Kate Belinda Finn

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John Saunders
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Kate Belinda Finn

Post by John Saunders » Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:48 pm

One by-product of my enquiries into the 1905 British Championship at Southport: the date of birth usually quoted for the 1904 and 1905 British Ladies' Champion, Kate Belinda Finn, is almost certainly wrong.

Her entry in Gaige's Chess Personalia (1987) reads as follows:
Gaige wrote:Finn, Miss Kate Belinda
b 16-12-1870
d 08-03-1932, London ENG
BCM, 1932, p. 167-168
London Times, March 9, 1932, p.1, c.1
Here's her BCM obit in full:
BCM, April 1932, pps 166-167 wrote:Miss K. B. Finn, first British Lady Champion and one of the strongest women players of her day, died of bronchial pneumonia on March 8 [1932] at 12 Rugby Mansions, Kensington. She was the only daughter of the late Eugene Finn, M.D., of Patricks Hill, Cork. Her mother, who died in 1906, was fond of chess, encouraged her daughter to play and accompanied her to the various meetings. When the British Chess Federation was formed in 1904 she entered the Ladies’ Championship at Hastings and won with a score of 10½ out of 11, a wonderful performance. In the following year, at Southport, she again won the trophy, but the opposition was keener, her score being 9½. In neither event did she lose a game, the points she dropped being the result of drawn contests. Her mother’s serious illness prevented her from appearing at Shrewsbury in 1906, and as events turned out, she never again competed, but her strength a first-class player was maintained till quite recently, when ill-health and failing eyesight made her appearances more rare. For years she played top board for the original Ladies Chess Club, which then played in the “A” Division of the London League. Here she held her own with the leading London players. Latterly she joined the Imperial Chess Club, and was a regular and valued attendant.
And the Times reference is as follows:
The Times, 9 March 1932 wrote:FINN - On March 8, 1932, at 12, Rugby Mansions, Kensington, W.14, of bronchial pneumonia, KATE BELINDA FINN, only daughter of the late Eugene Finn, M.D., of Patrick's Hill, Cork. Funeral strictly private. No mourning, no flowers.
Neither mentions her age or date of birth. But Ancestry reveals a birth registration as Catherine Belinda Finn on 16 December 1864, Cork, county of Cork, Ireland, parents Eugene Finn and Belinda (née) McCarthy, who were married on 30 Jan 1864 in Cork. Eugene was the eldest son of James Finn, esq, Kanturk [town in the NW of county Cork], and Belinda was the youngest daughter of Dr McCarthy, Newcastle, County Limerick.

In 1901 Kate Belinda Finn was living (on her own means) at a salubrious address in Kensington with her widowed mother Belinda. Her age was given as 34, which is out by two years (should be 36). Her mother died in 1906 and I can't find Kate in the 1911 census, nor as yet in the censuses prior to 1901. In the 1920s she lived at 12 Rugby Mansions, where her flat-mate was Eileen Florence Hodson Moriarty (1921 and 1931 electoral records). Eileen (b 1880, Ireland, d 1945, Wales) carried on living there for some time after Kate's death and eventually left £35,000 in her own will.

Here is Kate's probate record:
Index of Wills and Administrations, 1932 wrote:FINN Kate Belinda of 12 Rugby Mansions Addison Bridge Kensington Middlesex spinster died 8 March 1932 Probate London 10 May to John Charles Fitzmaurice Finn esquire. Effects £6000 12s. 3d.
£6k is quite a tidy sum for those days. I think that John Finn was her (younger) brother. He spent a lot of time abroad and I suppose it is possible Kate did also, either with him or somewhere warm, for the sake of her health, which might explain where she was in 1911.

As regards her 'chess name', I think I shall carry on using 'Kate Belinda Finn' as that is clearly what she used herself as an adult. The main point of this post was to establish that her date of birth was 16 December 1864 (and not 1870).

EDIT: Rather wonderfully, I've just discovered that Kate's last home, Rugby Mansions, is in Bishop Kings Road in W14. And, equally wonderfully, this is but a stone's throw from where the London Chess Classic is played.
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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Tim Harding » Sat Aug 29, 2015 3:31 pm

Thanks for the information. It may be added that Miss Kate Belinda Finn withdrew after a few rounds of the 1897 Ladies' International due to illness (it was extremely hot then).

