Fenny Heemskerk

Fenny Heemskerk was a Dutch chess player.

Biography

She won the female Dutch Chess Championship ten times. Heemskerk won a match against Catharina Roodzant 4.5 : 0.5 in 1937, and lost a match to Sonja Graf 0 : 4 in 1939 in Amsterdam.
She took eighth place in Women's World Chess Championship at Moscow 1950, tied for second/third in Candidates Tournament at Moscow 1952, took ninth place in Candidates Tournament at Moscow 1955, tied for 15–16th in Candidates Tournament at Vrnjacka Banja 1961.
She played in the 1st Women's Chess Olympiad at Emmen 1957 – but had to withdraw after only two days upon learning her father had died. In 1989, at the age of 70 she participated in the Moscow GMA qualifiers alongside strong male Grandmasters.
Heemskerk was awarded the Woman International Master title in 1950, and the Woman Grandmaster title in 1977. She was invested as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
In January 1940 Heemskerk married FIDE Master Willem Koomen and soon gave birth to a daughter. The marriage broke up in 1944.