11th US Women's Championship; 1955
August 23 - September 6
New York, NY



                                 Pre   Post  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2   Total    W/L/D  City, State
 1. Mrs. Gisela Kahn Gresser     2116  2056  x 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1   9 - 2   +8-1=2  (New York, NY)
 2. Miss Nancy Roos              1888  2008  1 x 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1   9 - 2   +8-1=2  (Los Angeles, CA)
 3. Miss Mona Karff              2040  2004  ½ 0 x 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1   8½- 2½  +8-2=1  (New York, NY)
 4. Mrs. Jacqueline Piatigorsky  1870  1885  ½ 0 1 x 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1   8 - 3   +7-2=2  (Los Angeles, CA)
 5. Mrs. Irene Vines             1916  1956  0 1 0 1 x ½ 1 0 1 1 1 1   7½- 3½  +7-3=1  (New Orleans, LA) 
 6. Miss Lucille Kellner         1777  1782  0 0 0 ½ ½ x 1 1 ½ 1 1 1   6½- 4½  +5-3=4  (Detroit, MI)
 7. Mrs. Lina Grumette           1814  1744  0 ½ 0 0 0 0 x 1 1 0 1 ½   4 - 7   +3-6=2  (Hollywood,CA)
 8. Mrs. Willa White Owens       1788  1755  0 0 0 0 1 0 0 x 1 ½ 1 ½   4 - 7   +3-6=2  (Avon Lake, OH)
 9. Mrs. Mary Selensky           1905  1747  0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 x 1 1 1   4 - 7   +3-6=2  (Philadelphia, PA)
10. Mrs. Rosalie de Serrano      1704  1730  0 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 x 0 1   2½- 8½  +2-8=1  (East Orange, NJ)
11. Miss Wally Henschel          1750  1662  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 x 1   2 - 9   +2-9=0  (New York, NY)
12. Miss Kate Henschel           1750  1690  0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 x   1 -10   +0-9=2  (New York, NY)

ROUND BY ROUND RESULTS  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
 1. Gresser		1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1  +7
 2. Roos        	½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1  +7
 3. Karff  		0 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1  +6
 4. Piatigorsky		1 0 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1  +5
 5. Vines      		1 1 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 0 0  +4
 6. Kellner    		1 1 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 0  +2
 7. Grumette   		½ ½ 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0  -3
 8. Owens      		½ 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 ½  -3
 9. Selensky   		0 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 0  -3
10. de Serrano 		½ 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0  -6
11. W Henschel 		0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1  -7
12. K Henschel 		0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½  -9


ROUND 1
Kellner over K. Henschel
Vines over Selensky
Gresser over W. Henschel
Piatigorsky over Karff
Owens-de Serrano, ½-½
Grumette-Roos, ½-½

ROUND 2
Gresser over Owens
Roos over Karff
Kellner over de Serrano
Vines over Piatigorsky
K. Henschel-Grumette, ½-½
Selensky-W. Henschel, 1-0

ROUND 3
Roos over Piatigorsky
Gresser over Kellner
Owens over Selensky
de Serrano over Grumette
Vines over W. Henschel
Karff over K. Henschel

ROUND 4
Selensky-Kellner, ½-½
Piatigorsky-K. Henschel, 1-0
Vines-Roos, 1-0
Owens-W. Henschel, 1-0
Gresser-Grumette, 1-0
de Serrano-Karff, 0-1

ROUND 5
Grumette over Selensky
Owens over Vines
Kellner over W. Henschel
Roos over K. Henschel
Piatigorsky over de Serrano
Gresser drew with Karff

ROUND 6
Vines over K. Henschel
Roos over de Serrano
Kellner over Owens
Gresser drew with Piatigorsky
Karff over Selensky
Grumette over W. Henschel

ROUND 7
Roos over Gresser
Karff over W. Henschel
Grumette over Owens
Piatigorsky over Selensky [played off after Round 8]
Kellner drew with Vines
de Serrano over K. Henschel [played off after Round 8]

ROUND 8
Kellner over Grumette
Gresser over K. Henschel
Karff over Owens
Vines over de Serrano
Roos drew with Selensky
Piatigorsky over W. Henschel

ROUND 9
Vines over Grumette
Roos over W. Henschel
Piatigorsky over Owens
K. Henschel-Selensky, 0-1
Karff-Kellner, 1-0
de Serrano-Gresser, 0-1

ROUND 10
Karff-Grumette, 1-0
Roos over Owens
Gresser over Vines
Selensky over de Serrano
Kellner-Piatigorsky, ½-½
W. Henschel-K.Henschel, 1-0

ROUND 11
Roos-Kellner, 1-0
Piatigorsky-Grumette, 1-0
Gresser-Selensky, 1-0
K. Henschel-Owens, ½-½
Karff-Vines, 1-0
de Serrano-W. Henschel, 0-1

  • Average Rating: 1860.

  • Pre-tournament ratings from the 5/5/1955 Rating List.
    Post-tournament ratings from the 5/20/1956 Rating List.
    Pre and Post-tournament Ratings may include results from other tournaments.

  • Hans Kmoch directed the first half of the tournament (held at the Manhattan Chess Club). Caroline Marshall directed the second half, played at the Marshall Chess Club. Since the tournament had an odd number of rounds, the question of where Round 6 was played will probably be an eternal mystery.

  • Referees were Max Pavey, Jeremiah Donovan and I.A. Horowitz. No mention of Assistant TD Edith Weart, but I'm sure she was still lurking around somewhere.

  • Gresser's only loss was to Roos, although no tiebreaking was done. Gresser also drew with Karff and Piatigorsky.

  • Roos lost to Vines, and drew with Grumette and Selensky.

  • Jacqueline Piatigorsky won the Brilliancy Prize, not for any specific game, but for her overall play.

  • Mary Bain, Sonja Graf-Stevenson and Eva Aronson were invited, but unable to participate. They were replaced by de Serrano and the Henschel sisters.

    Edith Weart Update! Further checking shows that Edith Weart put up two of the contestants in her home. (Told you she was still lurking somewhere). She also arranged for the contestants to appear on the Todd Russell Music Corner television program, to try to combat the public conception that chess was dull.

  • Chess Life September 5, 1955, p. 1. September 20, 1955, pp. 1-2, 12, October 5, 1955, p. 2, 8.
  • Chess Review, October 1955, pp. 291-2. November 1955, p. 345-6.
  • New York Times, September 6, 1955, p. 34.

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