A1946
Female of the Species
Determined Mary Bain (right) concentrates on her critical game with Dr. Weissenstein as ex-champion Mrs. Gresser looks on.
October 19 1946
Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Florida, Saturday, October 19, 1946
Chess Divan
Our latest new member is W. L. White, city. Mrs. White says she intends to join also. More and more women are chess players, rather than spectators. Mrs. Mary Bain of Miami was at the recent Pittsburgh meeting, elected a director of the United States Chess Federation to represent Florida. Tops of 38 women members of last year will be from all indications topped this year. A husband and wife and a women's tournaments are in the contemplated winter's program.
October 25 1946
The Miami News, Miami, Florida, Friday, October 25, 1946
Miamian To Play In Chess Tournament
Mrs. Mary Bain, wife of Miami radio commentator Leslie Balogh Bain, will be one of the chief contenders for the title of U. S. Woman Chess champion, which will be decided in biennial tournament opening tomorrow in New York.
Mrs. Bain, who resides at 2045 NW 28th St., will compete with 10 of the best women chess players of the country on invitation of the U. S. Chess federation. Awards in the tourney which will continue to Nov. 17 will be the Chess Review trophy and $350 in cash.
Defending champion is Mrs. Gisela Kahn Gresser of New York.
Mrs. Bain, a Hungarian by birth, entered woman chess tournament activities in 1936, when she was a runner-up. The following year she represented the United States in the International Women's Chess championship tournament in Stockholm, placing fifth. In succeeding years she won various chess prizes and last year shared first place honors in the western hemisphere tournament held in Los Angeles.
November 05 1946
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Tuesday, November 05, 1946
They Admit Men Are Better!
Women Chess Players Emotional But They Manage a Fine Game By Margaret Mara
Men are better chess players than women!
Who said that?
It was agreed upon by each and every one of the champion women chess players now taking part in the biennial United States women's chess championship tournament being held in the Chanin Building, Manhattan, Saturdays and Sundays since Oct. 26.
The tournament will continue until Nov. 17 with ten of the best women chess players in the country battling for the trophy now held by Mrs. Gisela Kahn Gresser of New York.
“Women never have been good enough chess players to be accepted in the national chess tournament with the men,” pointed out Miss Edith L. Weart of Jackson Heights, who is assisting Mrs. Caroline Marshall in directing the women's tournament.
While the strategic type of mind necessary for chess playing is found in women as well as men, psychiatrists have ventured the opinion that men have the advantage in chess because of their pure objectivity. Even those cool, capable women chess champs, it seems, can't eliminate their natural emotionalism which does not blend with chess playing.
But They Do Fairly Well
“Women do not fall too far behind the men as champion chess players,” Miss Weart said in defense.
A poll of the women players on the opening day of the tournament resulted in a consensus:
“Men are better players.”
According to Miss Weart, chess clubs were not open to women until 1933 when they were admitted to membership in the United States Chess Federation.
A survey of the women players brought out the interesting information that most of them were taught chess playing by their parents and that all but four of the ten women are Europeans by birth.
Mrs. Mary Bain, born in Hungary, who has two grown children, was taught chess by her mother. She was 17 when she came to the United States, and even on the ship coming here, gained renown as a chess player.
“The ship concert was given in my honor because I was the champion player on hoard.” she recalled. “I was so young that all the attention embarrassed me.”
Mrs. Bain, who tied for first place in the Pan-American women's tournament in 1945 with Miss N. May Karff, also represented the United States in 1937 in Stockholm. She placed fifth in that tournament. She has attained considerable fame for her ability to play chess with 15 opponents at one time, moving from board to board.
Mrs. Gresser, trophy holder, also has two children. She is a sculptor and painter and a student of hieroglyphics. Another tourney player, Mrs. Raphael McCready, is production manager of a New York advertising agency. She has a son and a daughter.
An interesting contestant is Dr. Helen Weissenstein, born in Vienna, a lawyer, who also has written a book for children.
Twins Play the Game
Most intriguing among the women chess players are the Henschel twins, Kate and Wally. The two women, handsome, jovial, in their 40s, came from Germany several years ago. In 1920, Wally Henschel was the champion woman chess player in that country. They have played chess since childhood and were taught the game by their father.
Although they are rivals in the tournament, Kate concedes that Wally is the better player.
Future generations may produce more native-born women chess players in the United States, pointed out Miss Weart, tournament co-director.
Schools Are Interested
“Chess is being taught in the public schools in Milwaukee and in Cleveland,” she revealed.
Meanwhile the women's chess tournament goes on in the Channin Building and there are no feminists among the women chess players.
