Britbase Updates

[John Saunders]

Interesting discoveries, Gerard, thank you.

Anyone wondering about Mrs Anne Muriel Shannon Shannon's name: her maiden name was Anne Muriel Shannon Kerr and she married a man called Frederick Shannon, hence the duplication of Shannon. I wrote a mini-biography of her here.

Now that we have the superlative Olimpbase website back in operation, here's a detailed tournament page showing that the above photo was played in round 1 (22 August) of the 1935 Women's World Championship.

P.S. in Cole's annotation of the win after 37 cxd8Q+ Bf8 he misses a much quicker win - 38 Qf6+ and mate next move.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

[Event "Kent Championship"] [Site "Kent"] [Date "1936"] [Round "2"] [White "Shannon , Anne Muriel Shannon"] [Black "Cole, Henry Holwell"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A09"] [Opening "Reti: advance variation"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 g6 4. d3 Bg7 5. Bb2 a5 6. a3 b6 7. e3 axb4 8. axb4 Rxa1 9. Bxa1 e5 10. e4 Nh6 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O Nd7 13. Nbd2 Qe7 14. Qa4 Nf6 15. Bb2 Nh5 16. Ra1 Nf4 17. Bf1 Bd7 18. Qa7 Ne6 19. Ba3 Re8 20. b5 Qf6 21. g3 g5 22. Bc1 Kh8 23. Qb7 Ng8 24. Bh3 Nd8 25. Qxc7 Bxh3 26. Ra6 Bg4 27. Rxb6 Ne6 28. Qd7 Rd8 29. Qa7 Bxf3 30. Rb7 Nh6 31. c5 Be2 32. c6 Bxd3 33. b6 Ng4 34. f3 Ne3 35. c7 Qh6 36. Rb8 Qh3 37. Rxd8+ Bf8 38. Kf2 Qg2+ 39. Ke1 Qe2# {Evening News (London) - Thursday 23 January 1936 p.9} 0-1

Possibly the newspaper columnist did not have room to include the full analysis after taking the rook with the pawn and promoting to queen on move 37 (the obvious move):

You reach this position after 37.cxd8=Q+ Nxd8 38.Rxd8+ Bf8 39.Rxf8+ Kg7:

5R2/Q4pkp/1P6/4p1p1/3pP3/3bnPPq/3N3P/2B3K1 w - - 1 40

Play could continue by capturing on f7 with check with either rook or queen, but the dénouement is complicated in both cases.

After 40.Qxf7+ White needs to play a few checks, end up playing g4+ and after the knight captures on g4, play some more checks to get the queen on e6 with check, allowing capture of the knight and exchange of queens and then win with b7.

The play after 40.Rxf7+ is prettier. While 40...Kg6 allows a trivial mate, the play after 40...Kg8 has two nice lines:

6k1/Q4R1p/1P6/4p1p1/3pP3/3bnPPq/3N3P/2B3K1 w - - 1 41

41.Rf8+ Kxf8 42.Ba3+ leads to this mate 8 moves later (after one of those twiddles with the bishop):

5B2/7Q/1P6/4p1pk/3pP3/3bnPPq/3N3P/6K1 b - - 0 50

The other line is possibly even nicer, as after 41.Rg7+ Kh8 it is possible to fail to see the winning line (this is what defeated me):

7k/Q5Rp/1P6/4p1p1/3pP3/3bnPPq/3N3P/2B3K1 w - - 3 42

42.Rxh7+ Qxh7 is needed to remove the mating threat. And then the simple 43.b7 is deadly. (The more prosaic queen exchange followed by b7 is also winning.)

So I have some sympathy for White here. H. H. Cole was very lucky!

(And yes, as John pointed out, never trust pre-computer newspaper analysis!)

[Kevin Thurlow]

I note that in Cole's annotation "B", he appears to misgender his opponent. But before we cancel him, we must consider that newspapers are prone to misprints.

