CHESS VICTOR. World's First Woman Champion. ...Miss Vera Menchik told a Press representative that she played her first game Moscow when she was only nine. She has lived at Hastings for six years. Her mother is English, and her father is Czecho-Slovakian, and she spent the earliest years of her life Russia. Papa plays chess well, and taught me much, but he is not a champion, said Miss Menchik.

My first big chess played at the open tournaments at Hastings. In this tournament I was confident of doing well. I was in Russia the time of the revolution, and I was then very young, but I do not want to say much about it. Like many more we had unpleasant times. Papa owned a mill there; he no longer has it. Once I played chess every day, but lately I have not been so constant to the game. At Hastings her instructor was <Maroczy>, the Hungarian master. Miss Menchik is short, homely girl, and unbobbed. She speaks broken English.

MCO-13 p99 has mention of a Giuoco Piano game she lost to Emery, played in 1939 in Biarritz.

This tournament isn't mentioned here:

http://www.mcfarlandbooks.com/conte...

Anybody know anything? Is this Menchik her? What's the original source of the game?

<CG> does have it:

T Emery vs Menchik, 1939

But someone did tell me the wine was mighty fine. So maybe.

Kidding aside - here's some postcard pictures from Biarritz:

http://www.britishairways.com/asset...

http://www.venuesworld.com/france/w...

http://www.france-voyage.com/visual...

http://cabinflooresoterica.com/imag...

<In recent decades, historical chess biographies have seen a major advance in scholarship, with far greater recognition of the need for precise sources. The world’s leading publisher in the field is McFarland & Company, Inc., and any list of its best biographical works is likely to include the following:

• Stephen Davies: Lipschütz;
• Richard Forster: Burn;
• Stephen W. Gordon: Reshevsky;
• Tim Harding: Blackburne and Eminent Victorian Chess Players; • John S. Hilbert: Hodges (with Peter P. Lahde), Kemeny, Leonard, Pollock (with O.G. Urcan), Shipley; • Martin Frčre Hillyer: Frčre;
• Hans Renette: Bird;
• Miguel A. Sánchez: Capablanca;
• Leonard M. Skinner and Robert G.P. Verhoeven: Alekhine; • Per Skjoldager and Jřrn Erik Nielsen: Nimzowitsch; • Olimpiu G. Urcan: Albin, Finn, Kaufmann (with P.M. Braunwarth), Pollock (with J.S. Hilbert); • Joost van Winsen: Mason;
• Aidan Woodger: Fine;
• Fabrizio Zavatarelli: Kolisch.
>

C.N. 10661

<In recent decades, historical chess biographies have seen a major advance in scholarship, with far greater recognition of the need for precise sources. The world’s leading publisher in the field is McFarland & Company, Inc., and any list of its best biographical works is likely to include the following:

• Stephen Davies: Lipschütz;
• Richard Forster: Burn;
• Stephen W. Gordon: Reshevsky;
• Tim Harding: Blackburne and Eminent Victorian Chess Players;
• John S. Hilbert: Hodges (with Peter P. Lahde), Kemeny, Leonard, Pollock (with O.G. Urcan), Shipley;
• Martin Frčre Hillyer: Frčre;
• Hans Renette: Bird;
• Miguel A. Sánchez: Capablanca;
• Leonard M. Skinner and Robert G.P. Verhoeven: Alekhine;
• Per Skjoldager and Jřrn Erik Nielsen: Nimzowitsch;
• Olimpiu G. Urcan: Albin, Finn, Kaufmann (with P.M. Braunwarth), Pollock (with J.S. Hilbert);
• Joost van Winsen: Mason;
• Aidan Woodger: Fine;
• Fabrizio Zavatarelli: Kolisch.
>

C.N. 10661