British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

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John Saunders
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British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by John Saunders » Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:05 pm

I've just posted a Britbase viewer with the games of the 1913 British Championship in Cheltenham.

http://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/191 ... iewer.html

I've traced 29 of the 66 championship games and added 13 from the Major Open, women's championship, etc. My main sources were online - The Times & Times Literary Supplement, Manchester Guardian and the British Newspaper archive - plus I have been sent some games from other forum members (they know who they are - many thanks). I've no doubt some of you will turn up a few extra games from your more extensive libraries. As Tim Harding has observed, you tend to find the same games published over and over again in regional newspapers, with the columnists favouring the flashier games (as is perfectly natural). Having said which, the duplicates sometimes provide corrections to other misprinted scores and extra moves (e.g. Blackburne-Mahood, Rd 11, where the Manchester Guardian gives 63 moves but the Surrey Mirror has two or three extra moves, albeit not very significant ones).

To some of the games, I have added a few historical snippets related to the players involved or what happened in the game. For example, you might like to have a look at Mahood-Yates, Rd 8, Uber-Miller, Rd 1, and Brown-Whittard, from one of the subsidiary sections.

Names, names, names... I have resolved the initials of some of the players but not others. I tried hard but decided to turn the problem over to the forum's avid looker-uppers. I find these conundrums more fascinating than a crossword or a killer sudoku, and I'm guessing I''m not the only one. The names to go for this time:

EE Middleton jnr, FU/FW Beamish, CV Loye, FG Perrins, T Taylor.

EE Middleton is the most significant - you'll find a lot about him online but I still don't see his names given amongst all the data. CV Loye might be Danish (and an author - some old titles by someone of this name on Amazon). I get confused by the various Beamishes. FG Perrins and T Taylor I've not followed up at all. Like most family historians, I see the name Taylor (or Smith or Brown) and weep.

Thanks in advance for your help, which is much appreciated.
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Gerard Killoran
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Gerard Killoran » Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:18 pm

It's Ferdinand Uniacke Beamish

see

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=6434

for the Beamish saga.

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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Richard James » Sat Aug 22, 2015 5:48 pm

I'm getting somewhere with Middleton.

Empson Edward Middleton, variously described as an author and a captain in the Royal Navy, was born in Jamaica in 1838. His works include "The Cruise of 'The Kate'" (the 1953 reprint of which had an introduction by Arthur Ransome, also a chess player) and "Ah Happy England" and he has been described by Jonathan Raban as 'mortally bruised'. In 1871 he was in Kingston (which will interest John), in 1881 in Kent, in 1891 in Essex, in 1901 in Southampton, in 1911 in Hastings. He died in 1916. The Southampton and Hastings references tie in with chess references from the period.

He married in 1880 and had 7 children between 1880 and 1895, one of whom, Edward Empson Middleton, was born in 1885 in Broadstairs.

In 1920 Edward Empson petitioned for divorce - his wife's name was Victorine Elizabeth Jenny Fernande Madeline Middleton.

I would guess that the references to EE Middleton Jnr are to Edward Empson, and that some of the earlier references are to Empson Edward.

Clearly an interesting family. I'm sure there's a lot more to be discovered.

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Gerard Killoran » Sat Aug 22, 2015 6:27 pm

Frederick George Perrins

Google searches throw up...

From BCM 1913

The British Chess Magazine - Volume 33 - Page 246

https://books.google.com/books?id=U51JAAAAYAAJ
1913 - ‎Snippet view - ‎More editions
... Mr. F. G. Perrins, 23, Priory Street, Cheltenham.

1946-05-04 | findmypast.co.uk
search.findmypast.co.uk/search/british-newspapers?...
Findmypast
F. G. PERRINS
The "Echo" regrets to record the death on Friday of Mr. Frederick George Perrins,. of 23, Priory - street, Cheltenham, whose services to St. Paul's...

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Gerard Killoran » Sat Aug 22, 2015 6:34 pm

Thomas Taylor

http://www.chessdevon.co.uk/HTML/Pioneers/tt/base.htm

'He played at the BCF Congresses three times. At Glasgow in 1911 he came 4th in the Major Open with a score of 6. He also played at Cheltenham in 1913 and Hastings in 1919.'

Tim Harding
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Tim Harding » Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:20 pm

John Saunders wrote:I've just posted a Britbase viewer with the games of the 1913 British Championship in Cheltenham.

http://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/191 ... iewer.html
Such a pity you got Jacobs-Blackburne the right way around. :)

Only the other day somebody sent me this game with Blackburne winning.

In my book I point out how the Birmingham Post (22 August 1913) said in in its text report that Jacobs won yet had the names the wrong way around a few lines below. The Liverpool Courier also got it wrong, Burn believing that Blackburne had played Jacobs's favourite opening against him.

Then BCM (Sept 1963) published Burn's notes from that paper although its crosstable the previous month had the correct result.
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Author of 'Steinitz in London,' British Chess Literature to 1914', 'Joseph Henry Blackburne: A Chess Biography', and 'Eminent Victorian Chess Players'
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Brian Denman
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Brian Denman » Sat Aug 22, 2015 8:43 pm

I enclose the score of one more game from the Major Open event. John, thanks for quoting the precise date for the game between Major Rawlins and Holmes. According to my notes the Middleton/Schumer game was played in round 8 (19.8.1913).

