Breaking Barriers, Checkmating Stereotypes, One Move at a Time
It was the 15th of October, 2024. I returned home after attending my academic classes around 3:15 pm local time. I had my lunch, watched some national news on the TV, and then laid down on the bed, in the hunt of accomplishing an afternoon power nap before getting back to my assignments. Opened my phone to set an alarm, but then something struck my mind. Ohh wait, it's the 15th day of the month, one of the two occasions when my friend and top blogger @VOB96 publishes a blog on this platform (the other is the 30th). I had to check it out at that very instant. As a chess blogger myself and a chess enthusiast, I can't forget such important things, right?
It just took me a few seconds to land on the Top Blogs page, and the blog I found on the top of the Top Blogs page was this:
Click on the image which will take you to the blog written by @VOB96 on her favorite female players of all time.
I didn't start reading the blog at that very instant because I was yawning every 4 seconds and my eyes and body definitely required some rest, but I did read it after accomplishing my nap. But after having completed reading this blog, a thought entered my brain. We all talk about the Inaugural Women's World Chess Championship (1927), the era of Vera Menchik, the Polgar Sisters, some of the first Women Grandmasters in chess history, or modern-day greats like Hou Yifan when it comes to talking about women's chess, but when did it actually all start?
What I mean is, the very first chess event for women at the international level. Surely it wasn't the 1927 championship. This thought soon turned into an opportunity to discover a lot of inspiring stories, and today, I am going to share it all with you. Sit back, relax, and just use your fingers to scroll through this blog as I take you through the stories of the very first chess tournament for women at the international level held in 1897, along with some game displays, stories of players, and much more!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- How It All Began: The Story of Mrs. Rhoda A. Bowles
- The Tournament and its Top Performers
- Conclusion
How It All Began: The Story of Mrs. Rhoda A. Bowles
It was in the mid-1880s when a club in Turin, Italy, allowed the wives and daughters of its members to accompany them to the chessboard where they were nicely welcomed. This decision was celebrated by the World Champion of the time, Wilhelm Steinitz. A small but notable event in the chapter that was soon to unfold.
This is as it should be, and we hope that this example will be followed by other chess societies, it being evident that, if we engage the queens of our hearts for the queens of our boards and if we can enlist the interest of our connubial mates for our classical mates, our intellectual pastime will be immensely benefited and will pass into universal favor.
- Wilhelm Steinitz
In the 1890s, the state of women's chess in England was largely overlooked and viewed as inconsequential. Due to this, the female participation in the game faced several barriers. It had to take something different in the people who wished to bring women's chess into the light, setting the stage for change in a chess world largely dominated by men.
The landscape of women's chess in England was remarkably shaped by some committed, tenacious, and effective promoters, and at the forefront comes the name of Mrs. Rhoda A. Bowles, one of if not the most energetic and dedicated of them all. Born in 1861 and hailing from Dawlish, a small town in Devon, Rhoda Annie Knott (which was her actual name at the time of birth), was taught to play chess by her husband, Henry Lewis Bowles, who was a really strong chess player. Rhoda wasn't a chess player at the time of her marriage, so kudos to Henry Bowles!
After Rhoda encountered an illness that left her temporarily blinded for three weeks, she learned to navigate the board of 64 squares as her husband taught her how to play the game via touch. In no time, she became one of the strongest woman players in England. But more importantly, she became the most active promoter of women's chess. In the very first month of 1895, she, along with her trailblazing group of women, formed the British Ladies’ Chess Club of London.
My dear husband read to me until I tired of that, then the brilliant idea struck him that he might teach me the ‘ names’ of the chess pieces by ‘touch’—for my eyes were bandaged night and day—this interested me greatly, and by the time that I had learnt the names and how to move the pieces, the shield could be lifted from my eyes sufficiently for me to see the 64 squares, and by the time of my convalescence I could move each piece correctly. Then came my eagerness to play a game! Oh the pleasure of it! No woman can realize until she has faced her husband on what she thinks the highest pinnacle beyond her.
- Mrs. Rhoda A. Bowles
Taking a break of a paragraph or two before continuing the story behind the first-ever international chess tournament for ladies, I would like to mention an incident that took place in the same year, i.e., 1895. Maybe you should hear it from Mrs. Bowles herself:
Among my earliest chess recollections I recall a pathetic scene at Hastings during the 1895 Congress. I had just arrived from London, and on the stairs leading to the hall of play I met poor Steinitz, who, upon seeing me, burst into tears and said, “Oh, Madam Bowles, what shall I do?” he said. “I have just lost my game to Lasker, and that is my fourth successive loss, I shall never win again. Even my own pupil, young Pillsbury, has beaten me, and I cannot sleep at night; for three nights, have I tossed and tumbled, but sleep is denied me, I am utterly broken down.” And he wept. I felt a big lump in my throat, but I tried to cheer him, and begged him to go home and go to bed, even if he could not sleep. He thanked me, but went away with a sad heart, promising, however, to take my advice. I was up betimes the next morning, and when he entered the hall, I was waiting with a buttonhole, which I pinned in his coat, telling him that I had come to turn his luck, and should expect him to win that day.
