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Gisela Kahn Gresser

January 01, 1970

Gisela Kahn Gresser (February 8, 1906 Detroit, Michigan – December 4, 2000)[1][2] was an American chess player. She dominated women's chess in the United States, winning the U.S. Women's Chess Championship nine times from 1944 to 1969.

Gisela Kahn Gresser
CountryUnited States
Born(1906-02-08)February 8, 1906
Detroit, Michigan
DiedDecember 4, 2000(2000-12-04) (aged 94)
New York City
TitleWoman International Master (1950)
Peak rating2100 (January 1987)

Chess career edit

Gresser learned chess at a very late age. On a cruise from France to New York in the late 1930s, she borrowed a chess manual from a fellow passenger and taught herself how to play. By the end of the cruise, she was hooked.[3] In 1938, she was a spectator at the first U.S. Women's Chess Championship tournament, organized by Caroline Marshall (wife of US Champion Frank Marshall) and held at the Rockefeller Center in New York City (won by Adele Rivero).[2][4] She first played in the championship in 1940, and in 1944 she won it with a perfect score.[4] She won it again in 1948 (with Mona May Karff), 1955 (with Nancy Roos), 1957 (with Sonja Graf), 1962, 1965, 1966 (with Lisa Lane), 1967, and 1969 (at age 63).[5][6][7]

In addition to her repeated successes in the U.S. Women's Chess Championship, Gresser also played in the Women's World Chess Championship tournament of 1949-50, and subsequently in six Women's World Championship cycles: five Candidates' tournaments (1955, 1959, 1961, 1964, and 1967) and one Interzonal tournament (1971). She played for the U.S. team in three Women's Chess Olympiads (1957, 1963, and 1966).[2] She won the 1954 U.S. Women's Open Championship.[8] In April 1963, she became the first woman in the United States to gain a master title, with a rating of 2211.[2][9][10]

She also wrote an article for the October 1950 issue of Ladies Home Journal, entitled "I Went to Moscow". Mrs. Gresser (Mrs. was her preferred title) took lessons from International Master Hans Kmoch [citation needed] and Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier.[2]

She was (with Karff) one of the first three female chess players in the United States, and one of the first seventeen players in the world, to be awarded the title of Woman International Master in 1950 when FIDE created official titles.[11][12][13] She was also the first woman to be inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, which happened in 1992.[14][2]

Personal life edit

Gresser studied classics at Radcliffe. She won a prestigious Charles Elliott Norton fellowship, which she used to continue her studies at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece.[3] In 1927, she returned to New York, where she married William Gresser, a New York City attorney and musicologist, who died in 1982.[3] She was a housewife, and raised their two sons, Ion and Julian.[3][15] Gresser was an accomplished painter and musician, as well as a classical scholar.[2] She went on safari many times, even in her eighties.[2]

Notable games edit

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Gresser vs. Karff, New York 1944 edit

Gresser (White) defeats her main rival for the U.S. Women's Chess Championship. The game was annotated by Edward Lasker for Chess Review.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. e5! Nd5 7. Bd2 Bxc3? Leaving the kingside unprotected by a minor piece.[16] 8.bxc3 Qc7 9.f4 Nxc3 10.Qg4 Stronger was 10.Qf3 Nd5 11.Nb5 Qc5 12.Nd6+ Kf8 13.Qh5 g6 14.Qh6+ Kg8 15.c4 followed by Ne4 and Nf6.[16] 10... O-O 11.Bd3 Nd5 12.c4 f5 13.Qh4 Qc5! 14.Nb3 Qe7! 15.Qh3 Nb4 16.Bb1 N8c6 17.a3 Na6 18.O-O! 18.g4 g6 19.Rg1 d6 defends and counterattacks.[16] 18... d6 Probably better was 18... b6, followed by ... Nc5, ... Ba6, and ... Rac8.[16] 19.exd6 Qxd6 20.Bc3 Nc5 21. Bc2 Nxb3 22.Bxb3 Re8 23.Qg3 Qc7 24.Kh1 Re7 Black could consider 24... e5 giving back the pawn.[16] 25.Rad1 Bd7 26.Rd3! Rae8 26... e5 does not work after 27.c5+ Kh8 28.fxe5 Nxe5 29.Rxd7; or 27... Be6 28.Be6+ Rxe6 29.fxe5 Nxe5 30.Rd6! 27.Rfd1 Bc8 28.c5 Kh8 29.Ba4! Rd8? 30.Qh4 30.Rxd8+ Nxd8 31.Be5 Qa5 32.Qg5 wins material immediately.[16] 30... Rxd3? Lasker at first recommended 30... Red7 because White only gets perpetual check after 31.Bxg7+ Kxg7 32.Rg3+ Kf8.[16] Subsequently, he acknowledged that, as pointed out by Frank Marshall and Harold Phillips, White could keep good winning chances with 31.Qh5! Rxd3 32. Rxd3 Kg8 33. Rg3.[17] 31.Rxd3 Rd7 White was threatening 32.Bxc6 bxc6 33.Be5, or if 32... Qxc6 33.Rd8+ Re8 34.Qe7![16] 32 Rh3 h6 33 Qxh6 1-0 Black resigned.[16]

