Britbase Updates

[John Townsend]

Christopher Kreuzer commented:

"Maybe she chopped and changed and used different names at different times."

Is there any evidence for that? From the information above, I would be more inclined to think that the names used in the Observer and the Falkirk Herald were merely freak occurrences.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

No evidence, no. You are right that hard evidence should be preferred over speculation.

[John Townsend]

Incidentally, I was happy to see the photo (above) of Dinah Norman (formerly Dobson) presenting the trophy to David Pritchard. She has recently added a trophy of her own to her cabinet, the West of England Women's Championship. She is a valued member of the Wokingham U3A's Social Chess group.

[Richard James]

A quick search of 1935 newspapers finds a whole gaggle of Eileens, all living in Richmond (I believe, although she was going to school in Richmond, she was actually living in St Margarets, on the Twickenham/Isleworth borders, at the time) so I suspect there was an inaccurate press release of some sort.

Daily News (London) 07 January 1935

Eileen2.jpg (40.72 KiB) Viewed 3133 times

Richmond Herald 05 January 1935

Eileen3.jpg (104.04 KiB) Viewed 3133 times

[James Pratt]

I'll get into trouble saying this (especially if I am wrong) but I think there have been three Elaine Saunders in chess in various eras, one still active I think. Dinah Dobson married Danny Wright and later Ken Norman. Danny then wed Mitzi Kalinsky but that's another story ...

[Gerard Killoran]

1932 British Chess Championship

[Event "GBR-ch25 Second Class"] [Site "Whiteleys, London"] [Date "1932.08.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Mallinson, Harold Vincent"] [Black "Henderson, William"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C13"] [Opening "French: Albin-Alekhine-Chatard attack, Maroczy variation"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 a6 7. Qg4 Kf8 8. Bxe7+ Qxe7 9. f4 h5 10. Qh3 g6 11. O-O-O b5 12. g4 b4 13. Nce2 hxg4 14. Qxg4 c5 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Rh3 Nc6 17. h5 Rxh5 18. Rxh5 gxh5 19. Qxh5 Ke7 20. Nf3 Bb7 21. Qh4+ Ke8 22. Ng5 b3 23. axb3 Nb4 24. Qh7 Nxe5 25. Nd4 Qe7 26. Qh8+ Kd7 27. Qxe5 Re8 28. Bh3 Rc8 29. Nxf7 Rxc2+ 30. Nxc2 Nxc2 31. Bxe6+ Qxe6 32. Qxe6+ Kxe6 33. Nd8+ {Western Morning News - Wednesday 14 September 1932 p.11} 1-0

[John Saunders]

1932 British Chess Championship

[Event "GBR-ch25 Second Class"] [Site "Whiteleys, London"] [Date "1932.08.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Mallison, Harold Vincent"] [Black "Henderson, William"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C13"] [Opening "French: Albin-Alekhine-Chatard attack, Maroczy variation"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 a6 7. Qg4 Kf8 8. Bxe7+ Qxe7 9. f4 h5 10. Qh3 g6 11. O-O-O b5 12. g4 b4 13. Nce2 hxg4 14. Qxg4 c5 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Rh3 Nc6 17. h5 Rxh5 18. Rxh5 gxh5 19. Qxh5 Ke7 20. Nf3 Bb7 21. Qh4+ Ke8 22. Ng5 b3 23. axb3 Nb4 24. Qh7 Nxe5 25. Nd4 Qe7 26. Qh8+ Kd7 27. Qxe5 Re8 28. Bh3 Rc8 29. Nxf7 Rxc2+ 30. Nxc2 Nxc2 31. Bxe6+ Qxe6 32. Qxe6+ Kxe6 33. Nd8+ {Western Morning News - Wednesday 14 September 1932 p.11} 1-0

Many thanks, Gerard. I've added the game to the BritBase collection here...

1932 British Championship

Note that his surname was Mallison (not Mallinson) - I've amended in the quoted passage above.

There's quite a lot of interesting biographical information to be found about him online. Apparently Exeter Chess Club has his scorebooks and chess notes. I wonder if someone associated with the club could be persuaded to digitise his game collection.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Note that his surname was Mallison (not Mallinson) - I've amended in the quoted passage above.

