SCCA Challenge Cup

[Paul Dupré]

The originator of Surrey Chess News was someone called Leslie Fletcher (see http://streathambrixtonchess.blogspot.c ... ame-5.html) and he had a (half) brother called Archibald Frederick James Fletcher. I suppose Archibald could have been the "A Fletcher" who was Surrey Champion in 1927. He'd have been 22 years old at the time. However I have no evidence that Archibald even played chess, let alone that he was strong enough to become Surrey Champion.
See https://www.familysearch.org/tree/perso ... s/GXPT-HF6 for family of Leslie Elliott Fletcher (born Leslie Elliott Britton).

He could be this chap who played Alekhine in 1928
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012556

[Paul Dupré]

The kibitzers call him Alan Fletcher, don't know why.

Maybe where it says...
See <British Chess a Magazine 1928>, pg. 290.

[Paul Dupré]

ChessBase says black is Andy Fletcher b.1952

[Paul Dupré]

Same game again on YouTube, but with the name Alan Linnell Fletcher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csf8aFv-wjE

I think we have a winner, in the comments section it says

@ChessskillBlogspot 10 years ago
According to _Alekhine in Europe and Asia_ (1993) by John Donaldson, Nikolay Minev, and Yasser Seirawan, the game against Fletcher was part of a simul of six games. Two of the games, but not this one, were blindfold games. Fletcher was champion of Surrey and one of London's top players at the time. Alekhine beat three of London's top players, while losing to Victor Burger. In the two blindfold games, Alekhine had a win and a draw.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

The A Fletcher who played Alekhine in 1928 definitely wasn't the New Zealand player Alan Linnell Fletcher (13 September 1908 – 15 March 1999). His grandson kibitzed on chessgames.com to confirm this:
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=13111

[Paul Dupré]

Same game again on YouTube, but with the name Alan Linnell Fletcher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csf8aFv-wjE

I think we have a winner, in the comments section it says

@ChessskillBlogspot 10 years ago
According to _Alekhine in Europe and Asia_ (1993) by John Donaldson, Nikolay Minev, and Yasser Seirawan, the game against Fletcher was part of a simul of six games. Two of the games, but not this one, were blindfold games. Fletcher was champion of Surrey and one of London's top players at the time. Alekhine beat three of London's top players, while losing to Victor Burger. In the two blindfold games, Alekhine had a win and a draw.

Ah, not him then.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Page 290 of The British Chess Magazine (1928, volume 48) seems to give Black's name as "A Fletcher":
https://tinypic.host/image/9qy74

However a copy of The British Chess Magazine from 1927 (volumes 47-48) gives his club and a much needed middle initial:
"Lud-Eagle Chess Club - .... The club champion, A. E. Fletcher, also won the championship of Surrey".

This should make the task of tracking him down much easier!

[Richard James]

I'm not entirely convinced by the middle initial as he's always just A Fletcher in the press. The BCM at that period isn't the most reliable of sources.

Here's a game, featuring some rather interminable manoeuvring, from the 1932 Surrey Championship. (I've just returned from spending the evening in a church opposite the church where his opponent was married.)

[Event "Surrey Championship"] [Site "City of London Chess Club"] [Date "1932.04.25"] [Round "?"] [White "Alexander, Frederick Forrest Lawrie"] [Black "Fletcher, A."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D12"] [PlyCount "113"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bc4 e6 7. Qe2 Bb4+ 8. Nbd2 Bg6 9. a3 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. e4 Nb6 12. Ba2 N8d7 13. e5 Be7 14. Ne4 Re8 15. Bd2 Nd5 16. b4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Nf8 18. Ne1 Qd7 19. Nd3 Rad8 20. Rad1 Nc7 21. Bc3 Nb5 22. Bb2 b6 23. Nf4 Nc7 24. Rd3 Nd5 25. Bb1 Nxf4 26. Qxf4 Ng6 27. Qg4 Nf8 28. Rg3 g6 29. h4 c5 30. dxc5 bxc5 31. h5 cxb4 32. axb4 Rb8 33. hxg6 fxg6 34. Bc3 Qa4 35. Bd3 Bd8 36. Ra1 Qd7 37. b5 Bb6 38. Bc4 Rbd8 39. Rd3 Qf7 40. Rf3 Qd7 41. Re1 Bc5 42. Ba5 Rc8 43. Rf6 Qd4 44. Rf4 Qd7 45. Rd1 Qe7 46. Rf6 Kg7 47. Rd3 h5 48. Qf4 Rb8 49. Rf3 Rb7 50. Bd2 Kg8 51. Qe4 Rd7 52. Bh6 Rd4 53. Rxf8+ Rxf8 54. Qxg6+ Kh8 55. Rxf8+ Qxf8 56. Bxf8 Bxf8 57. Bxe6 {Source: The Falkirk Herald and Scottish Midlands Journal 05 August 1936} 1-0