Gresser vs. Rudenko, Moscow 1949-50 edit

Gresser (White) hands Lyudmila Rudenko, who won the Eighth Women's World Championship in this event with 11½ points out of 15 games (+9 =5 -1), her only defeat.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 f5 5.d4 fxe4 6.dxc5 exf3 7.Qxf3 Nf6 8.Bg5 O-O 9.O-O Qe7 10.Bc4+ Kh8 11.b4 a5 12.Bxf6 Rxf6 13.Qd5 Rf8 14.b5 Nd8 15.Nd2 c6 16.Qd6 Qxd6 17.cxd6 b6 18.Rfe1 cxb5 19.Bxb5 Nf7 20.Nc4 Ba6 21.Bxa6 Rxa6 22.Nxe5 Nxd6 23.Nxd7 Rc8 24.Rad1 b5 25.h3 Nf7 26.Re7 Kg8 27.Rde1 Nd6 28.R1e6 Rxc3 29.Ne5 h6 30.Rd7 Rc5 31.Nf7 Nxf7 32.Rxa6 Ne5 33.Rb7 b4 34.Raa7 Nc6 35.Rxg7+ Kf8 36.Raf7+ Ke8 37.Rb7 Rf5 38.Rg8+ Rf8 39.Rxf8+ Kxf8 40.Rb6 Ne5 41.Rxh6 1-0[18][19]

