English Chess Forum

Whilst I was doing a bit of searching on the internet for information about Vera Menchik, I kept on coming across the name of Sonja Graf. Eventually I found this amazing article about her written by the German historian, Michael Negele:
https://www.kwabc.org/en/newsitem/life- ... enson.html

I can't help thinking that it's a pity Sonja Graf never became World Champion. Her personality and chess style might have increased the popularity of women's chess. Vera Menchik's games are very difficult to get excited about.

Sonja Graf got married quite late in life to Vernon D Stevenson, who I can find almost nothing about, and they had a son, Alexander Hadley Stevenson, who died at the age of 32 in 1983. Michael Negele's article mentioned in passing that he hadn't been able to contact Alexander Stevenson, and that is the reason why.

Here is Sonja's page on the Family Search website:
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pe ... s/L4C6-SW6

One of Sonja Graf's brothers, Alex, appears to have settled in the UK. A death record for Alex Graf, registered in Kent in 1983 fits the known details about him. His second wife, Joyce, might still be alive, living in Hildenborough.

I included at least one image of Sonja in

https://web.archive.org/web/20250224095 ... 7-vi-1944/

I know it's been mentioned before, but it is an odd coincidence that both VM and SG became Mrs Stevenson.

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 02, 2025 2:13 pm

Whilst I was doing a bit of searching on the internet for information about Vera Menchik, I kept on coming across the name of Sonja Graf. Eventually I found this amazing article about her written by the German historian, Michael Negele:
https://www.kwabc.org/en/newsitem/life- ... enson.html

I can't help thinking that it's a pity Sonja Graf never became World Champion.

Maybe, but Menchik had a big plus score against her - which suggests she was simply the better player.

I remember Fraulein Graf from Chess for Children; those amazing books which sparked my interest, even before Fischer Spassky. I still have those books, with my father's inscriptions.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 02, 2025 7:11 pm

Maybe, but Menchik had a big plus score against her - which suggests she was simply the better player.

It's difficult to argue against that. However Graf won their first encounter, so for 24 hours she could claim to be the best female player in the world!
[Event "Menchik - Graf"] [Site "Amsterdam NED"] [Date "1934.03.21"] [EventDate "?"] [Round "1"] [Result "0-1"] [White "Vera Menchik"] [Black "Sonja Graf-Stevenson"] [ECO "D32"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "60"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.a3 Bd6 7.Bd3 O-O 8.O-O b6 9.Qe2 Bb7 10.cxd5 exd5 11.dxc5 bxc5 12.Rd1 Ne5 13.Ba6 Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Bxh2+ 15.Kxh2 Qd6+ 16.f4 Bxa6 17.Qf3 Bb7 18.Bd2 Qd7 19.Qh3 Qxh3+ 20.Kxh3 d4 21.exd4 cxd4 22.Nb5 d3 23.Be3 Rfd8 24.Nd4 Ba6 25.b4 Nd5 26.b5 Nxf4+ 27.Kg4 Ne2 28.Rxd3 Bxb5 29.Nxb5 Rxd3 30.Kf3 Nc3 0-1

Nick Ivell wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 02, 2025 7:23 pm

I remember Fraulein Graf from Chess for Children; those amazing books which sparked my interest, even before Fischer Spassky. I still have those books, with my father's inscriptions.

Agreed. By Raymond Bott and Stanley Morrison we had Chess for Children and The Chess Apprentice.

I'm sure they would delight children of the modern era with their wonderful illustrations and charming text.

All they need is a notation update and they would go down a treat for sure. Superb books!

Chess for Children can be read online if you have an account with archive.org:
https://archive.org/details/chessforchildren00raym

I like the way the pieces are portrayed on the cover - the king is a weedy little man with a rather stupid expression. He clearly relies entirely on the protection of his army, in particular the powerful looking queen!

Nick Ivell wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 02, 2025 7:23 pm

I remember Fraulein Graf from Chess for Children; those amazing books which sparked my interest, even before Fischer Spassky. I still have those books, with my father's inscriptions.

IIRC that was Menchik beating Graf with a nice sacrificial attack, going against the stereotype just slightly.

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 02, 2025 10:32 pm

Nick Ivell wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 02, 2025 7:23 pm

I remember Fraulein Graf from Chess for Children; those amazing books which sparked my interest, even before Fischer Spassky. I still have those books, with my father's inscriptions.

IIRC that was Menchik beating Graf with a nice sacrificial attack, going against the stereotype just slightly.

I'm another whose interest in chess was thoroughly piqued by those books (I never owned copies, but the local library must have got very tired of issuing the Apprentice* to me). Unless I'm mistaken, though, the only game by Ms Graf to feature in either of them was a dashing attack out of the Two Knights against one R E Lean in one of the lower divisions at Margate in 1935: see here.
* Reissued some time later as More Chess For Children.