I was particularly interested in Richard's account of the Middletons. Some years ago I wrote an article about the father and son for the Hastings CC website and it is still there. I did not have any success over the biographical details, but some of the information may still be new e.g. the junior Middleton won the Belgian Championship in about 1904. I would eventually like to write an update to my article on the website, but firstly I would be particularly grateful if anyone can find out when the junior Middleton died.


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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Richard James » Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:28 pm

There's a death record for Edward E Middleton (b1885) in Hitchin, Herts in Q3 1947. You'd need a copy of the certificate to ascertain whether or not it's the right person.

Apart from the earlier marriage to Victorine (who was quite possibly Belgian) there are several possible marriage records, some, all or none of which might be for our man. The first of these would tie in with the divorce record mentioned above.

Adelaide MD Smith in Sherbourne, Dorset Q4 1921
Edith E Alford in Newton Abbot, Devon Q1 1928
Joan L Mayo in Birmingham Q1 1942

(There was another Edward E Middleton, born 1902, joined the National Union of Railwaymen in 1919, died in Bexley, Kent in 1966, who, I would guess was the Edward E Middleton who married in Lewisham in 1925.)

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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Richard James » Sat Aug 22, 2015 9:45 pm

http://www.southafricawargraves.org/sea ... p?id=16595

This provides confirmation of EE Middleton Jnr's marriage to Adelaide Smith - their son John died during the Normandy Landings in WW2.
Son of Edward Empson Middleton, and of Adelaide Mary Middleton, of Rosettenville, Transvaal, South Africa. Landing on Gold Beach, the Battalion took La Riviere, Vers-sur-Mer, Crepon then reached and occupied the village of Brecy at the end of this famous day, losing almost one hundred men.
Up to 1923 EE Middleton Jnr had been involved in a hosiery business in London.

Both he and his father certainly seemed to get around a bit!

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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Richard James » Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:45 pm

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179 ... f-the-kate

For all you Middleton fans out there, some more information on EE Middleton Snr's book "The Cruise of the Kate".

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John Saunders
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by John Saunders » Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:41 pm

Richard James wrote:There's a death record for Edward E Middleton (b1885) in Hitchin, Herts in Q3 1947. You'd need a copy of the certificate to ascertain whether or not it's the right person.
I've just looked this up...
Index of Wills wrote:MIDDLETON Edward Empson of Beechwood Cottage Stockens Green Knebworth Hertfordshire died 19 August 1947 Administration London 17 December to Adelaide Mary Middleton widow and Edwarda Mary Middleton spinster. Effects £2548 5s. 4d.
So that's presumably the confirmation that Brian is looking for.

Many thanks for some first-class investigations and contributions upthread. We're rapidly turning into the chess equivalent of New Tricks's UCOS. ("Unresolved Chess Obscurities 'n' Stuff"?). I've updated the Britbase files between 1904 and 1929 to reflect the full names discovered. (There may still be a few inconsistencies I've not spotted. Do let me know if you spot anything amiss.) Thanks for the extra Major Open game, Brian - I'll include it in the file forthwith.

Any suggestions for the next tournament to target? One thing I wondered about: maybe we should think about an online Gaige-style 'biobibliography' of British chess players of the past. I'd be willing to host it on Britbase and help gather data, though not sure I'd want to be the chief editor. Just an idea we could kick around here...
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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Brian Denman » Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:56 pm

Richard and John, thanks for the information about the Middletons. I feel that I can now update my original article. There is no doubt that the junior Middleton was a very strong player, but it is interesting that I do not possess the scores of any of his games after 1923. Perhaps after he left his hosiery business in 1923 he emigrated to South Africa, returning to England after World War II.

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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Gerard Killoran » Sun Aug 23, 2015 12:50 am

C V Loye (or C V Løye) is a tough nut to crack. I'm sure he's the editor of the Danish-English dictionary but can't get anywhere with that. Maybe he's on the 1911 census.

By 1947 he's back in Denmark turning out for the H. K. S. club.

I think K is for København, S for Skakklub, But H is for...?

http://www.ksua.dk/vanloese/vsk1947.pdf

My best guess is that he is this person, Josef Frederik Christian Vilhelm Løye. b 9-7-1885 d. 1956

http://www.politietsregisterblade.dk/in ... earchname=

http://www.myheritage.com/FP/genealogy- ... in=profile

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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Richard James » Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:41 am

There's a Josef (incorrectly transcribed as Gosef) Loye on the 1911 census.

He's aged 25, a boarder living in Lambeth, born in Denmark, a commercial traveller in wholesale provisions.

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Re: British Championship, Cheltenham 1913

Post by Richard James » Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:43 am

You give a game played by WM Brown in the Third Class Section, explaining that he was blind.

The Cheltenham Chronicle 16 August 1913 tells us he was from Liverpool.

From the 1911 census we can identify him as William Marcus Brown, from West Derby, Liverpool, a teacher of music who had been blind for 9 years. BMD records confirm that he was born in 1866. There's a death record for William M Brown in Liverpool in 1916 which is almost certainly the right one.

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