RJ Blackburn is even more elusive than A Fletcher. I'll get back to you on him later.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

In the January 1963 issue of the SCCU Bulletin (available from https://sccu-chess.com/index.php/en/bulletin) there's the result of an 80 board match between Surrey and Essex. On board 76 for Surrey is a T. H. Robertson, who could be the same T. H. Robertson who won the SCCA Challenge Cup in 1925.

[Gerard Killoran]

T. H. Robertson top bard for Thornton Heath and Norbury

Norwood News - Friday 18 December 1925 p14.png

Revenge! However the teams are the wrong way round it seems...

Streatham News - Friday 19 October 1928 p.12.png

[Gerard Killoran]

And still playing for Battersea in 1961!

Norwood News _ Friday 20 October 1961 p15.png

[Gerard Killoran]

[Event "County Championship"] [Site "Liverpool C. C."] [Date "1926.12.11"] [Round "Final"] [White "Robertson, T. H,"] [Black "Holmes, Harry"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [Opening "QGD: semi-Slav (6.Qc2)"] [BlackTeam "Lancashire"] [WhiteTeam "Surrey"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. f4 Bc7 13. Kh1 Ng4 14. Rf3 Qh4 15. g3 Qh5 16. Rf1 b5 17. Bd3 b4 18. Ne4 Rd8 19. Bc4 Bf5 {Manchester Evening News - Saturday 18 December 1926 p.2} 0-1

[Event "County Championship"] [Site "St Brides Inst. London"] [Date "1929.12.9"] [Round "Final"] [White "Robertson, T. H,"] [Black "Gurnhill, Charles Rueben"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E32"] [Opening "Nimzo-Indian: classical variation"] [BlackTeam "Yorkshire"] [WhiteTeam "Surrey"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 b6 5. Bg5 Bb7 6. f3 O-O 7. e4 Be7 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. Nge2 Nb4 10. Qd2 Nxd3+ 11. Qxd3 d6 12. O-O Nd7 13. Be3 c5 14. Rad1 Rc8 15. b3 Qc7 16. Nb5 Qb8 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Bxc5 dxc5 19. Qd7 Bf6 20. Nd6 Bc6 21. Nxc8 Bxd7 22. Rxd7 Qxc8 23. Rxa7 Rd8 {Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - Monday 16 December 1929 p.4} 0-1

[Gerard Killoran]

[Event "Highbury vs Battersea"] [Site "London"] [Date "1938.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Amez-Droz, Claire"] [Black "Robertson, T. H."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C55/06"] [Opening "Scotch gambit: Dubois-Reti defence"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. e5 Ne4 6. Nxd4 Bc5 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qf3+ Nf6 9. Nxc6 dxc6 10. O-O Rf8 11. exf6 Qxf6 12. Qh5+ Qg6 13. Qxc5 Bh3 14. Qc4+ Be6 15. Qf4+ Kg8 16. Qg3 Qxc2 17. Bh6 Qxb2 18. Nd2 Kh8 19. Rab1 Qd4 20. Rb4 Qf6 21. Bg5 Qf7 22. Rh4 Bxa2 23. Qh3 g6 24. Ne4 Be6 25. Qc3+ Kg8 26. Nf6+ Kh8 27. Nxh7+ Kg8 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. Rh7# {Newcastle Evening Chronicle - Monday 28 February 1938 p.10} 1-0

[Paul Dupré]

Revenge! However the teams are the wrong way round it seems...
Streatham News - Friday 19 October 1928 p.12.png

No revenge, Thames Valley won the Alexander Cup in 1925 and 1928. Also in 1924...

The headline is wrong !!!

Both results are correct. Over 10 boards in 1928 and 1925 over 12 boards, it seems.

Thanks for the post Gerard

[Paul Dupré]

That's strange though, T H Robertson is listed as Surrey Champion in 1925 playing for Battersea.
Clearly, it should be Thornton Heath & Norbury.

Battersea are claiming 14 winners of the SCCA Challenge Cup on their website, but maybe the SCCA historical records are not 100% accurate.