- Mrs. Rhoda A. Bowles
Steinitz then immediately went on to win against Curt Von Bardeleben the very next day, which is one of the most famous wins of his career.
In 1896, Rhoda started taking measures to transform her idea of a women's international tournament into reality. She found support, backing, and also competitors from all over Europe and other parts of the world for the Ladies’ 1st International Tournament held in 1897. One of these supporters was none other than Pillsbury, who is remembered for his triumph at the 1895 Hastings chess tournament. He was a loyal supporter of Mrs. Bowles, doing everything he could to strengthen her efforts in promoting women's chess.
Ada Ballin asked Rhoda Bowles to join her and fill up the chess column of her new illustrated monthly, Womanhood. It was launched in December 1898 and offered exceptional quality content for intelligent and independent-minded women. It featured a high-standard chess column. The magazine seems to have ceased publication around 1906.
Rhoda then contributed several articles to The Chess Amateur, which started in October 1906. In her later years, she conducted a series of matches between the English and American Universities. The British Chess Magazine tells us about a noteworthy chess game that took place in 1903. This game featured H.L. Bowles, the husband of Mrs. Bowles, of course, and the American champion, Harry Nelson Pillsbury.
Rhoda Bowles, with her delightful charm and positive impact on the London chess scene, earned the affectionate nickname "Little Mother" from her close-knit circle of chess friends. Having fulfilled her dream of organizing an international tournament for women and after spending a lot of years in the chess magazines and clubs arena, she breathed her last in 1932. The 1932 issue of the British Chess Magazine had this to say:
The Metropolitan Chess Club has sustained a heavy loss by the death early in December of Mrs. Rhoda Bowles. She had been a vice-president and staunch supporter of the club for a generation.
The Tournament and its Top Performers
Mrs. Bowles believed that an International Tournament for Ladies would be a great event for the Diamond Jubilee year of Queen Victoria's reign. Back in Whitsuntide, 1896, Mrs. Bowles reached out to influential friends for their thoughts. Their support was boosted by Sir George Newnes, who offered £60 for the first prize. The tournament was played at the Hotel Cecil in the Masonic Hall for six days, but the final rounds were decided at the Ideal Café, the headquarters of the Ladies' Chess Club.
The tournament in London was quite an event, running from June 23rd to July 7th, 1897. Women from around the globe—20 in total—fiercely competed for an impressive prize pool of £250. A wonderful success, it showcased the talent and passion of the ladies in equal measure. It was a round-robin tournament, meaning each player was to play against every other player one time.
The tournament saw competitors from Canada, New York, Germany, France, and more. Miss Rudge from England emerged as the champion and won the first prize. Mrs. Worrall brought home the fourth prize to America and received a warm welcome. After the tournament, the players expressed their gratitude to Mrs. Bowles by gifting her a beautiful gold bracelet, featuring a gold chess Queen pendant.
THE WINNER: MARY RUDGE
Mary Rudge was born in Leominster, Herefordshire on February 6th, 1842. Mary was the youngest child of Dr. Henry Rudge, a physician, counselor, and the Mayor of Leominster, and Eliza Rudge who was born in Ledbury, Herefordshire in 1802. According to the 1851 census, she had five siblings. Henry was a passionate chess enthusiast and taught the game to his elder daughters. They, in turn, taught Mary.
As her interest in chess grew, Mary sought more challenging opponents. In 1872, she entered a correspondence tournament, followed by a tournament in Birmingham two years later. After the tournament, Henry Rudge passed away. At the age of 32, Mary had to relocate with her sister, Caroline, who was 41, to live with their brother Henry. He served as the curate of a small parish in Bristol.
Mary was now playing chess seriously, and her recent move led her to the well-known Bristol Chess Club. The club had recently decided to admit women, and Mary was welcomed as an associate member. This new environment provided her with the opportunity to engage in competitive chess at a high standard, opening doors for her growth and development in the game.
She faced off against Joseph Henry Blackburne, who conducted a blindfold simultaneous display against ten opponents. The subsequent year, she participated in another blindfold simultaneous display, this time hosted by Johannes Zukertort.