She tied first in the Ostend Ladies’ International 1907 with Mrs Curling (formerly Miss Ellis) and much later won the playoff, held in London 1908. She apparently retired from chess competition after winning the San Remo Ladies’ International, 1911.

The 1911 English census was taken on the night of 2/3 April. The San Remo tournament began on 6 March, according to Edward Winter's Chess Notes CN 6627 (17 June 1910)
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter71.html


The tournament is not likely to have extended to the end of March, though, as it was quite small.

So while she could have been back in England by 2 April it's also possible that Miss Finn extended her stay on the continent and this could be the reason why she is not in the 1911 census.
The other equally plausible reason why she is not in the census (taking your word for that - I've not searched myself) is that suffragettes were encouraged to boycott it. This was of course easier for them if they were in female-only households. Amos Burn's estranged wife and daughters appear to have boycotted. Kate Finn was probably also in a position to do so, if she so wished, and the simplest way to do it without breaking the law was to arrange to be abroad that night. It appears that she had the financial means.
Staying abroad for a few weeks more after the San Remo tournament would have solved the boycott issue.
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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by John Saunders » Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:33 pm

I think the BCM obit comment "she never again competed" is a bit misleading as it is quite clear she carried on playing in club chess for the rest of her life. References to her appearances for the Imperial Chess Club can be found in the Times. One of her last recorded appearances was in a rather grand match played on board the Union Castle passenger liner Llangibby Castle moored in Royal Albert Dock in London in 1930. (Ref. The Times (London, England), Wednesday, May 21, 1930; pg. 14; Issue 45518, if anyone wants to look it up. Mir Sultan Khan played on top board and only drew against W.Veitch - who must surely have been related to (father of?) the Walter Veitch (1923-2004) who played in the 1950 British Championship, etc. The older Veitch was referred to as "of Union Castle" and I've noticed that Veitch the younger seems to have more sea voyages recorded on Ancestry than the average youngster.)

I've since found a couple of Times in memoriam notices for KBF, on the anniversary of her death in 1934 and 1935, in both cases signed "J.F. and E.M." - presumably her brother John Finn and her friend and flat-mate Eileen Moriarty.

Is there evidence that Kate Finn was a suffragette? News to me. Taking her time to return from the San Remo tournament seems a more likely reason not to be in the 1911 census.
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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Richard James » Sat Aug 29, 2015 7:07 pm

John Saunders wrote:Mir Sultan Khan played on top board and only drew against W.Veitch - who must surely have been related to (father of?) the Walter Veitch (1923-2004) who played in the 1950 British Championship, etc. The older Veitch was referred to as "of Union Castle" and I've noticed that Veitch the younger seems to have more sea voyages recorded on Ancestry than the average youngster.)
Hmm. I'm interested in Walter Veitch as he was a member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club (with a grade of 3b in 1961). He was better known, though, in the field of endgame studies than as a player.

His death record gives a date of birth of 25 March 1923 but the young Walter Veitch who was making a lot of sea voyages in the 1920s was born in about 1920 (possibly 5 September 1919) and his earliest recorded voyage was in 1922. He also travelled either on the Anchor Line or the Cunard Line, not the Union Castle Line. I can't find any English birth records for Walter Veitch on ancestry. Scotland's People records a Walter Veitch born in 1916. I also note that Mr W Veitch of Southampton took part in the One Week 3rd Class Tournament Section A in the 1906 British Championships, winning first prize with a score of 4/5. His location suggests a possible connection with the Union Castle Line. A quick Google tells me that in 1914 there was a steward on the Union Castle line named Charles Veitch.

