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BRITBASE - British Chess Game Archive

Tournament: 24th British Chess Championship • 30+3 Championship games/part-games / 66) plus 27 from other sections
Venue: Worcester College/Blind • Dates: 10-21 August 1931 • Download PGN Last Edited: Saturday 10 February, 2024 6:59 PM

1931 British Chess Championship, Worcester, 10-21 August 1929« »1932

1931 British Chess Championship Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Fred Dewhirst Yates Birstall
&;
½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
2 William Winter London ½
&;
½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1
3 Mir Sultan Khan India 1 ½
&;
0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1
4 Edmund Spencer Liverpool ½ ½ 1
&;
0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 0
5 Sir George Alan Thomas London ½ ½ 1 1
&;
½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1
6 (Philip) Stuart Milner-Barry Cambridge ½ 0 0 0 ½
&;
1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 5
7 Reginald Pryce Michell Kingston-upon-Thames 0 0 0 ½ 1 0
&;
½ ½ 1 1 ½ 5
8 William Gibson Glasgow 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½
&;
0 ½ 1 1 5
9 Edward Guthlac Sergeant Kingston-upon-Thames 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ 1
&;
½ ½ ½
10 Theodore Henry Tylor Oxford 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½
&;
½ 1
11 (Conel) Hugh O'D Alexander Birmingham 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½
&;
½ 3
12 John Harold Morrison London 0 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½
&;
3

1931 British Ladies Chess Championship 1930« »1932

1931 British Ladies Chess Championship Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Mrs Edith Mary Ann Michell (née Tapsell) Kingston-upon-Thames
&;
½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 Mrs Amy Eleanor Wheelwright (née Benskin) Watford ½
&;
½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3 Miss M Andrews London ½ ½
&;
1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 7
4 Mrs Agnes Bradley Stevenson (née Lawson) London 0 0 0
&;
1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 7
5 Miss Alice Elizabeth Hooke London ½ ½ 1 0
&;
1 1 ½ 0 1 0 1
6 Miss Florence Hutchison Stirling Edinburgh 0 0 1 0 0
&;
1 1 1 0 1 0 5
7 Miss Emily Eliza Abraham Herne Bay 0 0 ½ 1 0 0
&;
0 1 0 1 1
8 Miss Agnes Margaret Crum Edinburgh 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1
&;
½ 0 1 1
9 Miss Mary Louisa Harrison Eastbourne 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½
&;
1 1 1
10 Mrs Mary Mills Houlding (née Palmer) Newport, Monm. 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
&;
½ 1
11 Mrs Jeanie Brockett Glasgow 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ½
&;
1
12 Miss Lillie Eveling Chislehurst 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
&;
1

1931 BCF Major Open

1931 BCF Major Open Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Miss Vera Menchik St Leonards
&;
1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 9
2 Edward Mackenzie Jackson Bexhill 0
&;
½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 8
3 Dr (Jakob) Adolf Seitz Augsburg ½ ½
&;
0 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 7
4 Reginald Joseph Broadbent Manchester 0 0 1
&;
0 ½ 1 1 1 0 1 1
5 Eugene Znosko-Borovsky Paris 0 ½ 0 1
&;
0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1
6 Harry Golombek London 0 0 ½ ½ 1
&;
½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1
7 Harold Talbot Reeve Osterley 0 0 0 0 ½ ½
&;
1 1 1 1 ½
8 Herbert Jacobs London ½ 1 1 0 0 0 0
&;
1 0 0 1
9 (Alfred) Rupert (Neale) Cross London ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0
&;
1 1 1 4
10 William Henry Watts London ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 1 0
&;
0 1 4
11 Bernard Henry Newman Stronach London 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 1 0 1
&;
0
12 Herbert Gibson Rhodes Preston 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 1
&;
2

1931 BCF Major Open Reserves

1931 BCF Major Open Reserves Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Charles Ambrose Scott Damant London
&;
1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1
2 Alfred Eva1 Bramhall 0
&;
½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 8
3 Reginald Walter Bonham Worcester 0 ½
&;
½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1
4 Alfred Joseph Butcher Wolverhampton ½ ½ ½
&;
0 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1
5 Arthur Reynolds Solihull 0 ½ ½ 1
&;
½ 1 1 1 0 1 1
6 Harold Israel London ½ 0 ½ ½ ½
&;
1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1
7 William Ritson Morry Sutton Coldfield ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0
&;
0 1 1 1 1 5
8 Stephen Harding Crockett London 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 1
&;
0 1 1 1
9 John Bertram Goodman Plymouth ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1
&;
½ ½ 1 4
10 Robert Douglas Wormald Worcester ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½
&;
½ 0 3
11 Sydney Gerard Howell-Smith Hythe 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½
&;
0 2
12 Baruch Harold Wood Yeovil 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
&;
2

1 so far I have found nothing in print in the Times or BCM to tell us whether this player was Arthur Eva (b 26.11.1876, d 30.05.1942) or his brother Alfred Eva (b 24.08.1882, d 21.02.1974) but his given residence of Bramhall, Cheshire, points to it being Alfred (Arthur lived in Lancashire).

