British Championship Southport 1905

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:13 am

I'd like to start the ball rolling with a couple of games I didn't send to John Saunders.

The first game is unusual in that it finishes with an underpromotion. The second is a real tragedy. Wainwright could never beat Atkins, but here he gets so close. He has his nemesis on the ropes until the very end - 63. g6 would still keep something of an advantage - although he's let a bigger one slip away. Now 64. g6 loses to Rg6+.

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Thu Aug 27, 2015 12:59 pm

A game from the Championship

And a couple from the Women's Championship

On Mrs W. S. Mayfield as she is recorded in much of the press, her forenames were Caroline Jane and that is how she was named in the Adelaide Newspapers. W. S. Mayfield was of course her husband's name.

https://swatchless.wordpress.com/2009/0 ... like-that/

The only other woman who has come close to this was also South Australian. Caroline Mayfield, nee Govett, was at her peak in the 1890s and early 1900s. At a time when Handicap tournaments carried a weight no longer so, she came third and then twice first in the Adelaide CC Handicap, at which point it became hers to keep. In 1909 she drew a match against JG Witton. [van Manen ‘An Unknown Queen of Chess’ AWCL Bulletin V2N3 Aug 79 pp37-8 Witton had been a past runnerup in the Victorian championship and had acquitted himself well in his telegraphic interstate appearances, including a win against Spencer Crackenthorp, so drawing with him was a fair result. A 1908 report stated that she was set to win the Adelaide Cup, but the final result is not known. After Houlding’s move from Australia she was recognised as Australia’s best female player. On the only known occasion that she competed in the SA championship, illness forced her withdrawal early in the tournament.

Observer (Adelaide) Saturday 5 August 1916

Mrs C. J. Mayfield (the Lady President of the Meropolitan Club)

A note on Cecil Perfect Hammond. He can't have been that perfect, his wife divorced him.

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.u ... d=C7999765

J 77/872/6482 1906
Divorce Court File: 6482. Appellant: Caroline Elizabeth Hammond. Respondent: Cecil Perfect Hammond. Type: Wife's petition [WX].

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 1:00 pm

The standard of play in this position is so terrible, I wonder if there wasn't a pawn missed off the diagram somewhere...

Brian Denman · Post by **Brian Denman** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:03 pm

I enclose some more moves in the Shoosmith/Rev Palmer game:

On the subject of Cecil Perfect Hammond the probate record suggests that he died at Bexhill rather than Battle. He had been a member of Bexhill CC for several years. Battle is a few miles away and is the name of the registration district.

Christopher Kreuzer · Post by **Christopher Kreuzer** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:13 pm

Ah, so the bishop was on e3, not on a7, in the position Gerard provided.

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 5:16 pm

I knew there was something wrong with the position. The bishop on e3 isn't hanging - and protects the rook on f4. I've looked at the diagram again just to check if I'd had an hallucination, but no, it was the Grauniad that screwed up - as always.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:31 pm

I've put up a file of the 1905 Southport games on Britbase...

http://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/190 ... iewer.html

... 27 games so far, many thanks to Gerard and Brian. The Field has not been checked yet. Nor, indeed, has BCM (at least, for games from subsidiary events) - I don't currently have access to BCM for that year. Can anyone check to see what's missing? I'm guessing that a handful of games may still be forthcoming. The Times was a noticeably poor source of material in 1905, with barely any coverage at all.

Not too many names to sort out this time. I did spend some time working out who Mrs L Waterhouse was. Elizabeth 'Lillie' Walmsley Waterhouse, née Parry, b abt 1854, d 9 Oct 1905, Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire, married to James Dean Waterhouse (bank manager) b 1843, Halifax, Yorks, d 1908, Saddleworth, Yorkshire. Her husband was also a player to whom references may be found in chess articles.

Brian Denman · Post by **Brian Denman** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:10 pm

I enclose ten more games from the Southport congress.

[Event "British Championship, Southport"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1905.08.22"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Mackenzie, AJ."]
[Black "Ward, W."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D55"]
[PlyCount "120"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Rc1 b6 8. cxd5
exd5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O c5 11. Qe2 Ne4 12. Bf4 f5 13. Ne5 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bd6 15.
Bxd6 Qxd6 16. f4 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 c4 18. Bb1 b5 19. Qh5 g6 20. Qh6 Rae8 21. Rf3
Re7 22. Kf2 Qb4 23. Rc2 c3 24. b3 Qa5 25. h4 b4 26. h5 Rg7 27. Rg3 Qb6 28. Rc1
Rf6 29. Rg5 Bc8 30. g4 fxg4 31. hxg6 hxg6 32. Rh1 Bf5 33. Qh8+ Kf7 34. Rh7 Rxh7
35. Qxh7+ Ke8 36. Bxf5 gxf5 37. Rg8+ Rf8 38. Qh5+ Ke7 39. Rxf8 Kxf8 40. Qxf5+
Ke7 41. Qxd5 Qc7 42. Qg5+ {The score gives 42 'Q -Kt8 ch'.} Kf8 43. Qh6+ Qg7
44. Qd6+ Qe7 45. Qh6+ Qg7 46. Qc6 Qe7 47. Qc8+ Kf7 48. Qxg4 Qe4 49. Qh5+ Kg7
50. Qg5+ Kf7 51. Qh5+ Kg7 52. Qg4+ Kf7 53. Qd7+ Kg8 54. f5 Qh4+ 55. Ke2 Qh2+
56. Kd3 Qd2+ 57. Ke4 Qg2+ 58. Ke5 Qg7+ 59. Qxg7+ Kxg7 60. Ke6 Kf8 {
'and wins.' Source: Birmingham Daily Post of 29.8.1905.} 0-1

Brian Denman · Post by **Brian Denman** » Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:21 pm

John, please do not assume that these are all the games in the British Chess Magazine and The Field. I am a Sussex chess historian and I only copy out games of players with a Sussex chess connection. There are probably other games from the congress in those sources.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 12:55 am

Gosh, that's a lot of new material. Many thanks, Brian. I shall bear in mind your advice.

Brian's role as Sussex chess historian reminds me that there are other people around the country who do a lot of good work on local chess history. On the 'About' page at Britbase I've started to add links to the best chess history sites around the country. Suggestions for further chess history links gratefully accepted.

Gerard Killoran · Post by **Gerard Killoran** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:59 am

The game used for the demonstration of living chess was played by Bellingham against Arthur K. Rutherford of Liverpool at the 7th Craigside Tournament at Llandudno January 1897. BCM 1905 p.337 and http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/t571.html

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 11:50 am

Gerard Killoran wrote:The game used for the demonstration of living chess was played by Bellingham against Arthur K. Rutherford of Liverpool at the 7th Craigside Tournament at Llandudno January 1897. BCM 1905 p.337 and http://www.edochess.ca/tournaments/t571.html

Thanks for that. I've attached a note to that effect to the game, and also anonymised White and Black identities to make it clear that this was a reenactment of an old game rather than anything new.

Richard James · Post by **Richard James** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 4:50 pm

I don't have the 1905 BCM but I do have bound volumes for 1906 and 1907.

The following two games were published in January 1906, annotated extremely inaccurately by GEH Bellingham.

John Saunders · Post by **John Saunders** » Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:41 pm

Many thanks, Richard. That's two more added to the file.

David McAlister · Post by **David McAlister** » Wed Sep 02, 2015 9:50 pm

Two more games from the January 1906 BCM, both featuring the winner of 2nd Class Section A:

English Chess Forum

British Championship Southport 1905

British Championship Southport 1905

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