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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Tim Harding » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:46 pm

John Saunders wrote:I think the BCM obit comment "she never again competed" is a bit misleading as it is quite clear she carried on playing in club chess for the rest of her life. References to her appearances for the Imperial Chess Club can be found in the Times.
To support that, I have found a report in the Sunday Referee of 22 March 1925 (Hatton-Ward's column) about a match (over the board) between Referee readers and the Imperial Chess Club won 9-7 by the former. There were nine women on the losing side but Miss Finn (board 3) and Mrs Stevenson (bd 7) both won. This Mrs Stevenson was formerly Miss Lawson of West Hartlepool; Hatton-Ward said he knew her when he was at Stockton-on-Tees. Board 14 was an all-female board, won by Miss Gosling of the Referee team.
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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by John Saunders » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:02 pm

Thanks for that, Tim.

After reading your post, I checked Agnes Stevenson (née Lawson) on Wikipedia and I see there is now an approximate date of birth for her and a middle name, of which I had previously been unaware. There is also a slight error (which I may amend): it gives her husband Rufus Stevenson as 'editor of the British Chess Magazine' whereas he was in fact Home News editor (although referred to as co-editor in what appears below). Not sure why I haven't spotted that before (it has been on the Wiki page ab initio) as it rather jumped off the page at me this time. I shall also have to amend what I have on Britbase to include her approximate date of birth and middle name. I don't recall seeing her middle name/initial in chess sources - has anyone else spotted a reference to 'Miss A.B. Lawson' or a 'Mrs A.B.Stevenson'?

Gaige (Chess Personalia) has two entries for Agnes under her two surnames but both read the same:
Gaige, Chess Personalia wrote:Lawson, Miss Agnes ENG
Stevenson, Mrs. Rufus Henry Streatfeild
born [blank]
died 20-08-1935, Poznan POL
BCM, 1935, p.393, p.454-455
(London)Times, Aug. 21, 1935, p.10, c.7
The BCM Obituary...
BCM, 1935, p393-394 wrote:MRS. AGNES STEVENSON.

21st August, 1935.—The terrible tragedy reported in the newspapers this morning will come as a shock to the whole chess world, and the sympathy of thousands of chessplayers will go out to our co-editor, R. H. S. Stevenson, in the deplorable accident which has resulted in the death of his wife, who was on her way to Warsaw to help England in the Ladies’ Championship of the World. She had arrived at Posen on Tuesday, the 20th, by aeroplane from Berlin, and after having completed the passport formalities she was returning to the aeroplane. Thinking it was just leaving she ran for it, and unfortunately approached the front instead of the cabin. The propellers, which had just been started, hit her on the head and killed her instantaneously.

Next month we shall hope to give, through a friend, a more intimate obituary of this charming lady, whose loss, not only to us, the editors of the British Chess Magazine, but to a very large circle of friends, will be irreparable.

We had the pleasure of knowing her as Miss Lawson in the early days of the British Ladies’ Championship, when despite her non-success she was always cheerful. After her marriage to Mr. Stevenson she played regularly in the championship, and was invariably one of the leaders. In 1920 she tied with Miss Price for the Championship at Edinburgh, and won the play-off. In 1921, at Malvern, she was fourth, half a point behind the three leaders, who had tied with 8 points each. In 1922, at the Open Tournament in London, she was one point behind Miss Price, who won the first prize. She tied for the third and fourth places at Southsea in 1923, and was second to Miss Price at Southport in 1924. She won at Stratford in 1925, and again at Edinburgh in 1926. At Tenby she was again second to Miss Price. At Ramsgate in 1929 she tied for the second prize. At Scarborough in 1930 she tied with Miss Hooke and won the play-off. At Worcester in 1931 she tied for third place. At London in 1932 there was a triple tie for first place, but she lost to Mrs. Michell in the play-off. She tied for third and fourth place at Hastings in 1933, and was fourth at Chester in 1934. This year she was third at Great Yarmouth. As Mrs. Michell was unable to go to Warsaw, she and Mrs. Holloway had agreed to represent England in the Open Tournament.

Of course, in addition to her participation annually at the Congresses, Mrs. Stevenson was known as a strong competitor in the London Chess League matches for Lewisham, and also in the County matches for Kent. She was a very attacking player, and never gave up hope.

Quite apart from her chess prowess, her cheerfulness and good sense endeared her to everybody.

