Chess history trivia

[John Saunders]

Maybe someone can post the consultation game from 1923? Apparently the "best game ever played in Hull".

Who could resist posting the "best game ever played in Hull"? It's to be found at chessgames.com.

[Event "Consultation game"] [Site "Hull"] [Date "1923.10.??"] [Round "?"] [White "A Garcia Conde/R Bainbridge/H Williams"] [Black "A Alekhine/G Barron/E Hanger"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A30"] [PlyCount "106"] [EventDate "1923.10.??"] [EventCountry "ENG"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. b3 Bb7 4. e3 g6 5. Bb2 Bg7 6. Nbd2 c5 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O Nc6 9. c4 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Qc7 11. Bf3 Rad8 12. g3 Nxd4 13. Bxd4 e5 14. Bxe5 Qxe5 15. Bxb7 d5 16. Qf3 Qc7 17. Ba6 dxc4 18. Nxc4 Nd5 19. Rac1 Nc3 20. a4 Qe7 21. Rc2 Qb4 22. Nd2 Nxa4 23. Rc4 Qxd2 24. bxa4 Qa5 25. Bb7 b5 26. axb5 Qxb5 27. Qc6 Qb3 28. Qa6 Rfe8 29. Rfc1 Bb2 30. Rf1 Re6 31. Rc6 Rxe3 32. Rc8 Rxc8 33. Bxc8 Rc3 34. Bb7 Rc7 35. Be4 Qb4 36. Bd3 Kg7 37. Qb5 Qd2 38. Be4 a5 39. Bc6 Bd4 40. Qa4 Re7 41. Qa3 Re6 42. Qc1 Bxf2+ 43. Kg2 Qd6 44. Bf3 Bd4 45. Rd1 Qe5 46. Qc4 Rd6 47. Rd2 Qe3 48. Re2 Qg1+ 49. Kh3 Qf1+ 50. Bg2 Qf5+ 51. g4 Qg5 52. Re4 Be5 53. Bf3 Rd2 {Source: chessgames.com} 0-1

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thank you, John!

I think G. BARRON is George Barron:

https://mannchess.org.uk/People/Barron,%20George.htm

The Rxe3 combination is nice.

[John Townsend]

Who was presented with a valuable antique vase for his performance in a major tournament and immediately sold it?

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

I read about that recently, but can't remember where. Wasn't it Ignatz von Kolisch?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I read about that recently, but can't remember where. Wasn't it Ignatz von Kolisch?

Yes!

In 1867, 1st prize at a Paris International Tournament was 5000 francs, won by Ignatz von Kolisch. The top four finishers also received a Sevres vase, worth about 5,000 francs, and presented by the Emperor Napoleon III. Kolisch invested his vase in real estate right after the tournament.

Curious minds want to know what the real estate was, and if it was a better investment than the vase!

[John Townsend]

Kolisch is correct.

Christopher, you didn't give the source of your quote, which I believe is incorrect regarding the prizes. There was only one Emperor's Vase. See The Chess Player's Magazine, 1 August 1867, pages 225-227.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Curious minds want to know what the real estate was, and if it was a better investment than the vase!

According to Ignaz Kolisch: The Life and Chess Career by Fabrizio Zavatarelli: "The late Kolisch sold the Sevres vase given by the Emperor Napoleon in the Paris tournament 1867, and bought it back when Baron Kolisch at a sale at the Salle Drouot" (this being a quote from the Christchurch Star, 19th May, 1900, page 7).

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Kolisch is correct.

Christopher, you didn't give the source of your quote, which I believe is incorrect regarding the prizes. There was only one Emperor's Vase. See The Chess Player's Magazine, 1 August 1867, pages 225-227.

Oh dear. A faux pas there.

https://www.billwallchess.com/articles/prize.htm

Not the best source to have used, clearly! Wikipedia cites this.

The shame that I uncritically quoted the first thing I found on the internet and didn't even give my source. Never again!!

(Having said that, even if not correct it can be interesting to track down the origin of the error.)

[John Townsend]

Which strong amateur player, who was an early member of St. George's Chess Club and played against Staunton, receiving odds, lived mostly in Paris, and died during the same year as Morphy at the age of 86?

[Gerard Killoran]

Thank you, John!

I think G. BARRON is George Barron:

https://mannchess.org.uk/People/Barron,%20George.htm

The Rxe3 combination is nice.

More names:

Edward 'Teddy' Hanger

Richard 'Dicky' Bainbridge

H. Williams has eluded me but in trying to track him down, I came across this sad tale.

Hull Daily Mail - Friday 31 December 1948

TREASURER USED CHESS CLUB'S MONEY

FORMER treasurer of East Yorkshire Motor Services Chess Club. William Henry Gray (28), of Grasby-rd., who in Hull today admitted converting the club's finances, £8/8/6, to his own use, heard a member of the club, plead on his behalf, "Please don't send this man to prison."

Gray, formerly a conductor with the EYMS, pleaded guilty to three charges of fraudulently converting 1/- entrusted to him as treasurer of the club. He also asked for a further offence, that of converting the whole of the club's finances to his own use, to be taken into consideration.

He was fined a total of £3.

LOT OF ILLNESS

Insp. Walton said that when the chess club was inaugurated in March of this year, Gray was elected treasurer. It was on his suggestion that the members' subscriptions, to be collected by him, should be paid into his own Post Office saving account.

Some suspicions were aroused in October, and when Gray was seen by Det. Tate he said, "All right, I received the subscriptions from the members and converted them to my own use. I've had a lot of illness in my home and was at my wits end to carry on."

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thank you, John!

I think G. BARRON is George Barron:

https://mannchess.org.uk/People/Barron,%20George.htm

The Rxe3 combination is nice.

More names:

Edward 'Teddy' Hanger

Richard 'Dicky' Bainbridge

H. Williams has eluded me [...]

Thanks Gerard (yes, sad story). Good luck trying to find Mr H. Williams!

[John Townsend]

Answer: Brooke Greville

[MJMcCready]

Who, according to Jeremy James on The Master Game, won a saxophone for a brilliancy prize once?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Which strong amateur player, who was an early member of St. George's Chess Club and played against Staunton, receiving odds, lived mostly in Paris, and died during the same year as Morphy at the age of 86?

Aided by the answer given by John above (Brooke Greville), I went and found at least one of the odds game:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2419734

It looks like White (Brooke Greville) had an extra move and the other condition is "remove Black's f-pawn".

White lost the extra pawn when advancing it too far. Then went pawn grabbing and Black broke through with what looks like an impressive attack. Have no idea how sound Staunton's attack was, and difficult to judge the playing strength of Greville from an odds game.

Some more information on him here:

http://www.edochess.ca/players/p257.html

[John Townsend]

Staunton excelled at pawn and two and beat Brooke Greville at those odds, but he lost to him at pawn and move.