In 1876, her brother moved to a new parish, although this position did not provide sufficient income for him and his siblings. The following year, they took over the newly established Luccombe House Preparatory School located on Redland Green. Henry assumed the role of schoolmaster, likely with the assistance of his sister in the teaching duties. Initially, the school seemed to thrive, and Henry resigned from his curate's post in 1881. However, by 1885, difficulties arose, leading to the school's closure in August. Subsequently, Henry took on the role of curate at North Meols, near Southport, while Mary chose to remain in Bristol.
Mary didn't play much chess in school, but In March 1887 she played and drew on board six for Bristol against Bath, Somerset at the Imperial Hotel in Bristol. In early 1888, Rudge participated in and achieved victory on board six for the Bristol & Clifton team in a match against the City Chess & Draughts Club. Further, she finished on the very top in the Bristol & Clifton Chess Club’s challenge cup in 1889. The same year, she became the first woman in the world to give simultaneous chess exhibitions. She won the Ladies' Challenge Cup at Cambridge in 1890.
Mary was only able to attend the 1897 tournament because friends and chess enthusiasts came together to cover the costs of her trip. Miss Rudge was 55 years old, making her the oldest among the 20 players in the tournament. She had a lot of experience playing chess and was a well-known player in England. In fact, her skill level was on par with the top players in the leading men's clubs. She went unbeaten throughout the tournament, finishing with a score of 18.5/19 with the help of 18 wins and 1 draw.
This tournament win led her to be called “the strongest lady chess player in the world” and ”entitled to style herself lady chess champion of the world“.
Over the following years, she participated in several tournaments, mainly in Bristol and Dublin. In 1898, she faced the reigning world champion Emanuel Lasker during a simultaneous display at the Imperial Hotel. Due to time constraints, Lasker was unable to complete all his games, one of which was against Rudge. Ultimately, he conceded defeat, recognizing that with perfect play, she would have emerged victorious.
In the following years after her sister Caroline's death in 1900, Mary’s health began to decline. She faced the challenges of loneliness and worsening illness as time passed. By 1912, there was a renewed call for financial support to aid her situation. In her later years, Mary suffered increasingly from severe rheumatism. Ultimately, she passed away at Guys Hospital in London in 1919.
RUNNER UP: LOUISA MATILDA FAGAN
Louisa Matilda Fagan was a British chess master of Italian origin. She learned how to play chess in her childhood when her father, William, taught her the game. Her mother was Angela De Deo, who married her father in 1847. Matilda was the younger sister of William Robert Ballard, born in Naples in 1848, who was a notable chess player in the London chess scene during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
in 1872, she married Joseph George Fagan, an Irishman who served as an officer with the Bombay Lancers. They had two children. As a result of their marriage, the Fagans lived for a time in British India. During this period, Fagan was actively involved in the chess scene in India.
Her first documented chess participation came as a problem composer. In the City of London Chess Magazine of 1875, she contributed under the pseudonym "Dessa (a lady)", appearing in issues on pages 171, 236, and 338. One of her compositions from that time was judged by a commentator to be "neat and rather pretty." This marked a significant moment in her contributions to the world of chess.
In 1882, she had another documented chess adventure in India, where she achieved victory in a small local tournament. This tournament was organized as part of the Bombay Gymkhana Club's annual sports fest, which included a variety of activities such as polo, bowls, tennis, and golf. But then came the "men only!" stereotype in between which didn't allow her to play in the premises. Despite the setbacks, she won all her games! Her opponents, amazed by her performance, demonstrated honor by presenting her with a souvenir album filled with signed photographs of themselves.
I found nothing chess-related to her until 1895 and 1896, when she participated in several tournaments and team events, like the London Chess Classic vs. City of London CC. In 1896, she was the sole winner at Van Vliet's 18-board simul at the LCC in January and at Tinsley's 21-board effort in March. In 1897, she placed right behind Mary Rudge in the first Ladies’ International Chess Congress, with 15.5 points out of 19.
Louisa Matilda Fagan passed away on 11 August 1931 at the age of 81.
Wooh! What a ride this was. The stories of 3 amazing women who joined forces and successfully concluded the first significant event in the history of women's chess. I am very happy that I was able to share all this with you.
I hope you enjoyed reading the blog, and a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. A shoutout to @Alcor5 for being the first person to answer the question that was asked in one of the game annotations of my previous blog.
Here are the sources used for writing the blog: British Chess News, Leominstermuseum.org, Wikipedia, Thearticle.com, Lostontime.blogspot.com, and @batgirl's blog.
Once again, thank you for reading this blog, I hope you learned something new, and once again, a Happy New Year. I am open to all sorts of feedback, whether negative or positive, so do provide them in the comments if you want to. Also if you find a mistake in the blog, do send me a PM or type it in the comments. Oh and yeah thanks to @VOB96 for publishing that blog.
Until next time, I am outta here.