Knowing the great affection between husband and wife, we cannot find words to express our deep sympathy for R. H. S. Stevenson, and we know we shall be speaking for all our readers.
The promised appreciation, by Edith Michell, and another unnamed friend, in the following issue...
BCM, 1935, pps. 454-455 wrote:MRS. R. H. S. STEVENSON.

An Appreciation. By Edith Michell.

It was at Shrewsbury in 1906 that I first met Mrs. Stevenson, then Agnes Lawson. Her lively interest in a variety of subjects, and her ready sympathy with all fresh schemes and personalities made her an invigorating companion. Her generous and sporting attitude, and her quickness to acknowledge and appreciate the success of others gave her an added attraction. Although we were often rivals in the chess world, she was always the first to congratulate me on any success of mine.

An ardent tennis player, her first meeting with her future husband was not at the chess board, but on the tennis court, and every congress until quite recent times saw her with a tennis racquet.

Swimming was almost a necessity to her. Last July at Great Yarmouth she was in the water every morning before breakfast, and sometimes by moonlight as well.

Music was one of her many interests, especially the opera, and I can well remember when we travelled to Merano together for a chess congress and stopped the night at Milan, I, being tired out with a sleepless night on the train, went straight to bed, but she made straight for the opera house. She once told me that she had seen Faust nine times.

Going to the Zoo with her was a revelation of her marvellous aptitude for winning the friendship of the animal world. The shyest would approach her confidently. The parrots in particular were her pets, and the fiercest cockatoo would allow himself to be freely handled by her.

A charming characteristic was the way she befriended young newcomers to the chess congresses. Many a lonely chessplayer in England for the first time, was made to feel at home through her kindness, and there are few players of note who have not received a welcome at her house.

Of her activities in chess organisation and her energy in collecting funds for any chess adventure, others can speak better than I, but we all know that through her death English chess has lost one of its greatest supporters and zealous workers.

A friend writes :—

It is impossible to estimate the loss which the Imperial Chess Club has sustained by the untimely death of Mrs. Stevenson, who had the welfare of the club greatly at heart and was indefatigable in her efforts to promote its interest. She was ever ready to conduct lightning tournaments, simultaneous displays, etc., no matter how great the amount of trouble involved.

For the post of match captain she possessed exceptional qualifications ; she inspired her team with much of her own enthusiasm, and the success which the club has met with in a good percentage of their matches for several seasons must be attributed to the devoted and untiring efforts of its captain.

Over the board she was an original and very rapid player and many of her characteristics, such as courage, love of adventure and perhaps, impetuosity, were reflected in her game. A delightful opponent, modest in victory and gracious in defeat, whether in tournaments, matches or “ skittles," it was always a pleasure to play with her.

In addition to her several successes as British woman champion, already recorded in the September number of the B.C.M. it should also be mentioned that she held the women’s championship of the Empire Social Chess Club for the current year.

Her death has left a great blank that will be felt, not only amongst her friends of the Imperial Chess Club, but throughout the world of chess.

(a line across the page here indicates the end of the above contribution and the start of an announcement)

The funeral of Mrs. A. Stevenson took place at Wandsworth Cemetery on Tuesday, September 3, the body having been brought by sea from Poland. There were at least fifty chessplayers and friends present. Six large wreaths came from Poland, the largest had a printed inscription from the British team at Warsaw, another was from the British Vice-Consul of Poland, and another from Mrs. Shannon, the Irish representative of the women’s team at Warsaw. Three other large wreaths had inscriptions in Russian characters.
The Times obituary referred to above...
The Times, 21 August 1935, p10 wrote:WOMAN CHESS PLAYER KILLED
MRS. STEVENSON'S DEATH IN POLAND
FROM OUR CHESS CORRESPONDENT
WARSAW. Aug. 20 [1935]