[SeanCoffey]

Here is another Tony Miles game:

[Event "Simul x36, Cork 1975"] [Site "Cork IRL"] [Date "1975.03.18"] [Round "-"] [White "McCarthy, Patrick"] [Black "Miles, Anthony John"] [Result "1-0"] [BlackTitle "IM"] [BlackElo "2435"] [WhiteNationality "IRL"] [BlackNationality "ENG"] [BlackFideId "403385"] [PlyCount "53"] [ECO "B09"] [Opening "Pirc"] [Variation "Austrian attack, dragon formation"] [Venue "Lee Maltings, U.C.C."] [EventDate "1975.03.18"] [Source "Evening Echo 25 Mar 1975 p14"] 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 c5 6. e5 Nfd7 7. exd6 O-O 8. Bc4 cxd4 9. Nxd4 exd6 10. O-O Re8 11. Kh1 Nb6 12. Bb5 Bd7 13. Bxd7 Qxd7 14. f5 Be5 15. Bh6 Nc6 16. fxg6 hxg6 17. Nf3 Bg7 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Ng5 Re7 20. Qf3 Ne5 21. Qf6+ Kg8 22. Rf4 Ng4 23. Rxg4 Rae8 24. Re4 d5 25. Rxe7 Rxe7 26. Rf1 Nc8 27. h4 { Source: (Cork) Evening Echo, March 25, 1975 p. 14. } { Event information: +28 =6 -2. } 1-0

It's from his whirlwind Irish tour around the 1st Dundrum International Congress:

<p><strong>March 13</strong>- Simul, x42, Dublin. +36 =3 -3.</p>
<p><strong>March 14–17</strong>- Dundrum International Congress Open, Dublin: (1-5) Anthony J Miles, R Bellin, J Cummins, E Keogh, J Mestel 4&frac1;/6 (58 played)</p>
<p><strong>March 18</strong>- Simul, x36, Cork. +28 = 6 -2.</p>
<p>strong>March 19</strong>- Simul, x44, Galway. +44 =0 -0.</p>

Some additional name information for the current BritBase file: "E Higgins" (Dundrum 1975 round 1) was Edward Higgins; "J Byrne" (same event, round 3) was Ray Byrne (formal name James Raymond Byrne) (as confirmed recently by Ray himself). Cf. https://www.irlchess.com/2026/04/08/ton ... drum-1975/.

Finally, a bonus: RTE broadcast a report on the Dublin simul, and recently made it available from the archives. The 22 second video can be seen at https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/0225/1 ... -champion/.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/0225/1 ... -champion/."

That's great! I notice he's going anti-clockwise - don't most simul-givers go clockwise?

[John Saunders]

Here is another Tony Miles game:

It's from his whirlwind Irish tour around the 1st Dundrum International Congress:

Some additional name information for the current BritBase file: "E Higgins" (Dundrum 1975 round 1) was Edward Higgins; "J Byrne" (same event, round 3) was Ray Byrne (formal name James Raymond Byrne) (as confirmed recently by Ray himself). Cf. https://www.irlchess.com/2026/04/08/ton ... drum-1975/.

Finally, a bonus: RTE broadcast a report on the Dublin simul, and recently made it available from the archives. The 22 second video can be seen at https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/0225/1 ... -champion/.

Many thanks for the simul game and the comprehensive detail of the 1975 Dundrum International, Sean. I have now added the game and links to the Miles file at BritBase.

[Gerard Killoran]

No first name I'm afraid...

AI reference:
British Championship Participation:
Miss D. Campbell from Cambridge participated in the 5th British Chess Championship in 1908, the 6th British Championship in 1909, and the 9th British Championship in 1912 (Richmond).

[Event "BCF-ch09 Women's Championship"] [Site "Richmond"] [Date "1912.08.16"] [Round "5"] [White "Lawson, Agnes Bradley"] [Black "Campbell, D."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C50"] [Opening "Giuoco Pianissimo"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 d6 5. Be3 Bb6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. h3 Be6 8. Bxe6 fxe6 9. Bxb6 axb6 10. a3 O-O 11. Ng5 Nd4 12. Ne2 Qe7 13. Nxd4 exd4 14. O-O h6 15. Nf3 c5 16. Nh4 Kh7 17. g3 Nd7 18. f4 Rae8 19. Qh5 Qf7 20. Qxf7 Rxf7 21. Rae1 Ref8 22. b3 b5 23. f5 exf5 24. Nxf5 Rf6 25. g4 Ne5 26. Kg2 Rg6 27. Ne7 Rgf6 28. Nd5 Rxf1 29. Rxf1 Rxf1 30. Kxf1 c4 31. Ke2 Ng6 32. b4 c3 33. Kd1 b6 34. Kc1 Ne5 35. Nf4 g5 36. Ne2 Nf3 37. Kb1 Kg6 38. Ka2 Kf6 39. a4 bxa4 40. Ka3 b5 41. Ka2 Ke5 42. Ka3 Ne1 {Oxford Times - Saturday 31 August 1912 p.11} 0-1