1931 BCF First Class A

1931 BCF First Class A Resid 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 James Andrew Herrick Manchester
&;
0 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1
2 James Marston Craddock Bromsgrove 1
&;
0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 9
3 Dr Partap Singh Bassalvi India 0 1
&;
0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1
4 Michael James Albery Farningham 0 0 1
&;
½ 1 0 ½ 1 0 1 1 6
5 Max Demby Manchester 0 0 0 ½
&;
1 1 0 1 0 1 1
6 Rev. J E Riley Manchester 0 1 ½ 0 0
&;
1 0 0 1 1 1
7 Duncan Clarke Worcester 0 0 0 1 0 0
&;
½ 1 ½ 1 1 5
8 Willington Lucette Wakefield Coventry 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½
&;
0 ½ ½ 1 5
9 Ward Mayhew Parker Mitchell Ghent ½ 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
&;
1 0 1
10 Arthur T Watson Brighton 0 0 0 1 1 0 ½ ½ 0
&;
½ 1
11 F G Hale Worcester 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½
&;
½
12 T E Regan (Retired) Birkdale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½
&;
½

1931 BCF First Class B

1931 BCF First Class B Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Rev. Arthur Percival Lacy-Hulbert Ludlow
&;
½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 10
2 George Henry Midgley Manchester ½
&;
0 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 1
3 E A Jones Flint 0 1
&;
½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 0 0 ½
4 William Lewis Roche Worcester 0 0 ½
&;
½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1
5 Capt. Hugh Windsor Fiesch Heneage Brighton 0 ½ 0 ½
&;
1 1 0 0 1 1 1 6
6 Austen Lacey Homer Stourbridge ½ 0 0 1 0
&;
0 0 1 1 1 1
7 W Barker Wolverhampton 0 1 ½ 0 0 1
&;
0 1 0 1 ½ 5
8 Ernest Edward Shepherd Oxford 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
&;
0 0 1 1 5
9 Samuel Benjamin Slack Dawlish 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 1
&;
1 ½ 1 5
10 Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland Hastings 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0
&;
½ 0
11 John MacAlister London 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½
&;
½ 3
12 R H Taylor Birkdale 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½
&;

1931 BCF Second Class A

1931 BCF Second Class A Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Douglas J Myatt London
&;
1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1d
2 John Keeble Norwich 0
&;
1 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1d
3 William Wesley Church Northampton 1 0
&;
1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1d 8
4 A Gray Wallis Parkstone ½ 1 0
&;
0 1 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 7
5 Miss Olga Menchik St Leonards 0 0 0 1
&;
1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1d
6 Rev. Howard Cecil James Coventry 0 0 1 0 0
&;
1 0 1 ½ 1 1d
7 Herbert William Tidball Birmingham 0 0 0 1 1 0
&;
1 0 0 1 1d 5
8 J R Faulkner1 Liverpool 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 0
&;
0 0 ½ 1d
9 E G Small Ludlow 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
&;
1 0 1d 4
10 Henry Monmouth Basing Paulet Jersey 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 0
&;
½ 0
11 Norman Maclean Edinburgh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½
&;
1d 3
12 Mrs Pauline Peckar London 0d 0d 0d 0 0d 0d 0d 0d 0d 1 0d
&;
1/2

"Second Class, Section A, was unfortunately affected by the illness of Mrs. Peckar, who had to retire after playing the second round. It is pleasant to note how well the well-known problemist, J. Keeble, of Norwich, did in this section, for he can now be properly called a veteran." (BCM)
1 J R Faulkner was a blind player - a photo of him in action appeared in the Birmingham Daily Gazette, Friday 14 August 1931, page 12.

