Background
She was born Mona May Ratner in Bessarabia, a province in Tsarist Russia. Her father, Aviv Ratner, a wealthy Jewish land-owner, had taught her to play chess when she was 9 years old.
She was born Mona May Ratner in Bessarabia, a province in Tsarist Russia. Her father, Aviv Ratner, a wealthy Jewish land-owner, had taught her to play chess when she was 9 years old.
Karff dominated United States. women"s chess in the 1940s and early 1950s and had an extended career. Sometime after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, her family moved to Tel-Aviv, in what was then Palestine. Because of her natural ability, she started playing in tournaments in Tel-Aviv and developed into a strong player.
In the 1930s, she moved to Boston.
When FIDE established titles in 1950, Mona May Karff was one of four American women to receive the title of Woman International Master. Karff, along with Gisela Kahn Gresser and Mary Bain, dominated United States. women"s chess in the 1940s and early 1950s.
Mona May Karff was a private person. Besides being a driving force in women"s chess, she was a shrewd stock investor who was worth a small fortune.
She spoke eight languages fluently and traveled extensively.
As a lover of the arts, she spent a good portion of her fortune on modern art She died in Manhattan on January 10, 1998.
She held seven United States. Women"s Chess Champion titles and four consecutive United States. Open titles. The marriage was brief and, though she never remarried, her long-time romantic relationship with Edward Lasker (a five-time United States Chess Open Champion) was never a secret. She played in three Women"s World Chess Championships: 1937 Stockholm, playing for Palestine and placing sixth (won by Vera Menchik). 1939 Buenos Aires, playing for the United States. and placing 5th (also won by Menchik). 1949 Moscow, playing for the United States. (won by Lyudmila Rudenko). Mona May Karff won her first United States. Women"s Chess Champion title against Adele Rivero in 1938. She competed and won the title six more times, in 1941, 1943, 1946, 1948 (sharing it with Gresser), 1953 and in 1974 (at age 66). She also won four consecutive United States. Open titles.
