Lowenthal Trophy

[Paul McKeown]

I think I have come across this as being a trophy for the BCF/ECF Counties Championship. Is that right? When was it first used? Any other info, e.g. size, material, date commissioned (or is it bog standard), what did it cost, why Lowenthal, etc?

(It's also possible I'm completely wrong - there may be no such thing, or it may be used for something completely different; it wouldn't be the first time )

[Ben Purton]

I think if you have an opening named after you, your worthy, Excluding the Rudd variation(joking Jack)

[David Sedgwick]

I think I have come across this as being a trophy for the BCF/ECF Counties Championship. Is that right? When was it first used? Any other info, e.g. size, material, date commissioned (or is it bog standard), what did it cost, why Lowenthal, etc?

(It's also possible I'm completely wrong - there may be no such thing, or it may be used for something completely different; it wouldn't be the first time )

I'm not sure, but I think that you're right that this is the trophy for the ECF Counties Championship. That being so, it's presumably currently in the posession of Lancashire captain Mike Conroy.

If Middlesex win the competition this year as you hope, you'll be able to get hold of it then.

[Edward Tandi]

It was the English County Trophy:

http://www.westlondonchess.com/history/middx1925.jpg

It was probably lost in the big one of September 1940:

http://www.westlondonchess.com/node/134

[Paul McKeown]

Edward,

Thank you for confirming that the Lowenthal Trophy is or was the trophy for the Counties Championship. I am afraid, though, that following your link to the West London Chess Club website does not convince me at all that the Lowenthal Trophy was destroyed in the Blitz raid that destroyed the National Chess Centre at John Spedan Lewis on Oxford Street. To quote:

The contents of the Chess centre were entirely destroyed. The entire property of the SCCU, the best half of the BCF library, all the finer old four-handed equipment, some Kent trophies and records were all gone.

So what was destroyed? SCCU property, BCF library, some 4 handed chess equipment and some Kent property. No mention of BCF trophies.

I'm not saying you're wrong, just that the claim is not substantiated.

Furthermore, I'm sure I have seen recent photographs of the Trophy, just don't know where at the moment. Which would be another mystery (when was it remade)?

Anyone, any information on the Lowenthal Trophy?

[Paul McKeown]

Thanks to David Sedgwick, I googled "Mike Conroy" and was able to find some photographs of the Lowenthal Trophy on the ECF website. Here is the best one:
http://www.bcf.org.uk/assets/images/c-c ... trophy.JPG

It is obviously the same trophy that Edward Tandi provided from the photo from BCM:
http://www.westlondonchess.com/history/middx1925.jpg

I assume that that photograph was lifted from BCM for 1925 or 1926?

So, equally obviously, the Lowenthal Trophy was NOT destroyed in the Blitz and has been in existence at least from 1925. Does anyone know the history of this magnificent trophy?

Perhaps Mike Conroy can help further, beyond his name being mentioned in dispatches - the Chess Devon website thanks him for helping them:

I am indebted to Mike Conroy (Burnley), Steve Jackson (Bexhill-on-Sea) and Owen Hindle (Cromer) for making available articles from early B.C.M.s relating to Devon chess history, which made an invaluable starting point.

Does he read this forum?

[David Sedgwick]

Perhaps Mike Conroy can help further.

Does he read this forum?

Not to my knowledge, but you can post a message for him on the Lancashire Chess Association website:

http://www.lancashirechess.org.uk/index.html

[Edward Tandi]

Thanks to David Sedgwick, I googled "Mike Conroy" and was able to find some photographs of the Lowenthal Trophy on the ECF website. Here is the best one:
http://www.bcf.org.uk/assets/images/c-c ... trophy.JPG

Nice photo, fantastic trophy!

It is obviously the same trophy that Edward Tandi provided from the photo from BCM:
http://www.westlondonchess.com/history/middx1925.jpg
...
So, equally obviously, the Lowenthal Trophy was NOT destroyed in the Blitz and has been in existence at least from 1925. Does anyone know the history of this magnificent trophy?

I did say "probably" in my post, which it is no more. It got people searching though

If you zoom-in on the photograph, it is possible make out what appears to be a date of 1896, which is some 20 years after Lowenthal's death.

[Richard James]

When Löwenthal died in 1876 the money from the benevolent fund which had been set up when his health started to fail in 1874 was distributed for the benefit of chess. 100 guineas was allotted to the St George's Chess Club, which went principally to the institution of a Löwenthal Cup for the club championship. The first winner, in 1878, was Rev W Wayte with a score of 13½ out of 14.

The St George's club was wound down during the First World War, and the cup was forgotten about for a time, until sold to AF Waterhouse, president of the Sussex CCA. On his death in February 1922 it was sold again, and became the property of the British Chess Federation, who made it the English County Championship.

(Source: A Century of British Chess by PW Sergeant)

The photograph of the 1925 Middlesex team comes from BCM March 1926, although the final against Yorkshire had been reported in January, being pushed off the front page by the obituary of Amos Burn.

[Paul McKeown]

Brilliant Richard!

How much was it commissioned for? Who were the silversmiths? What does the design represent?

Best the insurance costs a bomb.

[Richard James]

Paul

That's all the information in Sergeant. I guess you'll need to consult contemporary sources to find out more.

Richard

[Paul McKeown]

100 guineas was allotted to the St George's Chess Club, which went principally to the institution of a Löwenthal Cup for the club championship.

So it cost the larger part of 100 guineas (£105, I think) sometime between 1874 and 1878. That must be several thousand pounds in today's money? Any economists?

[Richard James]

In 2007, £105 0s 0d from 1876 was worth:
£7,078.56 using the retail price index
£9,849.00 using the GDP deflator
£52,623.85 using the average earnings
£64,264.87 using the per capita GDP
£118,028.62 using the share of GDP

[Greg Breed]

In 2007, £105 0s 0d from 1876 was worth:
£7,078.56 using the retail price index
£9,849.00 using the GDP deflator
£52,623.85 using the average earnings
£64,264.87 using the per capita GDP
£118,028.62 using the share of GDP

Which ever way you calculate it, one must exclaim WOW at the relative cost of it and more so at the estimated value of the trophy. I would imagine that it would be a truly splendid honour to receive such a trophy.

...I can only hope, but hopefully some of our stronger Middlesex players in the Open category may be so fortunate...

Go Middx...

[Ben Purton]

Is this trophy still in circulation , where can you play for it?