English Chess Forum

I am currently putting annotated games on Chessbase from a handwritten book, "My Best Games of Chess, Book 1" by GPS Coy (with a view to sending them to John Saunders for general publication.) There doesn't seem to have been a Book 2, in any event his family couldn't find it.

Game 30 in the volume has Coy white against PC Hoad, played at Cambridge on 15/10/1938. This was a Saturday and the Civil Service vs Cambridge University match was usually at that time of year, so I'm guessing that Hoad was playing for Cambridge University.

However, Chessbase thinks he was born in 1940.

1) is the 1940 right?
2) Did PC Hoad play for Cambridge University?
3) Are there perhaps more than one PC Hoad, e.g. father and son?

Answers to any of these questions and any other info would be most welcome!

There was someone of that name playing in UK veterans championships in the 1980s, so I think Chessbase has that date wrong.

(or it indeed refers to someone else entirely)

Philip Charles Hoad
Born 1917 Poplar, London (online records)
Played for Cambridge University in the Varsity Match in 1938 & 1939 (Britbase)
1939 Electoral Roll: at Trinity College, Cambridge (online records)
Married in Birmingham in 1945 to Alice Grady/O'Grady/Swift. I can't find any children from this marriage. (online records)
Lived in Liverpool and Chester (Liverpool Chess Club website)
Died in Greenwich, London in 2000 (online records)

1st or 1st= in British Senior Championship 8 times between 1982 and 1990 (Britbase)

In answer to your questions:
1) No
2) Yes
3. No

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:36 pm

However, Chessbase thinks he was born in 1940.

1) is the 1940 right?

It can't be right, assuming the information here is correct (and I'd be very surprised if it wasn't). He must have been born no later than 1925, and possibly at least 5 years earlier, depending on what the age limit for the British Veterans Championship was in 1985.

Brilliant - thanks!

After those speedy responses, I now somewhat regret the time I spent trying to find out the answer before posting here. However, I will continue to try to find answers first, or I would get too lazy. I can now remove the "?" from Cambridge U vs Civil Service.

No need to guess about the match on 15 October 1938 as it was reported in the November 1938 BCM, page 505. The Civil Service defeated Cambridge University by 12½-7½. Coy-Hoad was played on board three. The top two boards (Civil S names first): 1 BHN Stronach 1-0 FEA Kitto; 2 GJ Webb ½-½ ME Wise. The latter Cambridge player, full name Mervyn Edward Wise, was born in 1917 and became an academic based at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He was still active in chess there as recently as 1995. It is not totally inconceivable that he is still alive - if anyone has more info about him, I would be grateful to hear it.

Thanks for that too - now added to the book...

"Here is an exhilarating specimen of the seldom-played “Greco Counter-Gambit," won by Black! It is fine to see players on the top board of an important Metropolitan match occasionally breaking through the present-day fashions in “Queen’s Pawn” (etc.) openings, and producing such a fighting and lively example of the old Greco ” in the undernoted game, played on Board 1 in the Surrey v. Civil Service match 12th December, 1936." (Linlithgowshire Gazette - Friday 22 January 1937 p.8 )

[Event "Civil Service vs Surrey"] [Site "?"] [Date "1936.12.12"] [Round "?"] [White "Coy, G. P. S."] [Black "Alexander, F. F. L."] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C40"] [Opening "Latvian counter-gambit"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f5 3. Nxe5 Qf6 4. d4 d6 5. Nc4 fxe4 6. Nc3 Qg6 7. Ne3 Nf6 8. Bc4 c6 9. d5 Be7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne2 Ne5 12. Nf4 Qf7 13. Be2 g5 14. Nh5 Nxd5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. f4 exf3 17. Bxf3 g4 18. Bxg4 Bxg4 19. Rxf7 Bxd1 20. Rxe7+ Kxe7 21. Bg5+ Kf7 22. Rxd1 Kg6 23. Bf6 Kxh5 24. Bxh8 Rxh8 25. Rxd5 Rd8 {'...and Black won on the 38th move.' Linlithgowshire Gazette - Friday 22 January 1937 p.8} 0-1

Also useful, as Coy's notebook doesn't include that one (he does have the odd loss in it, which is good for a "Best Games" collection.)

Edit - interesting that the Linlithgow Gazette should be interested in a game between a Surrey player and a Kent player.

Hi

PC Hoad played for Liverpool Chess Club for at least 34 years. He first won the prestigious Liverpool table tournament title in 1949 and the last time in 1982, he won this a total of 21 times in 34 years, details of this can be viewed here on the Liverpool, chess club website: https://www.liverpoolchessclub.co.uk/wp ... istory.pdf

I have had the table restored and it is in my house at present with PC Hoads name engraved many times around the table.

I have also a picture and short tribute to him on our club website here: https://www.liverpoolchessclub.co.uk/pc-hoad-golombek/

There is so much reference to him in the club archives which are yet to be fully researched but here is a tribute I found to him I think around 1983 in a AGM report when he was made an honorary Vice President of Liverpool Chess Club on the same day and in the same report as tributes to ARB Thomas and TJ Beach. Here is the extract relating to PC Hoad:

Philip Hoad, another British champion player, has been champion of Lancashire, Cheshire and the Northern Counties. He has almost certainly been club champion more than anyone else and has played for our first team for the past 34 years. In spite of residence in Chester Mr Hoad makes great efforts attend as many league matches as possible and has many times acted as captain of our teams entered in the National clubs and Lancashire clubs competitions. He has attended countless committee meetings, had much administrative experience in Liverpool and Lancashire and has been treasurer to the NCCU for many years.

I will share more information when we get the chance to research it.

Regards

Jim Gallagher
Liverpool Chess Club President
07789 924983

Thanks!

An excerpt from the register of baptisms :

in the London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917

I knew Philip Hoad well. I did a 10 year stretch as Lancashire Secretary from 1964-1974 and for the first five of those years he was my President

He was a very strong player, but a little bit unassuming so he did not always get the recognition he deserved. One of my jobs as Lancashire Secretary was to give tribute at the AGM to all the fine performances by Lancashire players that year.

One year Philip came number 10 in the BCF grading list. A tremendous result. But by the time the AGM came round nearly a year late. I forgot about him being British No 10 and left him out of the tribute. I was chastised over that. When the minutes came out I gave him full praise for his performance. The minutes may not have been a true and accurate record of what was said (or not said). But he certainly deserved it

One very nice touch he had was that each year we held the AGM at 3pm on a Saturday. Each year at noon he invited all the officers to have lunch with him. (About 10 people) as a thank you and for which he paid. Life and customs were different then.