Lisa Harmon chess player biography

The story of the fictional character of Elizabeth Harmon from the cunning series “The Queen’s Tow” from Netflix partially repeats the life path of Vera Menchik, the Russian emigrant in the UK, which became the first woman in men's chess competitions. Her sports career fell on the first half of the twentieth century. It is reported by The Insider. Unlike the fictional Elizabeth Harmon, who first lived in poverty with her mother, and then grew up in harsh conditions of an orphan house, Vera Menchik had a rich childhood.

She was born in Moscow in the year in the Czech family and Englishwoman, attended a private school and played chess. After the revolution, in the year, she moved with her mother and sister to the UK, where she joined the chess club. One of the reasons for her fascination with chess in the new conditions was poor knowledge of the English language - she played quietly, almost without talking.

In the year, Menchik first won the London Women's Tournament, and then became the world champion among women. Next year, she became a celebrity, because she was the first woman-gossmeister, and for the first time among women she took part in the Grandmaster tournament with men. Biographers describe the style of playing Menchik as very quiet and calm. She sat behind the board with her hands folded and made a “boring” impression on the audience.

While Harmon's character is distinguished by an aggressive manner, Menchik played calmly and reasonably. Unlike the heroine of the series, Menchik was not obsessed with chess - she played a lot of tennis and was fond of modeling of clay. She also loved to travel, make new acquaintances and participate in public life.

In particular, the chess player taught other players and was the editor of the Social Chess magazine. She walked a lot along the streets of Moscow, which distracted her from the competition - the contemplation of the city of her childhood cost her victory. The woman continued his sports career in the forties and defeated the grandmaster of Jacques Mizes - she became the first woman with whom he played.

The chess player married Henry Stevenson, who had chronic illnesses and needed to leave - so she missed several important tournaments. As a result, her husband died of a heart attack. Menchik died a year after the death of her husband-from the Nazi V-1 air bomb, which got into her house in the south of London during an air raid. Her mother and sister also died. At that time, Menchik was in the middle of the tournament, in which she confidently won.

The series “The Queen’s Tail” not only beats records in popularity, but also returns to life fashion for chess. On the network you can play against the digital beta Harmon. The Ukrainian chess player, world blitz and fast chess champion Vasily Ivanchuk said that the team of the series “The Queen’s Stow” offered him to play one of the key roles in the project.