www.britbase.info
© 1997-2024
John Saunders

 

BRITBASE - British Chess Game Archive

Event: Army v RAF Match • 5 games (Army v Navy, 25 Oct 1941) / 5 games (British v Allied Forces, 15 Nov 1941)
Venue: Hampstead CC, London • Dates: 25 October 1941 • Download PGN • Last Edited: Friday 6 September, 2024 6:36 PM

1941 Army v RAF Match, Hampstead CC, London, 25 October

Source: CHESS, December 1941, Vol.7/75, p33

The Army won their match with the RAF by a narrow margin. Several last-minute changes in the teams were necessitated by the exigencies of war.

Bd Royal Air Force 3½-4½ Army
1w P/O John David Solomon 1-0 Rifleman Frank Parr
2b A.C.1 Douglas Eric Arnold Riley 0-1 Maj. George Shorrock Ashcombe Wheatcroft
3w Cpl. E S Taylor/Tayler 1-0 2nd Lt. Dennis Morton Horne
4b A.C.2 David Henry Butler 0-1 Cadet John Montgomerie
5w A.C.2 John Hobbs 1-0 L/C (Alexander) Aird Thomson
6b L.A.C. David Brine Pritchard ½-½ Pte. Frederick Walter Allen
7w Cpl. J H Bavin 0-1 2nd Lt. (Richard) Nevil Coles
8b A.C.2 William Harold Cozens 0-1 Capt. Harry Gethin Thorp Matchett
25 October 1941 3½-4½ at Hampstead CC, London

An informal match "Army v Civil Air Defence" was arranged, and played at the same time, without clocks...

Bd Army 1-3 Civil Air Defence
1w Cpl. John Todhunter Keable 1-0 Harold Lommer
2b Pte. G Whatmough 0-1 W G Belinfante
3w Pte. J E Ainsworth 0-1 A Boyce
4b L.A.C. W E Wright 0-1 Sir Gilbert Jackson
25 October 1941 1-3 at Hampstead CC, London

The games of the Army-RAF match were unusually interesting, and we publish some of them later in this issue. The Allen-Pritchard game was adjudicated: the RAF man was a pawn up but in a position that could not be won. F W Allen is a recruit from Australia who has been a subscriber to CHESS for many years "out there". We congratulate him on his debut in Home chess circles.


1941 British Forces v Allied Forces Match, Borough Club, Nottingham, 15 November

Bd Allied Forces 5½-6½ British Forces
1w 2nd Lt. Georges Cartier1, F.F.F 1-0 Bdr. Harry Golombek
2b 2nd Lt. Franciszek Sulik, Pol.A 0-1 P/O John David Solomon
3w Pte. A Simek, Cz.A 0-1 Maj. George Shorrock Ashcombe Wheatcroft
4b 2nd Lt. Oldrych Balcar, Pol.A 1-0 Pte. Frank Parr
5w Pte. Victor Farkas, Cz.A ½-½ 2nd Lt. John Montgomerie
6b Pte. W Prytys, Pol.A 0-1 P/O Francis George Tims Collins
7w 2nd Lt. Adamczewski, Pol.A 0-1 A.C.1 Douglas Eric Arnold Riley
8b Dr. Zak, M.O., R.N.B. 1-0 2nd Lt. Dennis Morton Horne
9w 2nd Lt. Maxime Chauvet, F.F.F. 1-0 L/C (Alexander) Aird Thomson
10b S/M J J Reich, Cz.A 1-0 Cpl. John Todhunter Keable
11w Sgt. Francis/Fleischmann, Cz.A 0-1 2nd Lt. (Richard) Nevil Coles
12b Pte. J J Eshuis, R.N.B. 0-1 Serg. Victor B Rush
15 November 1941 5½-6½ at Borough Club, Nottingham

1 nom de guerre of Saviely Tartakower whilst with the Free French Forces


Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 17 November 1941

BRITISH ARMY TEAM BEATS ALLIES AT CHESS

Men who have fought Hitler in Poland, escaped to Rumania, fought him again in France, and escaped thence to Britain, sat down in the Borough Club here [Nottingham] yesterday afternoon [15 November 1941] to play chess with British soldiers. They wore the khaki uniforms of the French, Polish, Czecho-Slovak and Dutch Free Forces, distinguished by their shoulder badges, and their ranks included privates, sergeants and lieutenants.

The British Services team to meet this Allied side sat in equally contrasting uniforms and ranks. It was a strong side. Top board was Bombardier H. Golombek, runner-up for the British championship before the war, who had received special leave to travel from Northern Ireland. His opponent was Lieut. "Georges Cartier"—the nom-de-guerre of Dr. Xavier Tartakover, the Polish chess-master, who lived long in France, and to-day is serving under General de Gaulle.

Tartakover's Return

There Is an amusing story behind Tartakover's appearance. For nearly 40 years now he has played international chess as a professional all over the world. On the outbreak of war he adopted a French name, enrolled under General de Gaulle, and forswore chess—as much because he wanted a rest from the game as for any other reason.

Mr. J[ulius]. Du Mont, of the "British Chess Magazine," who helped to organise the match in his drive for popularising chess among the Forces, wrote to Free French headquarters direct, and the result was that Lieut. "Cartier" received notice in his company orders to present himself at Nottingham and play chess as part of the Entente Cordiale. He won fairly easily, although Golombek made a last-minute attempt to get a pawn through for queening by sacrificing a rook for a knight.

Next to Bombardier Golombek sat Pilot Officer Solomon, Major Wheatcroft and Private Frank Parr. Further down was Lance-Corporal Aird Thomson, one of the most promising young British players. All were outstanding in English chess before the war.

Best known among their opponents were Lieutenant Sulik, who played regularly in the Polish International team, and Private Victor Fargas, who was champion of Bratislava. Lieut O. Balcar, one of the Poles, told me after he had won his game, how he had fought in Poland against the German invaders.

"When my unit was driven back to the Rumanian border, we crossed over," he said. "Then we were interned. We had some money from the Polish Government, however, and I was able to buy a suit of civilian clothes and escape. I got to Greece, and from there I made my wav to France, so that I could continue the fight. When the Germans drove us back, I was able to get to a village near St. Nazaire. British warships were waiting off the coast, and I got aboard one, and here I am in England."

Jovial Poles

Saturday's match was a triumph for Mr. Du Mont in that the War Office arranged for the Poles to travel from Scotland and provided the railway vouchers for all the players. Despite their all-night journey, the Poles were in jovial mood, and brought a portable gramophone with them and records of Polish songs. "I am hoping to get further War Office co-operation in arranging more matches," Mr Du Mont told me. "There is keen interest in chess in the Services, and the wide extent of it is not always realised.”

Mr. R[ufus]. H. S. Stevenson, secretary of the British Chess Federation, was controller, and Alderman J. N. Derbyshire, of Nottingham, president of the Federation, was host to the two teams.

The British team beat the Allied team by 6½ to 5½ points.


File Updated

Date Notes
18 July 2024 First upload. Five games from the Army and Navy match, two from the British v Allied forces match.
6 September 2024 Added three more games from the British v Allied Forces match. My thanks to Dominique Thimognier (of the excellent Héritage des Echecs Français website) for helping me with these games. Dominique also drew my attention to the newspaper report which I have added to the page. Many thanks to Dominique.