Jacqueline Piatigorsky American chess player and philanthropist Date of Birth: 06.11.1911 Country: USA

1. American Chess Player and Philanthropist
2. A Life of Displacement
3. A Leading Chess Player
4. Promoting Chess in the U.S.
5. A Legacy of Philanthropy

American Chess Player and Philanthropist

Jacqueline Piatigorsky, born Jacqueline Rothschild, is an American chess player and philanthropist. She is the second daughter of banker Eduard Rothschild and Germaine de Rothschild. After her first unsuccessful marriage to publisher Robert Calman-Levy from 1930 to 1935, Jacqueline Rothschild married cellist Gregor Piatigorsky in 1937 and gave birth to their daughter in the same year.

A Life of Displacement

Two years later, the Rothschild and Piatigorsky families were forced to flee France due to the outbreak of World War II. Unlike her parents, brother, and sister, Jacqueline decided not to return to Europe. The Piatigorskys initially lived in Philadelphia and later settled in Los Angeles in 1949. By this time, Jacqueline Piatigorsky had obtained American citizenship and actively participated in sports. She won several championships in tennis but achieved even greater success in chess.

A Leading Chess Player

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Piatigorsky was among the leading female chess players in the United States. Her greatest accomplishment was representing the U.S. team in the First Women's Chess Olympiad in Emmen, Netherlands, in 1957. She scored 7.5 points out of 11 games on the second board and received a bronze medal in the individual standings (the gold medal was awarded to Kira Zvorykina from the Soviet Union).

Promoting Chess in the U.S.

Piatigorsky subsequently organized the Piatigorsky Cup chess tournament in the United States through her foundation. This tournament was unprecedented in its composition for chess competitions in North America. The first edition, held in Los Angeles in 1963, was won by Paul Keres and Tigran Petrosian, while the second edition in Santa Monica in 1966 saw Boris Spassky narrowly defeat Robert Fischer.

A Legacy of Philanthropy

In 1985, Piatigorsky, in collaboration with the New England Conservatory, established a prize scholarship for performers of classical music. In 1988, she published her memoir "Jump in the Waves." In addition to her involvement in chess and music, Piatigorsky has pursued sculpture since the 1970s and has held several solo exhibitions in California.