AThe South Bend Tribune South Bend, Indiana Tuesday, July 18, 1972 - Page 4
A Woman Gets Into Chess
I'm just getting into chess so I've really been following the match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. I've never seen in any of the news stories how these chess tournaments get started. Also, since I'm a female and an advocate of women's lib, why's it always the men?— M.S., Niles, Michigan
Chess is a game of antiquity. There's some evidence that it had a common origin with backgammon, parcheesi and even cribbage. Chess can definitely be tracked back to the Persians around 500. The name comes from the Persian word shah. Most of the terminology also is Persian including checkmate which comes from “shah mat” meaning the king is dead. The Arabs picked the game up from the Persians and carried it to Europe. There were many variations but international contests gradually brought about standard rules. The first world champion goes back to 1726 when Philidor of France claimed the title. World champions have been recognized officially since 1843. U.S. titles were started in 1857 when the first tournament was held in America. As for female chess players, they too have a tournament and right now Yelizaveta Bykova of Russia holds the title.
A Woman Gets Into Chess 18 Jul 1972, Tue The South Bend Tribune (South Bend, Indiana) Newspapers.com