References edit

  1. ^ Jeremy Gaige, Chess Personalia: A Biobibliography, McFarland & Company, 1987, p. 149. ISBN 0-7864-2353-6.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Gisela Kahn Gresser", Chess Life, March 2001, p. 40.
  3. ^ a b c d Elaine Woo, Gisela Gresser; Chess Pioneer Won National Title 9 Times. Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2000. Retrieved on 2009-03-29.
  4. ^ a b Harkness, p. 284.
  5. ^ Kenneth Harkness, Official Chess Handbook, David McKay, 1967, pp. 284-86.
  6. ^ Sunnucks, p. 511.
  7. ^ Koh, Eun Lee. "Gisela Kahn Gresser, 94, Champion Chess Player". New York Times. 11 December 2000.
  8. ^ Harkness, p. 287.
  9. ^ Chess Life, April 1963, p. 89.
  10. ^ Woo, Elaine. "Gisela Gresser; Chess Pioneer Won National Title 9 Times". Los Angeles Times. 16 December 2000.
  11. ^ B.M. Kažić, International Championship Chess: A Complete Record of FIDE Events, Pitman, 1974, pp. 326-27. ISBN 0-273-07078-9.
  12. ^ Anne Sunnucks, The Encyclopaedia of Chess, St. Martin's Press, 1970, p. 243.
  13. ^ "FIDE Assembly Makes Many Decisions At Successful Copenhagen Meeting" (PDF). Chess Life. August 20, 1950. pp. 1–2.
  14. ^ "Gisela K. Gresser". World Chess Hall of Fame. March 23, 2017.
  15. ^ Sunnucks, p. 156.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i "U.S. Championship Review" (PDF). Chess Review. April 1944. p. 11. Annotated by Edward Lasker.
  17. ^ "Correction" (PDF). Chess Review. May 1944. p. 1. Letter to editor.
  18. ^ Gresser-Rudenko, Women's World Championship, Moscow 1950. ChessGames.com. Retrieved on 2009-03-28.
  19. ^ Kažić, p. 264.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
gisela, kahn, gresser, february, 1906, detroit, michigan, december, 2000, american, chess, player, dominated, women, chess, united, states, winning, women, chess, championship, nine, times, from, 1944, 1969, countryunited, statesborn, 1906, february, 1906detro. Gisela Kahn Gresser February 8 1906 Detroit Michigan December 4 2000 1 2 was an American chess player She dominated women s chess in the United States winning the U S Women s Chess Championship nine times from 1944 to 1969 Gisela Kahn GresserCountryUnited StatesBorn 1906 02 08 February 8 1906Detroit MichiganDiedDecember 4 2000 2000 12 04 aged 94 New York CityTitleWoman International Master 1950 Peak rating2100 January 1987 Contents 1 Chess career 2 Personal life 3 Notable games 3 1 Gresser vs Karff New York 1944 3 2 Gresser vs Rudenko Moscow 1949 50 4 References 5 External linksChess career editGresser learned chess at a very late age On a cruise from France to New York in the late 1930s she borrowed a chess manual from a fellow passenger and taught herself how to play By the end of the cruise she was hooked 3 In 1938 she was a spectator at the first U S Women s Chess Championship tournament organized by Caroline Marshall wife of US Champion Frank Marshall and held at the Rockefeller Center in New York City won by Adele Rivero 2 4 She first played in the championship in 1940 and in 1944 she won it with a perfect score 4 She won it again in 1948 with Mona May Karff 1955 with Nancy Roos 1957 with Sonja Graf 1962 1965 1966 with Lisa Lane 1967 and 1969 at age 63 5 6 7 In addition to her repeated successes in the U S Women s Chess Championship Gresser also played in the Women s World Chess Championship tournament of 1949 50 and subsequently in six Women s World Championship cycles five Candidates tournaments 1955 1959 1961 1964 and 1967 and one Interzonal tournament 1971 She played for the U S team in three Women s Chess Olympiads 1957 1963 and 1966 2 She won the 1954 U S Women s Open Championship 8 In April 1963 she became the first woman in the United States to gain a master title with a rating of 2211 2 9 10 She also wrote an article for the October 1950 issue of Ladies Home Journal entitled I Went to Moscow Mrs Gresser Mrs was her preferred title took lessons from International Master Hans Kmoch citation needed and Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier 2 She was with Karff one of the first three female chess players in the United States and one of the first seventeen players in the world to be awarded the title of Woman International Master in 1950 when FIDE created official titles 11 12 13 She was also the first woman to be