1911 British Chess Championship, University Students' Union, Gilmorehill, Glasgow, 11-25 August • 1910« »1912

1911 British Chess Championship		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Henry Ernest Atkins	3	Huddersfield	&;	1	½	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	8½
2	Fred Dewhirst Yates	6	Leeds	0	&;	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	8½
3	Wilfred Charles Palmer	11	Trinidad	½	0	&;	½	1	1	1	0	½	1	1	1	7½
4	Reginald Pryce Michell	1	London	½	0	½	&;	0	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	7
5	James Alexander McKee	7	Glasgow	1	½	0	1	&;	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	6½
6	Arthur George West	12	Yeovil	0	1	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	½	1	6
7	Joseph Henry Blackburne	5	London	½	0	0	½	1	½	&;	½	½	0	1	1	5½
8	Joseph Henry Blake	8	Surbiton	0	0	1	½	0	0	½	&;	½	1	1	1	5½
9	Arthur John Mackenzie	4	Birmingham	0	0	½	0	1	0	½	½	&;	0	0	1	3½
10	Edmund Macdonald1	9	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	1	0	3
11	John Ellis Parry	10	Bangor	0	0	0	0	1	½	0	0	1	0	&;	0	2½
12	Richard Edward Lean	2	Brighton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	&;	2

¹ I have decided to amend this player's name to 'Edmund Macdonald' without the middle initial 'E' which is given in some sources (notably Amos Burn: A Biography by Richard Forster). As far as I can see, there is one item of evidence in favour of the middle initial, in an issue of Chess Amateur for March 1910, p169 (see this article by EG Winter for a clipping of the article). However, Brian Denman points out that the player's death and probate records (he died on 31 December 1937) records him simply as 'Edmund Macdonald'. His forename is sometimes rendered as 'Edmond' but I've not found evidence for this. My thanks to Brian Denman for his help with this.

1911 British Championship play-off match, Bradford, 1-3 January 1912

1911 British Chess Championship Play-Off Match	1	2	3	Total
Henry Ernest Atkins	1	1	1	3
Fred Dewhirst Yates	0	0	0	0

n.b. match was to be of 4 games but a 4th game not needed.

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1911 British Ladies Chess Championship • 1910« »1912

1911 British Ladies Championship		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Mrs Mary Mills Houlding (née Palmer)	2	Newport	&;	1	1	1	0	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	8½
2	Mrs Amabel Nevill Gwyn Moseley (née Jeffreys)	12	Oxford	0	&;	1	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	7½
3	Miss Charlotte Helena Minchin Cotton	1	London	0	0	&;	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	1	6
4	Miss Florence Hutchison Stirling	9	Edinburgh	0	0	1	&;	0	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	6
5	Mrs Edith Mary Ann Michell (née Tapsell)	3	London	1	½	0	1	&;	0	1	0	1	0	½	1	6
6	Mrs Helen Eliza Sidney (née Truelove)	7	Hove	0	0	1	½	1	&;	½	1	0	0	1	1	6
7	Mrs Rosa Annie Banting (née Vines)	6	London	½	1	0	½	0	½	&;	0	1	1	1	0	5½
8	Miss Alice Taylor	8	Edinburgh	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	&;	0	1	½	1	5½
9	Miss Agnes Bradley Lawson (later Stevenson)	5	West Hartlepool	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	1	1	0	5
10	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	10	Herne Bay	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	&;	1	1	4
11	Mrs Annie Sophia Roe (née Verdon)	4	London	0	1	1	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	&;	1	4
12	Mrs Margaret Gibb (née Skirving)	11	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	&;	2

1911 BCF Major Open

1911 BCF Major Open		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Georg Schories	6	Leicester	&;	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	10½
2	Leslie Charles Gwyn Dewing	11	London	0	&;	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	½	1	7½
3	Arthur James Maas	1	London	0	0	&;	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	7½
4	Henry Pinkerton	2	Bristol	0	0	0	&;	0	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	6
5	Thomas Taylor	10	Plymouth	0	1	0	1	&;	0	1	0	½	1	1	½	6
6	Frank Brown	8	Dudley	0	0	½	½	1	&;	½	½	½	1	0	½	5
7	Carrick Wardhaugh	7	Glasgow	½	1	1	½	0	½	&;	½	0	0	1	0	5
8	Bernard Dinwoody Wilmot	12	Birmingham	0	0	0	0	1	½	½	&;	½	1	0	1	4½
9	Phillip Flower	5	London	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	½	&;	0	1	½	4
10	Allan William Edward Louis	9	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	1	½	3½
11	John MacAlister	4	London	0	½	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	&;	1	3½
12	Francis Percival Wenman	3	London	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	0	½	½	0	&;	3

