbury had set foot in the Manhattan club since resigning his […]

Steinitz vs Allies (1892)

Steinitz vs Allies (1892)

John Finan Barry was a great American chess player from Boston who once challenged Jackson W. Showalter for the U.S. Championship in 1896, losing by a score of -7 +2 =4. Barry was also an excellent chess columnist and a true ambassador for the game. Additionally, he represented the United States in all but one of the famous cable matches against Great Britain from 1896 to 1911, compiling an impressive record of 6 wins, 3 […]