U.S. Women's Open Chess Championship

The U.S. Women's Open Championship is an open chess tournament that has been held irregularly. From 1934 through at least 1966 it was held in conjunction with the annual U.S. Open Chess Championship. After some years of inactivity, the event was reinstituted in 2009.

History

From 1934 through 1950 and in 1954, the women's tournaments were held as a round-robin tournament in conjunction with the U.S. Open. From 1951 through at least 1966, with the exception of 1954, the women played in the U.S. Open with the title U.S. Women's Open Champion being awarded to the woman with the highest score.

The title was not awarded for some time. In 2009 the event was held again, with sixteen players in a six-round tournament, but not in conjunction with the U.S. Open. It was held in conjunction with the U.S. Senior Chess Championship and two other tournaments. Chess Life incorrectly called it the first U.S. Women's Open Championship. The highest-placing US citizen qualifies for the U.S. Women's Chess Championship.

Winners

Complete records of the Women's Open Championship are not available.

No.YearLocationChampions
11934Chicago, IllinoisVirginia Sheffield
21937Chicago, IllinoisJean M. Grau
31938Boston, MassachusettsMona May Karff
41939New York, New YorkMona May Karff[1]
51948Baltimore, MarylandMona May Karff
61950Detroit, MichiganMona May Karff and Lucille Kellner
71951Fort Worth, TexasMaxine Cutlip
81953Milwaukee, WisconsinEva Aronson
91954[2] New Orleans, LouisianaGisela Kahn Gresser
101955Long Beach, CaliforniaSonja Graf
111956Oklahoma City, OklahomaSonja Graf
121957Cleveland, OhioSonja Graf
131958Rochester, MinnesotaKathryn Slater
141959Omaha, NebraskaSonja Graf
151960St. Louis, MissouriLisa Lane
161961San Francisco, CaliforniaEva Aronson
171962San Antonio, TexasKathryn Slater
181963Chicago, IllinoisKate Sillars
191964Boston, MassachusettsKathryn Slater and Cecilia Rock
201965Rio Piedras, Puerto RicoMary Bain and Kathryn Slater
211966Seattle, WashingtonMary Bain
221969Lincoln NebraskaEva Aronson
231972St. Petersburg, FloridaEva Aronson and Marilyn Braun
241973Chicago, IllinoisEva Aronson
252009Tulsa, OklahomaSaheli Nath (WFM)[3]

See also

Notes

  1. 1939 was a three-way tie, Karff won playoff over Mary Bain and Dr. Helen Weissenstein.
  2. 1954 was a separate round robin of 11 players, and the women's zonal tournament for that year. Gresser won 8–2. Mona Karf and Sonja Graf tied at 7–3, but Karff had more Sonnenborn-Berger points and qualified with Gresser to play in the Women's World Chess Championship Candidates Tournament.
  3. Sixteen players participated in a six-round Swiss-system tournament. First-place finisher Saheli of India is not eligible to play in the U.S. Women's Championship so the qualifying spot went to second-place finisher WFM Iryna Zenyuk.

References

  • Harkness, Kenneth (1967). Official Chess Handbook. David McKay. p. 287. LCCN 66013085. (History and winners list of the tournament through 1966.)
  • Root, Alexey (January 2010). "2009 U.S. Women's Open: Opening Up". Chess Life (1): 34–36.
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