United States Women's Chess Champions, 1937-2020 - Alexey W RootPaperback, 238 pages, McFarland Publishing 2022 As late as 1950, many chess clubs in America excluded women. The Marshall Chess Club in New York City was an exception, organizing the U. S. Women's Chess Championship beginning in the late 1930s. Since the 1980s, the average rating of the players has increased. The Saint Louis Chess Club has organized the championship since 2009, with record setting prizes. Drawing on archives and original interviews