[Gerard Killoran]

..and
[Event "BCF Victory First-Class C"] [Site "Hastings"] [Date "1919.08.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Hardcastle, Guy Ralph"] [Black "Smith, Frank Scuse"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B33"] [Opening "Sicilian defence"] 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. O-O Be7 10. b3 O-O 11. Bb2 e5 12. f3 Be6 13. Qe2 Nd7 14. Rad1 f6 15. Nb5 Qb6+ 16. Kh1 Rfe8 17. c4 d4 18. Qc2 Nf8 19. f4 a6 20. Na3 Qa5 21. Nb1 Bg4 22. Rc1 Qb6 23. fxe5 fxe5 24. Nd2 Bg5 25. Rce1 Qh6 26. Nf3 Bf4 27. Bc1 Bxc1 28. Rxc1 Bxf3 29. Rxf3 e4 30. Bxe4 Rxe4 31. Rcf1 Qe6 32. Qf2 Ng6 33. Rf5 Rd8 34. Qg3 d3 35. Qc7 Qd7 36. Qa5 d2 37. Rd5 Rf8 38. Rxf8+ Nxf8 39. Qxd2 Qe7 40. h3 Re1+ 41. Kh2 Qc7+ 42. g3 Qe7 43. Qd3 Re2+ 44. Kh1 Rxa2 45. Qf1 Qe4+ 46. Kg1 Qe3+ 47. Kh1 Qxg3 {Oxford Times - Friday 24 October 1919 p.5} 0-1

[John Saunders]

Thanks for the games, Gerard, which I have added to BritBase. I can't find a forename for Miss D Campbell either. Artificial Ignorance's reference to her participation in British Championships is inaccurate. She played in the women's championship in 1912 but took part in non-championship sections in 1908 and 1909.

[Richard James]

Thanks for the games, Gerard, which I have added to BritBase. I can't find a forename for Miss D Campbell either. Artificial Ignorance's reference to her participation in British Championships is inaccurate. She played in the women's championship in 1912 but took part in non-championship sections in 1908 and 1909.

I suspect she was Mary Alice Campbell Campbell, known as Daisy (1878-1933).

Here's her death notice from the Daily Telegraph.

DaisyCampbell.jpg (21.85 KiB) Viewed 2116 times

[John Saunders]

That's a very good theory, Richard, thank you. Living at no.17 Brookside reminded me of who lived at no.16 - Bertram Goulding Brown. He also played in the 1908 and 1912 BCF Congresses. I'm not one to gossip, but...

[Gerard Killoran]

Thanks for the games, Gerard, which I have added to BritBase. I can't find a forename for Miss D Campbell either. Artificial Ignorance's reference to her participation in British Championships is inaccurate. She played in the women's championship in 1912 but took part in non-championship sections in 1908 and 1909.

I suspect she was Mary Alice Campbell Campbell, known as Daisy (1878-1933).

Here's her death notice from the Daily Telegraph.
DaisyCampbell.jpg

I think you've solved it.

The chess column of...

The Field - Saturday 21 March 1891 p.41 has 'Marie(sic) Alice Campbell' as one of the successful problem solvers.

The Field - Saturday 28 March 1891 p.34 has 'Daisy Campbell, Putney Chess Club' as one of the successful problem solvers.

and a Google book search for 'Campbell + Cambridge + chess' results in:

books.google.co.uk › books
The British Chess Magazine - Volume 54 - Page 60
1934 · ‎Snippet view

Found inside – Page 60
... Campbell's greatest contribution to chess in Cambridge was the Brookside Chess Club of the years before the war . Mrs. Campbell was president , and was stern about the name , though about nothing else . But the members among themselves …

preceded by 'OBITUARY . Miss M. A. C. Campbell , who died in Cambridge ...'

