The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

“Sonja Graf had a good position against the Women’s World Champion, but she was too precipitate in sacrificing play, and Vera Menchik turned the tables. Menchik experienced an even more critical situation against the Italian Benini, who entered the endgame a piece up. It might have been a sweet tidbit for Mussolini’s muse, but she ended up losing the game”. Tidskrift för Schack, No. 8-9, August 1937, p. 202

“At the closing ceremony, Clarice Benini (1905–1975) blatantly raised her right arm in a fascist salute and pocketed second prize. Sonja, on the contrary, neatly avoided to honour the Führer with such a gesture, which earned her the sympathy of the public. An act of courage that, if denounced, could have exposed her to the fury of Hitler’s terror regime and made her deported to Nazi concentration and death camps”. Georges Bertola, Sonja Graf – Un combat pour la liberté (2), Europe Échecs, October 12, 2016

Sonja Graf in 1941
Photo: kwabc.org

• Georges Bertola, Sonja Graf – Un combat pour la liberté (1), Europe Échecs, September 23, 2016
• Georges Bertola, Sonja Graf – Un combat pour la liberté (2), Europe Échecs, October 12, 2016