The confusion is caused because there was someone called Harold Vincent Mallinson, who was born a year before Harold Vincent Mallison:
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/pe ... s/L5Y5-DR4
As far as I know, Harold Vincent Mallinson did not play competative chess.

[Gerard Killoran]

For the Hastings collection.
[Event "Hastings Major 1925/26"] [Site "Hastings"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Bolland, Percivale David"] [Black "Jesty, Edmund Tom"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A22"] [Opening "English: Carls' Bremen system"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 c6 6. Nf3 Qc7 7. d3 f6 8. Bd2 Be6 9. d4 Nd7 10. e4 Nb4 11. O-O Bc4 12. a3 Bxf1 13. Bxf1 Na6 14. Qb3 exd4 15. Qe6+ Kd8 16. Nxd4 Ndc5 17. Qa2 Qd7 18. Be3 Nc7 19. Rd1 Kc8 20. b4 N5a6 21. Nf5 Qe8 22. Bh3 Kb8 23. b5 cxb5 24. Nd5 b6 25. Bf4 Bc5 26. Nxg7 Qc6 27. Ne6 Rc8 28. Nxf6 b4 29. Nd7+ Kb7 30. e5 Nd5 31. Rxd5 b3 32. Qxb3 Bxf2+ 33. Kxf2 Qc2+ 34. Qxc2 Rxc2+ 35. Rd2 Rxd2+ 36. Bxd2 {Weston-super-Mare Gazette, and General Advertiser - Saturday 16 January 1926 p.2} 1-0

[John Saunders]

For the Hastings collection.

Many thanks, Gerard - now added to the BritBase collection for Hastings 1925/26.

Changing the subject, I've just been reading about Annie Mabel Gooding, who was one of the participants in the 1897 Ladies International and also a regular at British Championships in the early days. She was born in Cheltenham in 1867, the daughter of a local GP, and lived there all her life, latterly with a live-in housekeeper and gardener. She was hon. treasurer of Cheltenham Chess Club and allowed the club to meet at a room in her house every day except Sundays.

What really whetted my appetite to know more about Ms Gooding was when I came across her 1921 census entry...

1921-census-annie-mabel-gooding.png (422.37 KiB) Viewed 2111 times

... and saw the entry in the occupation field: "The search of a just rateable valuation!" The comment and exclamation mark would appear to be her own, though another hand (the enumerator) has pencilled in a rather more orthodox "none" over the top of it.

A visit to an online newspaper archive gave the back story. The previous year she had gone to court to argue her case about her house's rateable value but lost.

Annie Mabel Gooding died in 1925 but her story didn't stop there as her will was contested in court and the story raked over by the provincial press. One of them was headlined "Eccentric Cheltenham Lady" and included a quotable quote.

Cheltenham Chronicle, 10 July 1926...

1925-gooding01.png (302.78 KiB) Viewed 2111 times

Peterborough Standard, 16 July 1926, had something similar...

1925-gooding02.png (356.72 KiB) Viewed 2111 times

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Can you get a copy of will by any chance? Does the house still exist?

If you trust AI overviews...

"Cambridge Villas" in Cheltenham refers to a pair of Regency-style villas built just prior to 1835, and were collectively known as "Cambridge Villas" at the time. They are now numbered 121-127 The Promenade.
These villas are part of Cheltenham's rich architectural heritage, reflecting the town's popularity as a Regency-era spa destination. The area is known for its elegant buildings and fashionable atmosphere.

So presumably something like this:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/163156022

£750 to £2.35 million. Someone else can work out the inflation there. Ms Gooding would be proud.

[John Townsend]

A copy of her will should be obtainable at a cost of £1.50 via this website:

https://www.gov.uk/search-will-probate

You will need the date of death, which was 3 June 1925.

There were two grants of probate, as the estate was resworn.

[John Townsend]

To be more exact, the first grant, on 26 April 1926, was for letters of administration. However, the second grant, on 18 October 1926, was for probate, so that is the one to order to be sure of getting a copy of her will (if you only want to order one, that is).

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Is it like the Tomb of Tutankhamun? If you break the seal on the will, you are cursed for ever more? I am slightly wary of the shade of Ms Gooding from beyond the grave! "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. I will repay"!

[John Saunders]

Here's one more competitor from the 1897 Ladies' International tournament who, in the words of a popular song, "fought the law and the law won"...

https://johnchess.blogspot.com/2025/07/ ... -1939.html