1931 BCF Second Class B

1931 BCF Second Class B Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12  Total 
1 Herbert Lester Gardiner Bournemouth
&;
0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 9
2 Donald Gould Leicester 1
&;
½ 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1d
3 Rostislav Chernikeeff London 0 ½
&;
0 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 7
4 Alfred John Duke London 1 0 1
&;
0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 7
5 Oscar Serck Birmingham 0 0 0 1
&;
1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1
6 Charles Henry Taylor London 0 1 1 ½ 0
&;
½ 1 0 1 ½ 1d
7 F Cooper Stoke-on-Trent 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½
&;
½ 0 ½ 1 1 6
8 Alfred Herman Reeve Great Missenden 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½
&;
1 ½ 1 1d 5
9 Mrs M Healey London 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 0
&;
0 1 1
10 B Ellis Worcester Blind 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1
&;
0 1d
11 G J J Miller Preston 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 1
&;
1d
12 Hugh Henry Quilter Grantham 0 0d 0 0 0 0d 0 0d 0 0d 0d
&;
0

"Second Class, Section B, there were again a few forfeited games, but in this case one welcomes the success of the young Russian boy, Chernikeeff." (BCM)

1931 BCF Third Class A

1931 BCF Third Class A Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  Total 
1 P Bull Pontefract
&;
1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1
2 Henry St John Brooks London 0
&;
½ 1 0 1 1 1 1 1
3 J A Harris Bournemouth 0 ½
&;
0 1 1 1 1 1 1
4 W A Aston Wolverhampton ½ 0 1
&;
1 0 ½ 1 1 1 6
5 Mrs L James London 1 1 0 0
&;
½ ½ 1 0 1 5
6 Douglas Enty Budge Kilmacolm 0 0 0 1 ½
&;
½ 0 1 1 4
7 H T Bland London 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½
&;
1 1 0
8 Miss Marian J McCombie London 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
&;
1 1 3
9 John E Coleman Grays 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
&;
½
10 L J Warren Kidderminster 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½
&;

F M Argrave (Whitstable) started with 2/3 but didn't appear in BCM's final crosstable for some reason

1931 BCF Third Class B

1931 BCF Third Class B Residence 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11  Total 
1 William Thomas Hurley Rochester
&;
0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 8
2 George Arthur Peck Nottingham 1
&;
½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 8
3 Miss (Winifred) Muriel Brown1 Belvedere 1 ½
&;
½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1
4 (Lady) Muriel Ivy Scobell Mackereth (née Watson) Buxton 0 ½ ½
&;
0 0 1 1 1 1 1 6
5 Mrs Florence Jane Fish Worthing 0 0 1 1
&;
½ 1 1 0 1 0
6 D J Carter Worcester GS 0 0 ½ 1 ½
&;
0 1 1 0 1 5
7 Mrs Emily Heath (née Wright)2 London 0 0 0 0 0 1
&;
1 1 1 1 5
8 Miss Adelaide Mary Bishop Guernsey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
&;
1 1 1 3
9 Mrs Helen Muriel Cobbold Cheltenham 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
&;
1 1 3
10 Mrs Clara Margaret MacVean Bournemouth 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
&;
1 3
11 Miss Edith Maud Eleanor John Goodacre Cheltenham 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
&;
1

1 Took part in British Girls Championships in 1926 and 1927
2 Listed as Mrs C B Heath - wife of Christopher Barclay Heath

BRITISH CHESS FEDERATION CONGRESS [BCM, September 1931, p406f]

"According to the rota it was the privilege of the Midland Counties Chess Union to hold the Congress in its area. It is fortunate that the Union had ideal opportunities of carrying out the Federation’ ambitious programme. Worcester has many attractions which appealed to the public as the large number of entries and visitors amply showed. The College for the Blind afforded the best accommodation. It is situated in a pleasant position outside the town. The various rooms and grounds were placed at the disposal of the visitors for every purpose that could be devised. The lounge and swimming pool especially were luxuries not often to be found at a Chess Congress. Above all the Union is to be congratulated upon its organising officers! A. J. Mackenzie, president of the Union, as an old hand experienced in Congresses, was probably quite at ease in leaving the arrangements in the hands of the headmaster of the College, G. C. Brown, M.A. It is only fair to state that the exceptional success of the Congress was due to the quiet organisation and to the general courtesy and welcome that was extended to every one by Mr. Brown and the members of his family and staff who outdid one another in their efforts to make things go smoothly.

"When the Congress was opened on Monday, August 10th [1931], the players were welcomed officially to the City by Viscount Cobham, who is chairman of the College for the Blind, Dr. Moore Ede, the Dean of Worcester and W. Shakespeare, the Mayor of Worcester. Lord Cobham in the course of his opening address, referred proudly to his grandfather, the donor of the Lyttleton Cup which was still competed for, who might be called "the father of Worcester Chess."

