1884 (1st) Scottish Chess Championship, 21-25 July, Bedford Hotel, 54 St. George's Place, Glasgow

For further details of this tournament see also the 1884 Championship page at the Chess Scotland history website curated by Alan McGowan: https://www.chessscotland.com/documents/history/1884champ.htm

1884 Scottish Chess Championship (1st)		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	John Crum	Glasgow	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	½	7
2	George Brunton Fraser	Dundee	½	&;	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	6½
3	(Sheriff) Walter Cook Spens	Glasgow	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	6
4	David Forsyth	Glasgow	0	0	0	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	5
5	Daniel Yarnton Mills	London	0	1	0	0	&;	½	1	0	1	1	4½
6	George Andrew Thomson1	Glasgow	0	1	0	0	½	&;	0	1	1	1	4½
7	John Gilchrist	Glasgow	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	1	0	1	4
8	James Haldane Calder MacLeod	Bilbao	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	&;	1	1	3
9	John Dibbin Chambers	Glasgow	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	½	2½
10	Peter Fyfe	Glasgow	½	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	2

¹ Played under the pseudonym "G Andrews"

---

British Chess Magazine, 1884, ppn 320-333

Scottish Chess Association.

The first annual Congress of the Scottish Chess Association commenced its sitting in the Bedford Hotel, Glasgow, on Monday, 21st July, and ended on the Friday following.

The programme included three contests, (1) a Major Tournament ; (2) a Minor Tournament; and (3) a Handicap Tournament: and the prizes in these contests were:—Major Tournament, 1st, Championship Cup, value £25, for one year, and £4 4s.; 2nd, £2 2s., aud 3rd, £1 1s. Minor Tournament, 1st, £3 3s., and 2nd, £2 2s. Handicap, 1st, £3 3s., and 2nd, £1 11s. 6d.

At the time of meeting, 11 a.m., on Monday, it was feared that the Congress was to be less successful than was anticipated, owing to several eminent players being unable to compete. Mr. Court of Glasgow, through indisposition, felt himself constrained not to enter, while Messrs. Meikle and Fraser of Edinburgh, Messrs. Baxter and Walker of Dundee, Mr. Pagan of Crieff, and Mr. Whiteley of Glasgow, owing to business engagements found it impossible to attond. On the other hand, Mr. G. B. Fraser of Dundee, of world-wide renown as an analyst, and undoubtedly one of the strongest players in Scotland, found that he was able to take part. Mr. D. Y. Mills, well known as a player in Glasgow a few years ago, and who since he went to England has gained for himself a position as one of the strongest amateurs of the day, came expressly from London to attend the Congress. Altogether there were ton entries to the Major Tournament, viz.:—Mr. G. B. Fraser of Dundee, Mr. D. Y. Mills of London, Mr. McLeod of Bilbao, Sheriff Spens, and Messrs. Andrews [Thomson], Chambers, Crum, Forsyth, Fyfe, and Gilchrist, all of Glasgow.

Mr. Crum therefore gets the first prize and is entitled to the dignity of Scottish Champion for the year. Mr. G. B. Fraser and Sheriff Spens take the second and third prizes respectively. The issue is indeed a very close one—only one game deciding between first and third places.

Seven players competed in the Minor Tournament, and the result of their play is as follows :—

1884 Scottish Minor Championship		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
1	Dr Dunlop	&;	0	1	0	1	1	1	4
2	Phillips	1	&;	0	1	½	0	1	3½
3	Maclean	0	1	&;	½	½	1	0	3
4	Mavor	1	0	½	&;	½	1	0	3
5	Robert Pirrie	0	½	½	½	&;	½	1	3
6	Mackenzie	0	1	0	0	½	&;	1	2½
7	Berwick	0	0	1	1	0	0	&;	2

Dr. Dunlop takes the 1st prize and Mr. Phillips the 2nd.

There were ten entries to the Handicap. Their names, and the classes assigned to them, are as follows:—

Class I.—Sheriff Spens, and Messrs. Fraser and Mills.
Class II.—Messrs. Chambers, Forsyth, and Fyfe.
Class III.—Messrs. Favre, Maclean, and Phillips.
Class IV.—Mr. Mclnnes.

Class I. gave to Classes II., III., and IV. the usual odds of Pawn and move, Pawn and two moves, and Knight respectively.
To save time, as the other contests absorbed the most of the players’ attention, this contest was carried through on the pairing system.

The first pairing and results are as follows:—
Chambers won against Favre
Spens „ „ Phillips
Forsyth „ „ Mills
Mclnnes „ „ Maclean
Fraser „ „ Fyfe

Second Pairing:—
Fraser won against Chambers
Spens „ „ Forsyth
Mclnnes a bye.

Third Pairing:—
Fraser won against Mclnnes
Spens a bye.

Final Pairing:—
Spens won against Fraser.

Sheriff Spens consequently won the 1st prize and Mr. Fraser the 2nd.

The last of the games in the Congress was finished on Friday afternoon, and at 5 p.m. the annual general meeting of the Association for the transaction of business was held. Sheriff Spens was voted to the Chair. A few trifling alterations of rules were proposed and given effect to on the motion of the Chairman. Thereafter the meeting considered the place and date of the next Congress. Edinburgh was resolved upon as the place of meeting, and it was left to the committee to fix a week at the end of July or beginning of August, 1885, for the time of meeting, as should be found most suitable for the East of Scotland players. A small sum of money was voted to Mr. Blackburne, who arrived in the forenoon, in recognition of his kindly coming to tho Congress.

A dinner of the members of the Association then took place. Sheriff Spens, who occupied the Chair, proposed the health of Mr. Crum, as the Scottish Chess Champion, and that of Mr. Blackburne as the British Champion.

Thereafter Mr. Blackburne played 14 simultaneous games, and won them all. This concluded the proceedings at the first annual Congress of the Association, which altogether has been a most successful one. From first to last there never was any hitch, the whole proceedings being in every way harmonious and agreeable.

Mr. Blackburne remained in Glasgow till Tuesday the 29th July, and on Saturday and Monday played several off-hand games at the Glasgow Chess Club, with his usual success. On Saturday he played two games simultaneously against Messrs. Spens, Crum and Forsyth, consulting, and against Messrs. Court, Gilchrist and Fyfe, consulting. Both games were won by the single player.
D. F.

---

File Updated:

Date	Notes
3 August 2022	First posted. 13 of the 45 games supplied by Alistair Maxwell for which many thanks. This tournament is also covered extensively at the Scottish Chess History site curated by Alan McGowan.
9 September 2024	Added the part-game G.A.Thomson 0-1 W.C.Spens (in which White turns what should have been a straightforward win into a loss in the space of nine moves!).