Mrs. R. H. Stevenson was killed in an accident at Poznan Aerodrome this afternoon. She was flying to Warsaw to take part in the women's tournament for the Championship of the World, having been selected by the British Chess Federation to represent England in that event, and on returning to the machine after alighting for passport formalities was struck by the airscrew.
Her husband is secretary of the Southern Counties Chess Union and match captain of the Kent County Chess Association. Mrs. Stevenson had held the British women’s championship on several occasions, and both she and her husband have done a great amount of work for chess in England.
The Wikipedia page has this link to one of Edward Winter's Chess Notes (No.7565), courtesy of his correspondent Christian Sánchez of Rosario, Argentina. Basically, Christian tells us that Agnes's middle name was Bradley (which was her mother's maiden name) and that she was born in the 4th quarter of 1873 in Hartlepool, Durham, being baptised on 30 November 1873 in Stranton in West Hartlepool. I've had a look on Ancestry and this all checks out. Agnes was listed as a school teacher in the censuses of 1901 and 1911, when she lived with her widowed mother in Hartlepool. She married Rufus Stevenson in Hartlepool in 1912.
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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Gerard Killoran » Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:10 pm

I can find no evidence for Kate Finn being a suffragette, but at least one female chess player of the time was - and what a woman she was too! I came across her when trying to identify her first name in one of the games below.





The paper gave Miss E. Gibb, but I soon found...
The Year-book of Chess, E. A. Mitchell and F. Hollings, 1911

"Ladies' Chess Club, Kettledrum, 106, West George Street. Wed., 3 to 6 p.m. Miss Ellison Gibb, Elliot House Hillhead."
Then...
The Common Cause - Nov 3, 1910

Will Suffrage Societies please note that Miss Ellison Gibb, Elliott House, Hillhead, Glasgow, has kindly undertaken to act as hon. secretary to the A.F.L. in Glasgow? She will be glad to hear from those wishing to become members of the League, and give information to suffrage societies desiring the professional services of members on tour.

(AFL = Actresses Franchise League)
She was fearless and resourceful...
Evening Post, Wellington, New Zealand. 27 March 1912

Mr. Winston Churchill, on his visit to Belfast, appears to have had anything but a pleasant trip. The journal Votes for Women states that after his speech, which was interrupted systematically every five minutes, Mr, Churchill left by a special train. He was late in getting dn the boat. There were with him six detectives and four Irish policemen (the latter accompanied him as far as Stranraer). A crowd was booing at him. He went straight to his cabin, and did not emerge until we reached Stranraer. He waited until the very end, until everybody had gone off. There was a long pause. Then he came, followed by Mrs. Churchill. Just as he got to the end of the gangway I rushed forward and hit him across the face with a tricolour (folded, and without a staff), saying, "No Referendum for us, Mr. Churchill." He struck out at us. He had hardly taken two steps after this when Mrs. Carmichael did exactly the same thing. He looked absolutely murderous. Then the detectives began to hustle Mrs. Carmichael, and Mrs. Churchill (who had been extremely nice to us on the boat, and had seemed to be very interested), cried," Don't hurt her! It is all right." Desiring to interview Mr. Churchill in the train between Stranraer and Glasgow, Miss Frances Parker and Miss Ellison Gibb secured seats in the compartment next that reserved for him, and quietly awaited his arrival. Much interest was shown by the crowd, who loudly discussed whether the ladies were suffragettes or not. Still greater interest was displayed by Mr. Churchill's friends and detectives when they appeared. They made a point of passing through the compartment so as to have an opportunity of staring, and for a little while there was a constant procession of these gentlemen up and down the corridor, taking a good luok at the women each time they passed. Mr. Churchill himself had a peep, but the suffragettes remained quiet. Then what they were waiting for came to pass. Evidently unable to rest while suffering from such nervous anxiety, Mr. Churchill came boldly along and glared at the two women while speaking to another woman belonging to his party, who had come in beside them. Miss Parker then asked if she might speak to him. "What on?" he barked. "On Votes for Women." "No, I have had enough of that," he replied. Asked what the Government was going to do for women, he said, "For this behaviour you will not get the vote now," and walked on. Miss Parker continued speaking to him till pushed back into the carriage by the detectives. Peace reigned once more till the men who were guarding the door were enticed into the carriage and sat down to talk things over. In the midst of the conversation Miss Parker suddenly darted out and tapped at Mr. Churchill's window, followed by the detectives, she was pushed further up the corridor, and Miss Gibb took her position at the door and quietly waited events. Mrs. Churchill came out and appealed to her to go away, as her husband had had no rest for forty-eight hours, and he was getting little sleep. The attempt to give the information that there were women in Holloway who were getting even less sleep was interrupted by Mr. Churchill opening the door and demanding, "What's all this!" He was told a statement was wanted. "The only statement I will give you is go away, woman!" He seemed then worked up into a hysterical condition, and poured forth abuse on Miss Gibb for some time, "intolerable," "disgusting," " a nuisance," "you are a low woman," were some of his expressions even stronger words being used, which would have been more appropriate to a stair head battle than to a Cabinet Minister. He ended up with "Remove this woman!" and there was only time to remind him the women would stand no more trickery, that a Government Bill was demanded, and that the Referendum could be tried on Home Rule, but fair play must be had for the women.
She took a battering...
A guid cause: the women's suffrage movement in Scotland

