29 September 2011

Folkestone 1933

An eBay auction for the photo shown below caught my attention when I recognized Vera Menchik standing behind the table. Was this perhaps a pre-WWII Women's World Championship? I didn't understand the title -- 'Women play CHESS ± 1930 Outremont + Schartzmann' -- so I sent a question asking if the information was on the back of the photo. The seller, located in the Netherlands, kindly attached a scan to his reply. Written in French, it said, 'Women's chess championship. From left to right Mme Lucien D Outremont and Mlle Schartzmann, champion of the tournament. Photo Meurisse.'

On my page World Chess Championship (Women) : 1927-39 Title Tournaments, I have a scanned crosstable of Folkestone 1933, an eight-player double round robin, which Menchik won with a perfect score. The scan, from Kazic's 'International Championship Chess' (Batsford 1974), mentions both D'Autremont and Schwartzmann. It appeared to be the same event recorded in the eBay photo and I decided to bid on it if there was little interest.

The photo received nine bids from six different bidders with a winning bid of US $109.50. The price jumped from $32 to the final bid in the last minute of the auction, indicating that other bidders also recognized its historical importance. While the winning bid won't make the item a candidate for my series on Top eBay Chess Items by Price, it does show that there is serious interest in early women's events.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Paris, 02 a 15 de Maio de 1928.

5º Campeonato Francês Feminino.

As finalistas: Mme Autrémont x Mlle Schwartzmann.

Apesar de Mlle. Paulette Schwartzmann vencer o Torneio, o Título ficou com Mme Jeanne D'Autremont.
Paulette nasceu em Riga. Por não ser cidadã francesa, não recebeu oficialmente os Títulos de quatro Campeonatos Franceses que venceu. Apenas em 1935 Paulette passou a representar a França e venceu oficialmente o Campeonato Francês Feminino.