Emīlija Šmite

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Emīlija Šmite (born 1899, died 16 September 1977) was a Latvian chess player. She took part often in Latvia’s first Latvian Women’s Chess Championships and won several medals, coming close to the national title several times.

In 1938 she shared first place with Elise Vogel and Marta Krūmiņa, but in the final rounds she finished in second place.

After World War II she competed against top Latvian players like Milda Lauberte. In 1948 she led the championship with 7 points from 7 games, but lost the decisive game to Lauberte and did not win. In 1949 she was also near the top, but again lost the decisive game to Lauberte and finished second.

In late 1949 and early 1950, she played in the 10th USSR Women’s Championship semi-final in Tallinn. She tied for 11th–12th place, but she was the only player to beat Kira Zvorykina, who won the tournament.

In the 1950s her results were not as strong, but she continued to play in Latvian Women’s Championships through 1963. In the 1960s she worked in the electrical engineering department at the VEF factory and, in 1960, represented the VEF team in Latvia’s First Team Chess Championship.

Emīlija Šmite is buried at Riga’s Raiņa Cemetery.