1911 BCF First-Class Amateurs

1911 BCF First-Class Amateurs		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Samuel Walter Billings	8	Cheltenham	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	9
2	Roland Henry Vaughan Scott	1	London	0	&;	0	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	8
3	John Crum	6	Inveresk	1	1	&;	1	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	7
4	Walter Parker	3	Swallowbeck	0	0	0	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	6
5	Frank Raven Adcock	7	Norwich	0	½	0	1	&;	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	5½
6	John Dibbin Chambers	2	Manchester	0	0	0	1	1	&;	½	1	1	0	1	0	5½
7	Gustaf Friedrich Krasser	9	Glasgow	0	0	1	0	1	½	&;	½	0	0	1	1	5
8	Bertram Goulding Brown	5	Cambridge	½	½	1	0	0	0	½	&;	0	1	1	0	4½
9	John Macdonald	4	Glasgow	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	1	&;	½	½	½	4½
10	H(arry?) Brigg	12	London	½	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	½	&;	0	0	4
11	Joshua Walter Dixon	10	Hanley	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	&;	1	3½
12	Rev. George Dickson Hutton	11	Falkirk	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	½	1	0	&;	3½

1911 BCF Second-Class Amateurs

1911 BCF Second-Class Amateurs		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Albert Joseph Basford	7	Witney	&;	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1d	9
2	Percy C Johnson	5	Glasgow	0	&;	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	½	1	1d	8½
3	Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland	11	Bridgwater	½	0	&;	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	0	1d	8
4	Clifford Kitchin	6	Bristol	½	0	0	&;	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1d	7
5	Ernest Edward Shepherd	9	Oxford	0	0	0	½	&;	½	½	1	1	1	1	1d	6½
6	T C Rutledge	10	Glasgow	½	0	0	0	½	&;	1	½	½	1	1	1d	6
7	William Henry Greenhalgh	2	Dawley	0	1	½	0	½	0	&;	0	1	1	½	1d	5½
8	George Arthur Youngman	8	Maidstone	0	0	0	½	0	½	1	&;	0	1	1	1d	5
9	W R Todd	12	Crossgar	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	&;	0	½	1d	4
10	Rev. William Thomas Mackenzie Hooppell	3	Stoke-on-Trent	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	1d	3½
11	Rev. E Wells	4	Salisbury	0	0	1	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	&;	1d	3
12	Dr William James Perry (absent)	1	Redhill	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	&;	0

1911 BCF Third-Class Amateurs

1911 BCF Third-Class Amateurs		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Total
1	William Penberthy	10	Tredegar	&;	1	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10½
2	W Frost	5	London	0	&;	0	0	1	1d	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
3	H S Munro	12	Glasgow	½	1	&;	1	1	1d	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	8½1
4	J Connor	1	Glasgow	0	1	0	&;	0	1d	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	7
5	Miss M/F Wilkins	11	London	0	0	0	1	&;	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	0	7
6	Dr Charles Frederick Knight	2	Edinburgh	1	0d	0d	0d	0	&;	0d	1	1	½	1	1	1	6½
7	R D Fergusson	3	Glasgow	0	0	1	0	0	1d	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	6
8	Charles Salt	13	West Hartlepool	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	&;	0	0	1	1	1	6
9	Miss Kate Eyre	7	London	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	&;	½	0	1	1	5½
10	Charles Gerald Verey	8	Dover	0	0	1	0	1	½	0	1	½	&;	1	0	0	5
11	Miss Emily Hunt	6	Barnstaple	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	½	1	2½
12	Miss Margaret Hunt	9	Barnstaple	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	&;	1	2½
13	Miss Alice Amelia Wardhaugh	4	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	&;	2

¹ The table in BCM has a mistake in it, showing Connor v Munro as 0-0 and Munro having a total of 7½. Other publications (e.g. Musselburgh News, Friday 1 September 1911) show that Munro won and had a total of 8½.

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The British Chess Federation Glasgow Congress [BCM, September 1911, pps346-350]

"When the announcement was made in October last that the ninth annual Congress of the British Chess Federation was to be held in Glasgow, it is undeniable that there was much solemn shaking of heads and many gloomy prognostications of inevitable failure. Could any good come out of Glasgow ? The policy of the English units of the Federation in selecting some attractive holiday resort or picturesque centre as the meeting place of the Congress had been a wise and successful one; was not the Scottish Association in departing from so acceptable a custom running grave risks unless it had received assurance of local support sufficient to neutralise a probable large defection of competitors from the other parts of the kingdom? True, there was the Exhibition, but an exhibition was a poor substitute for the pure air and varied entertainments of a Hastings or a Scarborough, or the historical associations and open-air attractions of an Oxford. It must be admitted that there was force in these arguments, and to a certain extent misgivings were justified. The aggregate number of competitors was a good deal below the average, and barely half of the figure recorded at the first gathering—the most successful of the series from this point of view—held at Hastings in 1904. But the first impression produced on the mind of one who visited the commercial capital of Scotland for the first time—an impression confirmed by a fortnight's sojourn—is that Glasgow is a much maligned place. It is, in its main thoroughfares at any rate, a handsome and well kept city, with fine shops, many fine public buildings, and an excellent tram service, and the Kelvinside district, in which the Congress was held, is one of the best residential parts of the city.

