{{Short description|English chess player}} {{Infobox chess player | name = Elaine Pritchard | image = | caption = | full_name = Elaine Zelia Pritchard | country = {{ENG}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|1|7|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|1|7|1926|1|7|df=y}} | death_place = | title = Woman International Master (1957) | peakrating =2150 (January 1990) }}
'''Elaine Zelia Pritchard''' (7 January 1926 – 7 January 2012), née '''Saunders''', was an English chess player who held the title of Woman International Master (WIM, 1957). She was a four-time winner of the British Women's Chess Championship (1939, 1946, 1956, 1965).
==Biography== Pritchard learned to play chess at the age of five, and was considered a child prodigy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/prodigies.html|title=Chess Prodigies by Edward Winter|website=www.chesshistory.com}}</ref> For two consecutive years, she won the World Girl Chess Championships (1936, 1937), and also successfully participated in simultaneous exhibitions against Alexander Alekhine and Rudolf Spielmann.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1485532|title=Rudolf Spielmann vs Elaine Saunders Pritchard (1938)|website=www.chessgames.com}}</ref>
For decades, she was among England's leading women chess players. Elaine Pritchard four times won the British Women's Chess Championships (1939, 1946 — after winning an additional match against Rowena Mary Bruce,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/194608bcf-viewer.html|title=BritBase Chess: 33rd British Championship 1946, Nottingham|website=www.saund.co.uk}}</ref> 1956, 1965).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/britchamps.html|title=John Saunders's Chess Pages: British Chess Champions, 1904 to present|website=www.saund.co.uk}}</ref>
Pritchard played for England in the Women's Chess Olympiads:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/playersw/bnhljpjh.html|title=OlimpBase :: Women's Chess Olympiads :: Elaine Pritchard|first=Wojciech|last=Bartelski|website=www.olimpbase.org}}</ref> * In 1957, at first board in the 1st Chess Olympiad (women) in Emmen (+6, =4, -4), * In 1972, at second board in the 5th Chess Olympiad (women) in Skopje (+1, =2, -4), * In 1974, at second board in the 6th Chess Olympiad (women) in Medellín (+4, =2, -2), * In 1976, at second board in the 7th Chess Olympiad (women) in Haifa (+4, =2, -2) and won the team silver medal, * In 1978, at second board in the 8th Chess Olympiad (women) in Buenos Aires (+2, =3, -1).
In 1957, she was awarded the FIDE Woman International Master (WIM) title. She was author of two chess books and an Honorary Life Member of the English Chess Federation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englishchess.org.uk/elaine-zelia-pritchard-rip/|title=Elaine Zelia Pritchard RIP – English Chess Federation|website=www.englishchess.org.uk|access-date=2018-02-07|archive-date=2016-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231021728/http://www.englishchess.org.uk/elaine-zelia-pritchard-rip/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was married to David Pritchard.
== Literature == * Elaine Pritchard. ''Chess For Pleasure''. London. 1971. {{ISBN|9780571092017}} * Elaine Pritchard. ''Young Chess Player''. London. 1976. {{ISBN|9780571105670}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Chessgames player|58985}} *{{365Chess.com player|Elaine_Pritchard}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pritchard, Elaine}} Category:1926 births Category:2012 deaths Category:English female chess players Category:English chess players Category:Chess Woman International Masters Category:Chess Olympiad competitors Category:20th-century British chess players Category:20th-century English sportswomen