Our game this week was played 90 years ago, but is topical because of the recent discussion regarding the superb Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and Georgian GM Nona Gaprindashvili. GM Gaprindashvili is to sue the show for claims that the fictional Beth Harmon was the first female player to take on top male chess players.
However, maybe the ‘original’ Beth Harmon was in fact Vera Menchik.
Vera Menchik was the first Women’ World Champion, and, to my knowledge, played against at least 5 players who had been/were or would be World Champion.
These were Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe and Botvinnik
Sadly Menchik was killed in 1944 when a German V1 rocket hit her home in London.
Here is one of her nicest games, played against the strong English player
White: Menchik, Vera Black: Thomas, George Alan
London 1932