"The Mayor also had a point of chess interest to relate; Alexander Neckham, circa 1191, the first English writer on chess was buried in the cloisters of the Cathedral.

"Later, in seconding a vote of thanks to the previous speakers Major Montague Jones, O.B.E., stated that Neckham was his predecessor as a master of St. Alban’s Grammar School. Reverting to the same subject at the closing function, when the prizes were distributed, the Dean stated that on reference to the originals he had found that Neckham was a foster brother to Richard Coeur de Lion. Canon A. G. Gordon Ross, President of the British Chess Federation took the chair at the farewell meeting and presented the prizes.

"The tournament outings, etc., were conducted without friction by G. C. Brown and R. M. Fleming, joint secretary of the Southern Counties Chess Union and members of the British Chess Federation Executive.

"Before referring to some of the play, it is interesting to a several members of the Surrey County Cricket Club, including Hobbs and Strudwick were among the visitors later to the Congress. [n.b. Surrey played Worcestershire in a county cricket match at Worcester, 12-14 August 1931 in which Jack Hobbs took part, though not Herbert Strudwick. The scorecard seems to indicate that it was rained off on the 3rd day, hence the visit to the chess? - JS]

"Nearly a hundred visitors went down the River Severn to Tewkesbury on the first Tuesday afternoon. About fifty joined the trip to Ludlow by motor on the following Tuesday and had tea at the famous old inn, the Feathers.

"E. Znosko Borowski gave a simultaneous performance winning 16 games, drawing with Norman Maclean and A. Gray Wallis and losing to P. A. Ursell.

"An official lightning tournament was held with the following result: 1 Sir Geo. Thomas; 2 H. Golombek; 3 C. B. Heath; 4 W.L. Roche.

"The British Championship competition was keenly contested. F. D. Yates for the sixth time was successful. He played fine chess and excepting in the game he lost to Mir Sultan Khan, and in his games against Sir Geo. Thomas, who should have won, and P. S. Milner-Barry, did he seem to have at any time inferiority. His game against C. H. O’D. Alexander was a good example of his persistent and clever end-game play."


EVENING STAR (New Zealand), ISSUE 20968, 5 DECEMBER 1931, PAGE 19: "The British Chess Federation Congress was held at the Worcester College for the Blind from August 10 to August 22. Among the many visitors to the congress were several members of the Surrey Cricket Club, including Hobbs and Strudwick. Hobbs is considering taking up chess on his retirement from the cricket pitch. "Will he pat the board between moves for soft spots?” Strudwick asked if chess players suffered from barracking."


File Updated

Date Notes
Pre-2016 30 complete championship games, plus 3 part-games, plus 21 games from Major Open (won by Vera Menchik), etc. Thanks to Gerard Killoran.
16 January 2016 Final move of Thomas-Sultan Khan (R6) corrected. Thanks to Andy Ansel.
19 April 2016 Added Major Open game Menchik-Seitz (Rd 2 - many thanks to Tony Gillam). I have corrected the round number of Seitz-Znosko-Borovsky to Rd 1, and added round numbers and dates for other Major Open games.
21 December 2021 Upgraded the crosstables, included many forenames.
24 April 2022 Added a game: P.Bassalvi 1-0 D.Clarke, First Class A.
25 April 2022 Added a game from First Class B: Lacy-Hulbert 1-0 E.Shepherd. My thanks to Gerard Killoran who contributed the game via the English Chess Forum.
24 November 2022 Added a game from 1st Class A: J.Craddock 1-0 A.Watson. The game score was input from a very faint newspaper scan so may not be entirely reliable. I have drawn attention to this in the notes. My thanks to Gerard Killoran for submitting the game via the English Chess Forum.
4 December 2022 We now have the complete score of the game Seitz 1-0 Znosko-Borovsky (Major Open, rd 1), found and submitted by Alan Smith, for which many thanks.
5 December 2022 Tentative amendment made to the round number of a Major Open game: the Times, 19 August 1931, erroneously gives both Znosko-Borovsky vs Menchik and Broadbent vs Znosko-Borovsky as being played in round 7. Judging from the then usual Times standard when reporting results, I think the Broadbent vs Z-B game was most probably played in round 8.
15 January 2024 One additional game: G.Peck 1-0 W.Hurley (Third Class B, rd 1). I have now removed the stub games from the Championship. Other cosmetic changes include all games being retitled as GBR-ch rather than BCF-ch. Running total: 30 Championship games plus 3 part-games; 27 games from other sections (including six part-games).