English Chess Forum

Hi Lads,

John is in Gibraltar with the women's grand prix, so regarding this Aitken query
I'll leave him alone (for now). Any idea what this event is ' Dr. Morgh's (just a try) party?'

The game before and after this one give clearly different and recognisable events.
I'm not too sure about the team names either (not too sure = have no idea.)
What ever it was it was played on board one.



I found a Dr.Maher from that era who had something to do with junior chess but I doubt if it is him it appears to end in a 'gh.'

The closest I can come to an opponent is R.H. Northage (Somerset but wrong initials)
Very unlike Aitken to put a 'P' instead of an 'R'
(Aitken plays R.H. Northage in 1970, Aitken is black in that one)

The game Aitken - P.H. N??? The DR's. Party, 1963

1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.Be3 cxd4 6.cxd4 e5 7.Nc3 Bb4 8.dxe5 Qxe5 9.Rc1 Nf6 10.Nf3 Qa5 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 Bxc3 13.Rxc3 Qxa2 14.Bb1 Qd5 15.Qc2 g6 16.Rc5 Qd6 17.Rd1 Qc7 18.Qc3 Rd8 19.Re1 Qd6 20.Bg5 Nd5 21.Rxd5 Qxd5 22.Bh6 Nd4 23.Nxd4 f6 24.Bc2 Qd6 25.Bb3+ Kh8 26.Ne6

Of course mid-game a good Doctor could have invited him to a party and the top note is a reminder.
But Aitken usually wrote the event there right at the top of the sheet.

Any help, a clue, anything! would be greatly appreciated.

It looks rather like "Dr. Marsh's".

Hi John,

Just been walloped with a bit of sad news.

Thanks, Dr. Marsh, it may be a runner.

have to go off air for a few days. Thank you.

Maybe Aitken-v-Northage (with Aitken getting the initial wrong) on Board 1 of a Gloucestershire-v-Somerset match, perhaps partly an end of season social occasion. There was a Dr. C.A. Marsh of Bath who was President of the Somerset County Chess Association (Source BCF Yearbook 1953-4) so perhaps he was the host. Aitken, Northage and Dr Marsh all appear in the BCF and WECU Grading Lists in 1963 (Source Britbase).

Presumably he's the Charles Marsh after whom Division 2 of the Somerset League used to be named.

David McAlister wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 3:18 pm

John Townsend wrote: ↑

Tue May 25, 2021 8:20 pm

Thanks lads,

Sorry for delay in getting back to you, Double hit yesterday of some very sad news.

Dr. Marsh yes, I was seeing a 'g' in there.

Pre season in September, Edinburgh use to have a traditional Presidents v Vice President match.
Maybe this one of those, though not seen another one before.

Will run with Northage, suspect that is right, and maybe another Northage (P.H.) will turn up in later books. (about 20 books left)

Aitken did put friendlies in, he had one v Bob Wade, and another where no clocks were used
so skittles, celebration or 'party pieces' will appear.
(He has also used one game to count as two, a club championship match also doubled as County championship game.)

But I'll run with that for now. I'll get to the club and go through 1963 CHESS/BCM. to see if I can another clue.

and....guess what?

And just as I was typing this a message came in from someone not on the forum but got in touch with someone who is and:

"I played for Gloucestershire many moons ago and knew Doc Aitken.
I think the reference is to the annual match that was played in the summer between Glos & Somerset.
I have a faint memory that it was held in Bath by the President of Somerset Chess Association and I believe his name was Dr Morgan.

It was a sort of garden party with tables on the lawn (or in the outbuildings if it was raining) and sandwiches were provided by the host's wife.
The address was Englishcombe Lane, Bath as far as I recall."

Thank You, (the name of the sender was supplied but I'll respect their wishes to keep it off the forum)

I'll go back through the books and see if I can find another Dr. Marsh's (maybe Morgan's) Parties.

This is what chess forums are for. Three chess players (four counting the other forum member who sent on the message)
who got together to solve a mystery about a game of chess in an old score 1963 chess score book.
(hang on, not counted myself...it's five!)

Thank You Everyone, it's good to bounce ideas of each other. I find if I do not tackle a wee Aitken
problem right away it lingers, I enter a game then go back to it, enter a game and try something else.

As an extra thank you I'll give this wee moment from round one of the 1963 Scottish Championship. (not yet on Britbase)

Gerald Bonner - James Aitken. 3.8.1963 First time control is move 40.

It is move 41 but I'm 99% sure White did not know that and was auto pilot in time trouble.
I'd say both players were in T.T. a few moves before (move 38) Aitken makes a horrible blunder
saccing a Knight for no reason in a 50/50 chances even position.

White to play:

1R6/5ppk/p6p/3Q4/5P2/2P1rB1K/P4q1P/8 w - - 0 41

Aitken writes:

"White played 41.B-K4ch - an illegal move but there was no penalty!" (he added the '!')
Obviously the Bishop is King Pinned, in the golden olden days in some quarters was
not a King moved then forced onto the offending party if the touched piece could not move.

In the actual game move 41 is noted as 41. Q-B5ch P-Kt3 42 QxP mate.
(and if some you young un's are wondering what that is, it's glorious descriptive notation.)

