Harold Godfrey Cole

[Kevin Thurlow]

Thanks to Britbase I found https://saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/191208bcf-viewer.html a report on the 1912 British Championship, in which HG Cole finished second, a mere half point behind the winner. I don't know much about Cole, except for that result and he made one appearance in the GB - USA Cable Matches, and he played at Hastings in 1919. I also discovered that my Chessbase file of his games is a bit scrambled as I have him playing games in 1950, when he apparently died in 1922... Any snippets of information would be useful.

Interestingly though, at the conclusion of the 1912 British Championship, there was a match between the Championship players and the Major Open players, which the Major Open players won 6.5-5.5!

[Leonard Barden]

I also discovered that my Chessbase file of his games is a bit scrambled as I have him playing games in 1950, when he apparently died in 1922... Any snippets of information would be useful.

No doubt mixed up with HH Cole, who did play at Southsea 1950. HH sticks in my memory because I defeated him in the decisive game for first prize in the Plymouth Premier Reserves 1948, my first adult congress at age 19....

[Tim Harding]

Regrettably his first name was given as "Henry" in my Joseph Henry Blackburne; I had the correct Harold in my thesis.
British Chess Magazine January 1898 frontispiece was a City of London Chess Club team photo in which somebody named Cole (presumably him) was seated in the front row. That photograph is reproduced in my Blackburne book on page 375.

H. G. Cole was a civil servant, born in Canterbury, Kent, in (probably) 1879 and his probate record shows he died on 27 January 1922. Gaige (at least the published McFarland edition), follows Sergeant's Century of British Chess in giving a probably incorrect date of death of 2 February 1922.

Sergeant does mention (page 249) that Cole played in an Easter 1907 congress in Ostend in which several English amateurs competed, and came fifth of 19 competitors. Sergeant also says that Cole had dropped out of chess for some years before his death, because of ill health, but if he played in the 1919 Victory congress that cannot be entirely correct.

In 1909 Cole was working in Ireland for a time but was back in England in time for the 1911 census. The Irish Times and other papers mentioned that when Blackburne visited Cork in September 1909 Cole beat him in a simul and they also played some one-on-one games.

While in Ireland he competed in some postal events organised by Frideswide Rowland and a preliminary section of the British Chess Magazine tournament, but not with much success.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Thanks (both) for that - very helpful.

[Geoff Chandler]

The BCM obituary March 1922. (page 85)

We regret exceedingly to have to announce the death, on February 2nd, of Mr. H. G. Cole,
at one time one of the most promising players in this country.

As a boy he showed remarkably good form and he soon made a mark in London chess.

In 1907 he went over to Ostend, to compete in the Amateur Tournament, and carried off fifth prize
with a score of 12J out of 18, losing only one game, to G. Shories, the winner of the tournament.

In 1911 Cole was selected to play for England in the cable match, losing to L. B. Meyer on the tenth board.

In 1912 he competed in the British Championship at Richmond, tieing for second and third places with F. D. Yates,
R. C. Griffith being first. Cole beat Griffith and drew with Yates, losing but one game, to H. B. Uber.

Of recent years he did not quite maintain this form, being obviously handicapped by indifferent health.

He died after an operation, but so unexpectedly that he had been listed to play for the Metropolitan
in a League match on the very day of his death.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=114206

(I noticed from that link he beat Capablanca in a 1913 simul. Capa got his revenge 6 years later.)

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Sergeant also says that Cole had dropped out of chess for some years before his death, because of ill health, but if he played in the 1919 Victory congress that cannot be entirely correct.

Picking up briefly on this, I was intrigued by the mention of this 1919 Victory Congress, and some details are here:

http://www.hastingschess.com/1919-hasti ... -congress/

Has much else been written on this?

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Chris,

"A Cuban flag was not available so one of the Club members made one."

It was at the Victory Congress where Capablanca beat Harold Cole.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1055979

Very quickly skipped though it, thought Cole was doing OK, then Capa pseudo sacced a Bishop.

A link to x table and more details about he victory congress will be found on the game header..

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thanks, Geoff. That tournament also included the moderately famous game where G. A. Thomas resigned a drawn game against Capablanca:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1055985

[Event "Hastings"] [Site "Hastings ENG"] [Date "1919.08.14"] [EventDate "1919.08.11"] [Round "4"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Jose Raul Capablanca"] [Black "George Alan Thomas"] [ECO "C66"] [WhiteElo "?"] [BlackElo "?"] [PlyCount "57"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. d4 Be7 6. O-O Bd7 7. Re1 Nxd4 8. Nxd4 exd4 9. Qxd4 Bxb5 10. Nxb5 a6 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Bg5 Nd7 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nd5 Qd8 15. Re3 Ne5 16. Rg3 f6 17. f4 Nc6 18. Qc3 Rf7 19. f5 Qf8 20. Qb3 Kh8 21. Nf4 Ne5 22. Qxb7 Rb8 23. Qxa6 Rxb2 24. Rb3 Rxc2 25. Rab1 h6 26. Ng6+ Nxg6 27. fxg6 Re7 28. Rb8 Re8 29. Qa8 1-0

Before looking at the chessgames analysis, try and work out what Black should have played in the final position instead of resigning, and also try and find the simple win that Capablanca could have played instead of the blunder 29.Qa8 (there are actually several ways to win).

[IM Jack Rudd]

I think my favourite of the ways to win is 29.Rxe8 Qxe8 30.Qa4, but there are others.

Thomas presumably missed 29...Rxa2.