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Event: 52nd Varsity Match • Venue: City of London Chess Club, Wardrobe Court, London EC • Date: Friday 23 March 1928
Download PGN • List of Varsity Matches • Back to 1927 • Forward to 1929 • last edited:
Tuesday March 19, 2024 10:13 AM
The 52nd Varsity Chess Match between Oxford University and Cambridge University was held at City of London Chess Club, Wardrobe Court, London EC, on Friday 23 March 1928. All game scores from this match are available.
| 1927« 1928 Varsity Chess Match »1929 | |||
| Bd | Oxford University | 1928 | Cambridge University |
| 1b | Kenneth Humphry Bancroft (Pembroke) | 0-1 | (Philip) Stuart Milner-Barry (Trinity) |
| 2w | Gerald Abrahams (Wadham) | ½-½ | James Andrew Herrick (Pembroke) |
| 3b | Arthur Eric Smith (St Edmund Hall) | 0-1 | Ronald Langley Mitchell (Trinity) |
| 4w | Reginald Walter Bonham (St Catherine's) | 1-0 | Wilfrid Edward Sandbach (King's) |
| 5b | Solomon Adler (New) | ½-½ | Max Black (Queens') |
| 6w | Harold Talbot Reeve (Oriel) | ½-½ | Eustace Neville Fox (Pembroke) |
| 7b | Richard Hilary Newman (Worcester) | 0-1 | John Morley Holford (Trinity Hall) |
| 2½-4½ |
Sources: Oxford-Cambridge Chess Matches (1873-1987), compiled by Jeremy Gaige, Philadelphia 1987; BCM, April 1928, p147; The Times, 24 March 1928 & 26 March 1928 (all game scores included); BCM, Feb 1928, p75-6 (Past match)
Notes: boards 2, 4, 5 and 6 were adjudicated. Unused reserves were BS Edwards (Jesus College, Oxford) and LC Young (Trinity College, Cambridge).
[BCM, April 1928, p147] "UNIVERSITIES’ CHESS WEEK.
On Monday, March 19th, the Combined Universities met the Insurance Chess Club and were successful with a score of 11½ to 6½. The following day they were defeated by Hampstead (10½ to 8½) and on Wednesday by the City of London Chess Club (14 to 4). On Thursday Cambridge rested but Oxford (Past and Present) met Lud Eagle in a six-board match, two players consulting on each board. The score at the close of play was 2½ to 1½ in favour of Lud Eagle, with two games for adjudication.
"On Friday afternoon the 52nd ’Varsity match was played at the City of London Chess Club. Cambridge won the toss and took White on the odd-numbered boards. At the close of play they led by three wins to none. The four unfinished games were adjudicated by Sir George Thomas and the final score was 4½ to 2½ in favour of the Light Blues who now lead in the series of matches by twenty-five wins to twenty-three."
"Unfortunately, some of the games were marred by serious blunders. We give the first-board game [Milner-Barry v Bancroft]."
[The Times, 24 March 1928] "WIN FOR CAMBRIDGE.
(FROM OUR CHESS CORRESPONDENT.)
The 52nd annual match between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge was played at the City of London Chess Club, Wardrobe-court, E.C., yesterday afternoon, Cambridge winning by 4½ games to 2½.
Cambridge began well by winning the toss for the choice of the White pieces, scored an early victory on the first board, and kept the lead until the end. The games unfinished at the call of time were adjudicated by Sir George A. Thomas. The record now is Cambridge 25 wins, Oxford 23 wins, and four matches have been drawn."
Games from Combined Universities matches:
Oxford Past vs Cambridge Past, 17 December 1927 at City of London CC (10th match)
| Bd | Oxford University Past | 1927 | Cambridge University Past |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theodore Henry Tylor (Balliol) | 1-0 | (Creassey Edward) Cecil Tattersall (Trinity) |
| 2 | John Harold Morrison (Wadham) | ½-½ | John Matthias Bee (St Catharine's) |
| 3 | Philip Walsingham Sergeant (Trinity) | 0-1 | Jonas Birnberg (Queens') |
| 4 | Alan Hamilton Crothers (Queen's) | 0-1 | George Ernest Smith (St John's) |
| 5 | Alfred William Stonier (Christ Church) | 1-0 | Sir Edgar Wigram (Trinity Hall) |
| 6 | Default - Sir Richard Barnett (Wadham) | 0d-1d | Harold John Snowden (Queens') |
| 7 | Dermot Michael Macgregor Morrah (New) | ½-½ | Charles Edward Taylor (Trinity) |
| 8 | Default - Arthur Rutherford (Brasenose) | 0d-1d | Eric Augustus Coad-Pryor (Trinity) |
| 9 | James Meadows Rendel (Balliol) | ½-½ | Dr Vickerman Henzell Rutherford (Sidney Sussex) |
| 10 | Edward Paice (Merton) | 1-0 | Lt-Col John Theodore Cuthbert Moore-Brabazon (Trinity) |
| 11 | E Maxwell (Christ Church) | 0-1 | Frederick Russell Hoare (Trinity) |
| 12 | L James (Trinity) | ½-½ | George Cecil Ives (Magdalene) |
| 5-7 |
[The Times, 19 December 1927, p14]: "A WlN FOR CAMBRIDGE “PAST.” The eighth annual match between Oxford “Past” and Cambridge "Past” was played at the City of London Chess Club, Wardrobe-court, E.C., on Saturday afternoon, 12 players a-side. Oxford University were unfortunate in that two of their players were unable to be present, and they thus started 2 points down. Wins for Mr. E. Paice and Mr. T. H. Tylor redressed the balance later in the afternoon, but afterwards Cambridge University scored on the third and fourth boards, finally winning the match by seven games to five." [full results given - colours not known]
[BCM, February 1928, p75] "Oxford Past v. Cambridge Past.—On December 17th this now annual fixture was contested at the City of London C.C. between teams of what should have been 12 a-side. Unfortunately for Oxford Sir Richard Barnett was unable through illness to be present, and A. Rutherford was also away, so that two games went to Cambridge by default. On the actual games played the score was 5 all; but of course the match result was decided on the full twelve boards."
File updated
| Date | Notes |
| 25 February 2022 | Original upload. |
| 19 March 2024 | Added the game A.E.Smith 0-1 E.G.Sergeant from the Combined Universities vs City of London match. |