[John Saunders]

Yes, thanks very much to Richard and Gerard for researching this.

Here's the full BCM obituary (February 1934, ppn 59-60) which I shall also append to the 1912 British Championship page on BritBase:

Miss M. A. C. Campbell, who died in Cambridge in December at the age of 57, was a very keen chessplayer, who, with greater opportunities, would have been among the strongest women players in the country. On the only occasion on which she competed in the Ladies’ Championship (at Richmond in 1912), she defeated the winner, Mrs. Anderson, and thereby gained one of the best game prizes in the tournament. Since the war, however, she spent her life looking after her invalid mother, herself a chessplayer, who died in 1932, and her opportunities for play were very limited. She had intended to take part in the Cambridge Chess Congress in 1932, and it was extraordinarily bad luck that she should have been struck down by illness before this event. In spite of illness, however, she was still able to take a board with the victorious Cambridgeshire team for the County Correspondence Championship, and drew her game with Mr. Winter, the father of the well-known international player.

Miss Campbell was a born lover of all games. I can remember her playing cricket against my Preparatory School, and fielding with marked agility and courage at point, while on another occasion she organised a memorable match at Badminton against a visiting team, in which several members of my family took part. She also used to play a form of deck tennis in the garden.

She was a woman of great courage and fine character, who made the best of a life which had few opportunities and which was clouded at the end with sorrow and anxiety. The serenity and cheerfulness with which she faced during the last 18 months not only death, but the possibility (mercifully averted) of paralysis and blindness, will not be forgotten by any of her friends. p.s.m.-b. [P Stuart Milner-Barry]

Mr. Goulding-Brown has kindly contributed the following notes about the Woodshifters, with which her name and that of her mother will always be associated :

"Miss Campbell’s greatest contribution to chess in Cambridge was the Brookside Chess Club of the years before the war. Mrs. Campbell was president, and was stern about the name, though about nothing else. But the members among themselves never called it anything but the Woodshifters. It met at 17 Brookside every Saturday afternoon in the Michaelmas and Lent terms. And to it came several ladies, W. H. Gunston, W. H. Blythe, B. Goulding-Brown, and, all charm and good humour, that brilliant young geometrist and promising chessplayer, E. K. Wakeford, of Trinity, nephew to H. E. Atkins—multis ille bonis flebilis occidit. These were the regulars. Before Christmas there was a 'bumping board' competition, an invention of Miss Campbell's—analogous to bumping races. After Christmas a point handicap. No club ever was so determined, to enjoy chess."

(The Latin quote from a Horace ode means "He fell lamented by many good men.")

Confusingly, 'Daisy' Campbell's chessplaying mother was also forenamed Mary Alice but without the duplication of Campbell, thus Mrs Mary Alice Campbell (1844 - 6 February 1932, née Plumptre-Gipps). She was the widow of Archibald Samuels Campbell (1821-1899) who had been a fellow of St John's, Cambridge, when young and had returned to live in Cambridge in his old age. Daisy's brother Sir Archibald Young Gipps Campbell (1872-1957) was an Indian civil servant and administrator who was notable enough to have a Wikipedia page which provides a bit more family background (but no chess references - AI claims a connection between him and chess in Madras but a Google search doesn't back that up)

[John Townsend]

In John Venn's work, Alumni Cantabrigienses (on-line database version), a Mary Alice née CAMPBELL is mentioned as having married Arthur Blennerhassett VOULES in 1906. She was daughter of John CAMPBELL, and widow of Charles James Stewart.

I must admit to being a little confused by these two Mary Alices ...

[John Saunders]

In John Venn's work, Alumni Cantabrigienses (on-line database version), a Mary Alice née CAMPBELL is mentioned as having married Arthur Blennerhassett VOULES in 1906. She was daughter of John CAMPBELL, and widow of Charles James Stewart.

I must admit to being a little confused by these two Mary Alices ...

It's a very common name. There is no connection. I also stumbled upon a second Archibald Young Campbell who was a classicist at St John's, Cambridge, a little after his namesake, but again there appears to be no connection.