When Ellison Gibb, a WPSU member from Glasgow attempted to interrupt the Prime Minister, a young man places a hand over her mouth and effectively gagged her. ('All the witnesses laughed heartily', reported the Dundee Advertiser.) She in turn entered a charge of assault against the man and the trial was on 19 November.

(The same book reports that she then smashed a window in Dundee)
And won a battle in court...
Votes For Women - Nov 22, 1912

The Prime Minister on his return from Venice early in October, paid a flying visit to Scotland and addressed a Liberal meeting at Ladybank. Among the militant Suffragists present to enter protests against his attitude with regard to Woman Suffrage was Miss Ellison Gibb. At the Sheriff Court House on Tuesday last Mr. Edwin H. Smith was sentenced for five shillings or five days' imprisonment for the charge of assaulting her on that occasion.

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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by John Saunders » Tue Sep 15, 2015 2:08 pm

Brilliant find, Gerard! What amazing courage - chess can be proud that she was 'one of us'.
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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Gerard Killoran » Mon Sep 21, 2015 6:11 pm

I haven't seen many games by by Kate Belinda Finn out there and the ones I have seen don't show her in a good light, being quick losses. Here she puts up resistance against the reigning British Amateur Champion, but gets ground down in the end having failed to get any counterplay.


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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Gerard Killoran » Thu Nov 19, 2015 12:11 pm

Tim Harding wrote:
John Saunders wrote:I think the BCM obit comment "she never again competed" is a bit misleading as it is quite clear she carried on playing in club chess for the rest of her life. References to her appearances for the Imperial Chess Club can be found in the Times.
To support that, I have found a report in the Sunday Referee of 22 March 1925 (Hatton-Ward's column) about a match (over the board) between Referee readers and the Imperial Chess Club won 9-7 by the former. There were nine women on the losing side but Miss Finn (board 3) and Mrs Stevenson (bd 7) both won. This Mrs Stevenson was formerly Miss Lawson of West Hartlepool; Hatton-Ward said he knew her when he was at Stockton-on-Tees. Board 14 was an all-female board, won by Miss Gosling of the Referee team.
The Western Daily Press (Monday 18 May 1931) has Miss Finn beating H J Mapleton on Board 5 of the London Imperial team against the Bristol YMCA. The match was played on Saturday 16 May 1931.

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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Gerard Killoran » Wed Jan 06, 2016 1:41 am

At last I've come across a game where Kate Finn is the winner. Here she defeats the future Bishop of Trinidad in the Second Class tournament at Salisbury 1898. The result is not listed in the tournament table as Welsh later withdrew. http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/t637.html


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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:04 am

"Southern Counties Chess Union Tournament - 2nd Class"

In case anyone was wondering, SCCU covered rather more of the South in those days, not just SE.

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Re: Kate Belinda Finn

Post by Gordon Cadden » Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:27 am

Kevin Thurlow wrote:"Southern Counties Chess Union Tournament - 2nd Class"

In case anyone was wondering, SCCU covered rather more of the South in those days, not just SE.
The West of England County Chess Association was not constituted until 1st. June, 1947

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