Lisa Lane, trailblazer for U.S. women’s chess and Sports Illustrated cover girl, dies at 90

Her career was as impressive as it was improbable.

Lisa Lane, who passed away Feb. 28 at the age of 90, was a fierce competitor at the chessboard, a two-time U.S. women’s champion in 1959 and 1966 and a media sensation in an age when her sex, her drive to succeed and even her attractiveness sometimes seemed to work against her in a way that never burdened her male rivals.

In her prime in the early 1960s, the Philadelphia native was one of the country’s best female players, earning the women’s international master title and competing twice in the women’s world championship tournament cycle. A 2023 inductee into the World Chess Hall of Fame, she set one mark that can never be bested in August 1961 when she became the first chessplayer of either gender to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated — beating Bobby Fischer to the punch by a full 11 years.

Lane was a devotee of e-pawn openings, and today’s game from the 1964 women’s candidates cycle against six-time Yugoslavian women’s champ WGM Verica Nedeljkovic was one of a number of sharp Sicilians in her career. After 13. g3?! (a little poky in this kind of position; the sharper 13. g4 is the more modern way to proceed) Ne5 14. Bg2 Nc4 15. Bc1 Nxa3, White is down a pawn but does have counterattacking chances on the kingside.

Black for her part seems slow to appreciate the danger, allowing White to build up her forces on the king’s flank without hitting back in the center: 20. g5 Nd7 21. Nf2 e5? (the wrong central pawn — on 21…d5! 22. e5 a5 23. Rh3 Qb6 24. c3 Ba6! Black keeps both the extra material and the initiative) 22. Nf5 exf4 23. Rh3 Nf8? (Nedeljkovic should have accepted the dare with 23…Bxg5, when it’s a delicate balance of offense and defense for both sides after 24. Qh5 h6 25. Ng4 Nce5) 24. Qh5, when 24…g6 25. Nh6+ Kg7 26. Qh4 leaves White with strong kingside pressure.

But Black can’t hold back the flood even after the game’s 24…Qd7 25. Ng4 Qe6 26. Rxf4 Ne5 (see diagram — Black races a key piece back to help defend, but is a move too late; Black had to find 26…Qg6!, when White’s best might be to bail out with perpetual check after 27. Nf6+! gxf6 28. Nh6+ Kh8 29. Nxf7+ Kg8 [and not 29…Kg7?? 32. gxf6+ Kxf7 (Bxf6 33. Rg3) 33. fxe7+ Kxe7 34. Qh4+ Kd7 35. Rg3 Qe6 36. Bh3 with a winning attack] 30. Nh6+) 27. Nxg7!, opening a decisive breach in the Black ramparts.

It’s over after 27…Kxg7 (Qg6 28. Nxe8 Nxg4 29. Qxg4 Rxe8 30. Qe2, and White’s up the exchange and still on the attack) 28. Nf6 (threatening the neat little two-step mate 29. Qh6+ Kh8 30. Qxh7+! Nxh7 31. Rxh7) Ng4 (Bxf6 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. gxf6, and now 30…Qxf6 is the only way to stop immediate mate) 29. Rxg4 Bxf6 30. gxf6+ Kh8 31. Qg5 Ng6 32. Qh6, and there’s no way to deal with  the two mate threats at h7 and g7; Black resigned.

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If Lane was a pioneer of American women’s chess, rising star IM Alice Lee is carrying on the tradition today in smashing style. The 14-year-old Minnesotan has just added the American Women’s Cup to her trophy collection, besting veteran GM Irina Krush in the knockout format last week after losing in the final to the eight-time U.S. women’s champ the previous two years.

In the taut championship match, Lee was a point down and faced a must-win with Black in the final rapid game, just to force a blitz playoff. Lee shows admirable sangfroid in allowing a number of early exchanges in the QGD Exchange line, and is rewarded when Krush gets careless with 11. Ne2 Nd7 12. c4? (missing a double attack in a relatively quiet position; with 12. Nf4 c6 13. 0-0 Nb6, White has nothing to fear) dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qc6! — Lee seizes the opportunity, hitting the bishop on c4 and the pawn on g2. White is already in scramble mode, but Krush finds the toughest line of resistance.

Thus: 14. Ng3! Qxg2 15. Rc1 Bh7 16. Be2 Qd5 — White is a pawn down, but the endgame is still far away and she has some open files on the queenside to work with.

The tension is evident for both sides as the play becomes tricky and the time grows short: 18. Qd2 Qxa3!? (safer was 18…Qb6 19. Qc3 c6 20. 0-0 Nf6) 19. Bxb7 Rab8, and now Krush would have had real drawing chances with 20. Rxc7 Ne5 21. dxe5 Rfd8 22. Qc3 Qxc3+ 23. Rxc3 Rxb7 24. f4; Black has a bishop for a knight and an outside passer, but the point would have been hard to convert.

Instead, White’s shaky king position proves fatal on 20. Bc6? Rb2! 21. Qc3 (Rc3 Qa2 22. Qd1 Qa5 23. Ne2 Rb1; or 21. Qd1 Bd3 22. Qa4 Qd6! 23. Bxd7 Qf6 24. f4 Qe7 and White’s center can’t hold) Rb3 22. Qd2 (Qa1 [Qc4 Bd3 wins the rook] Qb4+ 23. Kf1 Ra3 24. Qb1 Ra1, and on 22. Qxb3, Black has 22…Qxc1+ 23. Qd1 Qxc6) Rd3! 23. Bxd7 (Qc2 Rxe3+! 24. fxe3 Bxc2 25. Rxc2 Qxe3+ 26. Kf1 Qxd4) Rxd2 24. Kxd2 (White has gotten a rook and minor piece for the queen, but Lee has one more devastating check) Qb2+, and White resigned as 25. Kd1 Bd3 26. Re1 Qxf2 is hopeless.

GM Levon Aronian had a fine run in winning the open section American Cup, going undefeated and besting GM Wesley So in the final to claim the title.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Lane-Nedeljkovic, FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, September 1964

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 a6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. O-O b5 9. Bf3 Bb7 10. a3 Nbd7 11. Qe2 Be7 12. Rad1 O-O 13. g3 Ne5 14. Bg2 Nc4 15. Bc1 Nxa3 16. Rd3 Nc4 17. f4 Rac8 18. g4 b4 19. Nd1 Rfe8 20. g5 Nd7 21. Nf2 e5 22. Nf5 exf4 23. Rh3 Nf8 24. Qh5 Qd7 25. Ng4 Qe6 26. Rxf4 Ne5 27. Nxg7 Kxg7 28. Nf6 Ng4 29. Rxg4 Bxf6 30. gxf6+ Kh8 31. Qg5 Ng6 32. Qh6 Black resigns.

Krush-Lee-, Finals, Game 4, American Women’s Cup, St. Louis, March 2024

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Bb4 6. e3 h6 7. Bxf6 Qxf6 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Bd3 Bf5 11. Ne2 Nd7 12. c4 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Qc6 14. Ng3 Qxg2 15. Rc1 Bh7 16. Be2 Qd5 17. Bf3 Qa5+ 18. Qd2 Qxa3 19. Bxb7 Rab8 20. Bc6 Rb2 21. Qc3 Rb3 22. Qd2 Rd3 23. Bxd7 Rxd2 24. Kxd2 Qb2+ White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.