Very rare to see him mated, very rare. Wonder if he was grumbling and mumbling to himself.
I used to do that if I played a big blunder. Get mated, that will teach me to buck up.

"I have a faint memory that it was held in Bath by the President of Somerset Chess Association and I believe his name was Dr Morgan.

It was a sort of garden party with tables on the lawn (or in the outbuildings if it was raining) and sandwiches were provided by the host's wife.
The address was Englishcombe Lane, Bath as far as I recall.""

That's just the sort of detail I love! There is an Englishcombe Lane in South-West Bath, quite a long road, South of the A4.

Off-topic, but I read a report of a Redhill friendly match over 100 years ago, and the opposing team caught a train from London to Epsom then had a brisk 10-mile walk to Redhill, where they had a splendid lunch before the match. (There is and was a direct train line from London to Redhill).

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 7:01 pm

Hi Kevin,

I love these wee titbits as well.

It harks back to a golden time with two TV channels, endless summers, steam trains (and descriptive notation.)
I do not know what I'll do when I've finish with the Aitken games, probably re-read all my 1950's CHESS's and BCM's
and put on my 50's hits CD's I've got a Skiffle Group completion knocking about somewhere I'll play that.

As a kid I use to summer in Redhill, had relations there

Kevin Thurlow wrote: ↑

Wed May 26, 2021 7:01 pm

"I have a faint memory that it was held in Bath by the President of Somerset Chess Association and I believe his name was Dr Morgan.

It was a sort of garden party with tables on the lawn (or in the outbuildings if it was raining) and sandwiches were provided by the host's wife.
The address was Englishcombe Lane, Bath as far as I recall.""

I played for Somerset v SJ Hutchings (Glos.) in one of those garden matches on 5th July, 1969.

I thought the host's name was Hill, a shipping magnate? Maybe Hill and Morgan both provided gardens.

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Thu May 27, 2021 10:58 am

I played for Somerset v SJ Hutchings (Glos.) in one of those garden matches on 5th July, 1969.
I thought the host's name was Hill, a shipping magnate? Maybe Hill and Morgan both provided gardens.

Thanks Paul, a date! July 1969. I'll check the books to see if there is something else I can add.

If you still have the 1969 game then John will be wanting it.

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Thu May 27, 2021 11:57 am

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Thu May 27, 2021 10:58 am

I played for Somerset v SJ Hutchings (Glos.) in one of those garden matches on 5th July, 1969.
I thought the host's name was Hill, a shipping magnate? Maybe Hill and Morgan both provided gardens.

Thanks Paul, a date! July 1969. I'll check the books to see if there is something else I can add.

If you still have the 1969 game then John will be wanting it.

Geoff, I wasn't playing v Aitken.

Hi Paul,

I got that, but it is a game from 'the party' John can maybe file it under misc.
He is always looking for old games for Britbase. And me.
If given a choice I'd rather play over Hutchings - Habershon 1969, than Carlsen v some bod this century.

Aitken has not logged a game for this date, unless it is another book, he sometimes
has a game out of date sequence in some books,

Book 31 22nd June 1969 he was playing Rd 6 of the Athenaeum Open v D.B. Huggins (draw)
The round before (same day) he played John Nunn (draw) .

I am currently having a minor friendly debate regarding Raymond Keene on another thread.

In Round 4 (21st June 1969) Aitken played L.M. Pickett, it was adjudicated a draw by, according to Aitken:
'by Keene!' (who also played in that event - see CHESS October 1969 page 80.)

Next entry after the 22nd June 1969 is the 28th July 1969.
Aitken playing T. Russell in round one of the Scottish Championship (Aitken won that game.)

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Thu May 27, 2021 1:01 pm

In Round 4 (21st June 1969) Aitken played L.M. Pickett, it was adjudicated a draw by, according to Aitken:
'by Keene!' (who also played in that event - see CHESS October 1969 page 80.)

As far as I recall, the move rate was 48 moves in 2 hours. That didn't entirely eliminate adjudications, but does reduce their frequency as compared with having them at more 30 or earlier. The format of that tournament was as had been demonstrated by Stewart Reuben a year or two earlier, namely four hour sessions, one round Friday evening, three rounds Saturday, two rounds Sunday.

Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑

Thu May 27, 2021 3:45 pm

Thanks Roger,

I am not up to date with all the adjudication rules so a quick question.

Is a player taking part in an event allowed to adjudicate games from that event.
Could you not rob a potential rival of a full point or ½ a point.
( or is that just me thinking of a possible scam.)

Geoff Chandler wrote: ↑

Thu May 27, 2021 7:49 pm

Is a player taking part in an event allowed to adjudicate games from that event.

The practice of organisers in the late 1960s and early 1970s was to press gang some of the top seeds and send them round to adjudicate unfinished games even when they were in the same section. Often this was little more than a count of the remaining material. Before that era, organisers didn't attempt to cram six games into a weekend and after that quickplay finishes became the norm.

It would have been recognised that it was not totally acceptable for a player to determine a result for his direct rivals. There were a couple of solutions to resolve this problem. One was that a "neutral" adjudicator would be employed, a player of sufficient standing not participating in the tournament. The other was a form of self adjudication. The players set the clocks to five or ten minutes and played out the position on the board.