Irén Hönsch

Irén Hönsch (born 24 May 1932), also Jenőné Sillye (1957-1972) and Lajosné Károly (from 1972), was a Hungarian chess player. She was a three-time winner of the Hungarian Women's Chess Championship (1957, 1959, 1960).

In the 1950s and the 1960s, Irén Hönsch was one of the leading Hungarian women's chess players. She won in Hungarian Women's Chess Championships in 1957, 1959 and 1960.

Irén Hönsch played for Hungary in the Women's Chess Olympiads:

In 1957, at first board in the 1st Chess Olympiad (women) in Emmen.
In 1957, she married Hungarian chess master Jenő Sillye. The couple had two sons: Gábor (born 1959) and Kálmán (born 1960). From her second marriage to Lajos Károly, she had a daughter Irén (born 1973).

Life

Károly Lajosné (née Irén Hönsch), master craftsman, was born in Kassa on 24 May 1932. Her father is János Hönsch, her mother is Irén Hönsch. Between 1957 and 1972 she competed under the name Jenőné Sillye and from 1972 under the name Lajosné Károly.

After graduating, she started working at MÁV, the railway department, and later at the pension office, where she worked until his retirement. Jenő Sillye had two sons and Lajos Károlyi had a daughter.

From 1950 he played chess in the team of Bp. Vasútípítő Lokomotív and its successors. In 1957 she won the women's championship title.

Three-time Hungarian champion (1957, 1959, 1960). Won the Vera Menchik Memorial Competition in Budapest in 1957. Represented our country at the first Women's Chess Olympiad (1957, Emmen). He played on the first board, Éva Karakas on the second, they came fourth. In 1960 she was also able to play in the women's zone competition. Her coach was her husband, the chess master Jenő Sillye.
 

Between 1969 and 1979 he was a member of the Olympic correspondence team. Between 1957 and 1968, 28-time national player, 2-time Olympian.

Having played in 20 women's championship finals, she met every member of the top women's team of the time several times beside the board.

Funeral

Irén Hönsch passed away at dawn on 26 August 2021 and his funeral will take place on 9 September 2021 at 12:45 pm at the Rákospalota Cemetery (Szentmihályi út 111).