She’s A Lady Made Of Steel And Honey

Chess Life - 1986 - Larry Parr
Hungarian woman grandmaster Maria Ivanka can be disconcerting. And, one suspects, she knows it. Call her a charming compound of steel and honey. For when this 36-year-old, well-coiffed, well-dressed, self-described "housewife" arrives at the chessboard (in high heels), she isn’t there for gay chitchat. She’s there to win. And since her arrival in America last year with husband and family, she had already defeated two male grandmasters. Continue >
 

"Super Swiss" in Las Vegas

Chess Life - 1986 - Arthur Bisguier GM
Four Chess Aces Break the Bank At 726-Player 1986 National Open - Breakfast at Las Vegas’ Imperial Palace Hotel costs just 99 cents, but the spread of early-morning goodies is so bountiful that you feel as though you’ve already hit the jackpot. But at the National Open, held from March 14 to 16 at the Palace, four players shared a greater jackpot. The tournament’s Championship section finished as a "push" among GMs Walter Browne, Dmitry Gurevich, Sergey Kudrin and FM Joe Bradford. Each of the winners cashed chips worth $1,775. Continue >