example, she was playing till half past midnight to complete one round, and had to be back in the playing hall for the next round at 9 a.m. Notwithstanding the tight schedules, trips out were organised, and there were opportunities to fraternise with Golombek, Wade and Barry Wood who were involved in the FIDE conference going on at the same time in the same building. However, she finally qualified for Moscow along with Fenny Heemskirk of Holland.

Then straight back to England where she successfully defended her National title at Swansea, never seriously troubled in any game. Ann Sunnucks was 2nd though significantly, neither Saunders nor Tranmer, the other two tetrarchs of British ladies chess at the time, played.

This was quickly followed by Paignton where she tied 1st= withH. H. Cole in the Premier Reserves “B”. She was certainly now at her best; in form and playing with confidence. FIDE awarded her the Womens’ International Master title at this point.

The big event of 1952 was the Moscow Candidates. There had been sufficient interest in the UK for the BBC to broadcast a series of short talks each night on the Third Programme, each given by Rowena, in which she described as best she could for a largely lay audience the progress of the tournament, but also describing the setting and something of Moscow itself as they went out on trips around the city.

Among her first broadcast was this descriptive passage…..

“The tournament is held in the Hall of the Soviet Army and we are playing in its