inducted into the U S Chess Hall of Fame which happened in 1992 14 2 Personal life editGresser studied classics at Radcliffe She won a prestigious Charles Elliott Norton fellowship which she used to continue her studies at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens Greece 3 In 1927 she returned to New York where she married William Gresser a New York City attorney and musicologist who died in 1982 3 She was a housewife and raised their two sons Ion and Julian 3 15 Gresser was an accomplished painter and musician as well as a classical scholar 2 She went on safari many times even in her eighties 2 Notable games editThis section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves Gresser vs Karff New York 1944 edit Gresser White defeats her main rival for the U S Women s Chess Championship The game was annotated by Edward Lasker for Chess Review 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Bb4 6 e5 Nd5 7 Bd2 Bxc3 Leaving the kingside unprotected by a minor piece 16 8 bxc3 Qc7 9 f4 Nxc3 10 Qg4 Stronger was 10 Qf3 Nd5 11 Nb5 Qc5 12 Nd6 Kf8 13 Qh5 g6 14 Qh6 Kg8 15 c4 followed by Ne4 and Nf6 16 10 O O 11 Bd3 Nd5 12 c4 f5 13 Qh4 Qc5 14 Nb3 Qe7 15 Qh3 Nb4 16 Bb1 N8c6 17 a3 Na6 18 O O 18 g4 g6 19 Rg1 d6 defends and counterattacks 16 18 d6 Probably better was 18 b6 followed by Nc5 Ba6 and Rac8 16 19 exd6 Qxd6 20 Bc3 Nc5 21 Bc2 Nxb3 22 Bxb3 Re8 23 Qg3 Qc7 24 Kh1 Re7 Black could consider 24 e5 giving back the pawn 16 25 Rad1 Bd7 26 Rd3 Rae8 26 e5 does not work after 27 c5 Kh8 28 fxe5 Nxe5 29 Rxd7 or 27 Be6 28 Be6 Rxe6 29 fxe5 Nxe5 30 Rd6 27 Rfd1 Bc8 28 c5 Kh8 29 Ba4 Rd8 30 Qh4 30 Rxd8 Nxd8 31 Be5 Qa5 32 Qg5 wins material immediately 16 30 Rxd3 Lasker at first recommended 30 Red7 because White only gets perpetual check after 31 Bxg7 Kxg7 32 Rg3 Kf8 16 Subsequently he acknowledged that as pointed out by Frank Marshall and Harold Phillips White could keep good winning chances with 31 Qh5 Rxd3 32 Rxd3 Kg8 33 Rg3 17 31 Rxd3 Rd7 White was threatening 32 Bxc6 bxc6 33 Be5 or if 32 Qxc6 33 Rd8 Re8 34 Qe7 16 32 Rh3 h6 33 Qxh6 1 0 Black resigned 16 Gresser vs Rudenko Moscow 1949 50 edit Gresser White hands Lyudmila Rudenko who won the Eighth Women s World Championship in this event with 11 points out of 15 games 9 5 1 her only defeat 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Bc5 4 c3 f5 5 d4 fxe4 6 dxc5 exf3 7 Qxf3 Nf6 8 Bg5 O O 9 O O Qe7 10 Bc4 Kh8 11 b4 a5 12 Bxf6 Rxf6 13 Qd5 Rf8 14 b5 Nd8 15 Nd2 c6 16 Qd6 Qxd6 17 cxd6 b6 18 Rfe1 cxb5 19 Bxb5 Nf7 20 Nc4 Ba6 21 Bxa6 Rxa6 22 Nxe5 Nxd6 23 Nxd7 Rc8 24 Rad1 b5 25 h3 Nf7 26 Re7 Kg8 27 Rde1 Nd6 28 R1e6 Rxc3 29 Ne5 h6 30 Rd7 Rc5 31 Nf7 Nxf7 32 Rxa6 Ne5 33 Rb7 b4 34 Raa7 Nc6 35 Rxg7 Kf8 36 Raf7 Ke8 37 Rb7 Rf5 38 Rg8 Rf8 39 Rxf8 Kxf8 40 Rb6 Ne5 41 Rxh6 1 0 18 19 References edit Jeremy Gaige Chess Personalia A Biobibliography McFarland amp Company 1987 p 149 ISBN 0 7864 2353 6 a b c d e f g h Gisela Kahn Gresser Chess Life March 2001 p 40 a b c d Elaine Woo Gisela Gresser Chess Pioneer Won National Title 9 Times Los Angeles Times December 16 2000 Retrieved on 2009 03 29 a b Harkness p 284 Kenneth Harkness Official Chess Handbook David McKay 1967 pp 284 86 Sunnucks p 511 Koh Eun Lee Gisela Kahn Gresser 94 Champion Chess Player New York Times 11 December 2000 Harkness p 287 Chess Life April 1963 p 89 Woo Elaine Gisela Gresser Chess Pioneer Won National Title 9 Times Los Angeles Times 16 December 2000 B M Kazic International Championship Chess A Complete Record of FIDE Events Pitman 1974 pp 326 27 ISBN 0 273 07078 9 Anne Sunnucks The Encyclopaedia of Chess St Martin s Press 1970 p 243 FIDE Assembly Makes Many Decisions At Successful Copenhagen Meeting PDF Chess Life August 20 1950 pp 1 2 Gisela K Gresser World Chess Hall of Fame March 23 2017 Sunnucks p 156 a b c d e f g h i U S Championship Review PDF Chess Review April 1944 p 11 Annotated by Edward Lasker Correction PDF Chess Review May 1944 p 1 Letter to editor Gresser Rudenko Women s World Championship Moscow 1950 ChessGames com Retrieved on 2009 03 28 Kazic p 264 External links editGisela Kahn Gresser player profile and games at Chessgames com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gisela Kahn Gresser amp oldid 1219081152, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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