Sunday, February 13, 2022

Duo cum dicunt idem, non est idem

The 6th Women’s World Chess Championship held in Stockholm, Sweden from July 31 to August 14, 1937 ended in a triumph for Vera Frantsevna Menchik (pictured above left) who won all 14 games. On only one occasion she came close to losing a game, and that was against Italy’s Clarice Benini (pictured above right), who eventually finished second overall. Photo: L’Italia Scacchistica, No. 8–9, September 15, 1937, p. 141.

“Vera found herself in a critical situation against Miss Benini. The Italian reached an endgame with an extra piece. It might have been a little gift to Ståhlberg and others, but Mussolini’s woman ambassador managed to throw away the game”.

Elbe., Tidskrift för Schack, No. 8–9, August–September 1937, p. 202.

“Menchik, however, ran very serious dangers in the game with our representative, Miss Benini; a truly epic game that all of us of Italy’s team have been following with living intensity, to say the least, hoping for a victory of Benini, on the ground of a brilliant combination which led her to gain two clear Pawns in the middle game. But, alas! our hopes got shattered by the further unfortunate continuation of the game”.

Mario Napolitano, L’Italia Scacchistica, No. 8–9, September 15, 1937, p. 142.

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