Britbase Updates

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Sun Apr 24, 2022 11:24 am

I think we might have one more half-move in the game Barden-Mieses, Hastings, 30 December 1948(!)

The earlier photo is exhibit A and I stumbled on exhibit B online (having googled "1948 hastings chess photos" and switched to images)...

: 1948-12-30-mieses-hastings.jpg (98.28 KiB) Viewed 2072 times

The snapshot/image comes from a comment someone has added it to a thread about chess sets on chess.com. I don't know what publication the original image comes from (anyone know?) but I'm pretty sure the caption showing that it comes from the 1945/46 Hastings is wrong. Compare it to the earlier photo showing Mieses playing the unseen Leonard Barden on 30 December 1948 and it is clear that the photos were taken at the same time. Observe the e6 pawn slightly off centre in both photos and, more convincingly still, Dr Schenk's pen at exactly the same angle on the scoresheet. Further evidence: expert witness Olimpiu Urcan (now calling himself Olimpiu Di Luppi) used a better version of this photo for a tweet on 5 December 2020 and he correctly attributed it to the 1948/49 Hastings.

So we now know that Barden-Mieses, 30 December 1948, began 1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 e6 3 g3...

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:38 pm

Here begins the Hulbert-Lacy saga, plus a couple of extras.

Part 1

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:44 pm

Part 2

I have no explanation for Lacy-Hulbert giving back the exchange and then exchanging Queens rather than picking up the Bishop on moves 33 to 34.

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:46 pm

Part 3

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:50 pm

Part 4

The last one is on Britbase, but was White's last move correct?

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:06 am

Part 5. (I hope the last)

[Event "GBR-ch39 First Class B"]
[Site "Chester"]
[Date "1952.08.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Starling, Peter"]
[Black "Lacy-Hulbert, Arthur Percival"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B70"]
[Opening "Sicilian: dragon variation"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. Qd2 h6 8. Bxf6
Bxf6 9. f4 Qb6 10. Nb3 Be6 11. O-O-O Nd7 12. Bb5 Bg7 13. Bxd7+ Bxd7 14. e5 Rc8
15. exd6 e6 16. g4 O-O 17. h4 Qa6 18. Kb1 b5 19. Ne4 Qb6 20. h5 f5 21. Ng3 Bc6
22. Rhg1 Bf3 23. Ne2 {Kington Times - Saturday 11 October 1952 p.6} 0-1

Here the game text became so confusing I could not reconstruct it. can anyone do better?

: Kington Times - Saturday 11 October 1952 p.6.png (435.85 KiB) Viewed 1940 times

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:08 am

Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 24, 2022 2:50 pm

The last one is on Britbase, but was White's last move correct?

[Event "GBR-ch 35th First Class B"] [Site "London, Bishopsgate"] [Date "1948.08.30"] [Round "?"] [White "Wilkinson, Bernard Landon"] [Black "Lacy-Hulbert, Arthur Percival"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A18"] [Opening "English: Mikenas-Carls, Flohr variation"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e6 3. e4 d5 4. e5 d4 5. exf6 dxc3 6. fxg7 cxd2+ 7. Bxd2 Bxg7 8. Qc2 Nd7 9. O-O-O a5 10. a4 Qe7 11. Bd3 Nc5 12. Nf3 Bd7 13. Bc3 Bxa4 14. Qe2 Nb3+ {Q-K2 was given but Q-Q2 was probably the move provoking such a sudden resignation. Kington Times - Saturday 11 September 1948 p.4} 0-1your web browser and/or your host do not support iframes as required to display the chessboard

Thanks for all the games, Gerard: I've just finished loading them up on BritBase.

As regards the Wilkinson v Lacy-Hulbert game: B L Wilkinson was a strong player and I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was a good enough player to see that, after 15 Kb1 Bxc3 16 bxc3 he is positionally busted as well as being a pawn down. So I'm sticking with the move as recorded.

EDIT: I see another batch has arrived. Thanks again.

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Wed Apr 27, 2022 9:12 am

I hope never to see another Lacy Hulbert game again. By the way whatever happened to Peter Starling. At Ilkley, we had the late, and sadly missed, Jonathan Swallow. A pity they never played each other.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Wed Apr 27, 2022 10:04 am

Thanks, Gerard, and also apologies for making you look at another Lacy-Hulbert game. Actually it is the same game you've just been struggling with.

I think I have the solution. I struggled with it too until I looked harder at the improbable move 25...R-K5. How on earth does it manage to get there? Then it occurred to me - if 20...P-B5 was in fact 20...R-B5. And then it all hangs together...

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Wed Apr 27, 2022 3:49 pm

Well done John, and as your prize:

David McAlister · Post by **David McAlister** » Sun May 08, 2022 8:17 pm

The then reigning Irish Champion beats a former Scottish champion:
https://www.irlchess.com/2022/05/08/wen ... gs-1945-46

SeanCoffey · Post by **SeanCoffey** » Sat Jun 04, 2022 2:48 am

Here are three and a half more games from the Hastings Premier Reserves B 1958-59, via one of J. J. Walsh's scorebooks:

The notebook doesn't record round numbers but does give game dates. It's a bit odd that J. J. had White on three consecutive days, but that's what's recorded.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 1:07 am

Many thanks for these games, Sean. I have added them to the BritBase file.

The colour sequence does seem odd, doesn't it? Coincidentally, earlier today another BritBase contributor sent me what he thinks was the draw order for this tournament (using standard Berger pairings). If he is right then Jim Walsh's schedule would have been as follows. In brackets I have put what actually happened according to his record.

Rd 1 - 29/12/58 - w v Bruce (correct colours - actually played on 04/01/59)
Rd 2 - 30/12/58 - b v Juehe
Rd 3 - 31/12/58 - w v Hardy (correct colours and correct day)
Rd 4 - 01/01/59 - b v Pinner
Rest day - 02/01/59 (I'm assuming that the Premier players' rest day was the same for all sections)
Rd 5 - 03/01/59 - w v Lindheimer (correct colours, played on the rest day 02/01/59)
Rd 6 - 04/01/59 - w v Sunnucks (correct colours, played on 03/01/59, a day ahead of schedule)
Rd 7 - 05/01/59 - b v Cooke
Rd 8 - 06/01/59 - w v Matchett
Rd 9 - 07/01/59 - b v Nield

The fact that all four games have the right colours suggests that my contributor is spot on as regards the draw numbers. It looks as though the playing schedule was adjusted to accommodate a player or players who arrived late, needed to leave early or were unable to play on a particular day. This is not an unusual circumstance, particularly at a winter event when bad weather can impact travelling arrangements.

Kevin Thurlow · Post by **Kevin Thurlow** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 10:57 am

" It looks as though the playing schedule was adjusted to accommodate a player or players who arrived late, needed to leave early or were unable to play on a particular day. This is not an unusual circumstance, particularly at a winter event when bad weather can impact travelling arrangements."

I think my learned friend is correct - I recall playing at Hastings (not at an exalted level) and on occasion, someone arrived on the day of the first round and played their round one on the rest day. Also, the event started so soon after Christmas that travel may have been affected by lack of transport.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 12:36 pm

For interest, the link to the BritBase page covering the 1958/59 Hastings tournament is as follows...

https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/1 ... iewer.html

It includes a link to a short video clip of play during the 2nd round, including Erno Gereben v Bob Wade...

https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/1098726

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