"If, apart from the Exhibition, Glasgow had little more to offer in the way of attractions than can be found in any large English city, it is a convenient centre from which many delightful excursions can be encompassed within the leisure time even of a competitor in the tournament. For instance, an excursion to Loch Lomond afforded much enjoyment to a large party of the players on one of the early days of the meeting, and a tram ride by special car to Rouken Glen pleasantly beguiled away another afternoon, whilst individual competitors found time to extend their explorations still further to Dunoon, Rothesay, and the Kyles of Bute. Altogether, then, it may be said that Glasgow is by no means as bad as it is painted, and that if the Congress fell something short of its predecessors in the matter of attendance, it was more successful in other directions in which success was not altogether looked for.

"On the opening day of the Congress the delegates and players were entertained at a reception by the Corporation in the Banqueting Hall at the City Chambers. At an interval Bailie Russell took the chair, and was supported on the platform by leading representatives of the Federation and of the Corporation.

"Bailie Russell, in welcoming the guests, said he much regretted that, owing to circumstances over which he had no control, the Lord Provost, Sir Archibald McInnes Shaw, was not able to be present himelf, but he, like himself (Bailie Russell) and his colleagues in the Town Council, was delighted that such a large meeting of ladies and gentlemen interested in the royal and noble game of chess had honoured Glasgow by holding their Congress here this year. This was the first occasion upon which the British Federation had held their annual meeting on Scottish soil. It was fitting that Glasgow, the first city in Scotland in point of population and commerce, should be chosen for the purposes of their Congress. Glasgow for a long number of years had been a strong supporter of the game of chess. Many clubs flourished within her borders, and she might be said to be the only Scottish city able to hold her own, unaided, with the chess players of any of the large cities south of the Tweed. Wherever, or by whatever means, intellectual culture was fostered or sustained, they would find Scotsmen in the forefront. They looked upon chess as more than a mere game. It not only served to afford a wholesome amusement to those who engaged in it, but it so took possession of the mental faculties as to give that relief from the worries and anxieties of daily life which was not always given by the lighter pastimes in which the masses sought diversion. He believed that it did more than this. It quickened and sharpened the judgment, heightened the imaginative faculties, deepened the reflective powers, and broadened the whole intellectual outlook. To be a good chess player to-day was to be a hard-working, studious citizen with a brain to match. Anything which helped to build up such a character was deserving of every encouragement.

"Mr. L. P. Rees, secretary of the British Chess Federation, expressed the indebtedness of the members of the Corporation for their hospitality. The Scottish Chess Association became spontaneously a unit of the Federation, and it was from adhesions like that that a Federation like theirs was best built up. They hoped to see Ireland and Wales represented in the same way.

"Mr. J. M. Finlayson, vice-president of the Scottish Chess Association, expressed pleasure at the visit of the Federation to Glasgow, and thanked the Corporation for their kindness.

"For the third time in the history of the Federation, there was a tie for the British Championship. Mr. Atkins has been one of the principals each time, in 1904 with Mr. W. E. Napier, at Hastings; in 1909 with Mr. J. H. Blake, at Scarborough; and this year with Mr. F. D. Yates. At the end of the first week it appeared likely that the title which Mr. Atkins has held uninterruptedly since the Southport meeting in 1905 would pass into other keeping, for Yates had made a clear score of 6, having beaten such players as Blake, Michell, and Palmer, whereas Atkins had drawn three games, and was theiefore a point and a half behind. The two leaders met in the fiist round of the second week, but the game was not actually decided until two days later. Meanwhile Atkins lost to M'Kee, and Yates' lead was temporarily increased to 2½, so that he could afford to lose his adjourned game. This he actually did, after missing chances of drawing, Atkins playing a very difficult ending with Bishops of opposite colours with great skill. Both players won in the ninth round, and with only two games to play and a point and a half ahead, Yates seemed to have the championship in his grasp, but he played with a singular lack of judgment in the next round, and lost badly to West. This reduced his lead to half a point, and made it essential that he should score the full point in his game with M'Kee to win the championship. But again he displayed weak generalship in allowing M'Kee to turn the game into the attacking Marshall variation of the Petroff defence, with the result that he had to fight hard to secure the draw which M'Kee, after once declining, ultimately conceded. A deciding match of four games between Atkins and Yates will be played early in January either at Glasgow or at Bradford, where it will be remembered the tie between Atkins and Blake was also played off.

"Atkins' one bad game was against M'Kee, and it nearly cost him the championship, but he made a fine effort in the closing stages and equalled his score of last year, 8½ points, a figure which no player has yet been able to surpass, and which, curiously enough, has been his score on six occasions, the exceptions being in 1907 (7½) and 1908 (8).

"Yates had a slice of luck against Macdonald, as transposing a couple of moves in a pretty combination, he gave Macdonald the chance, which he missed, of completely turning the table. He was fortunate, too, with the Rev. W. C. Palmer, in that that player made a blunder that prematurely ended what promised to be a tough game.

"The Rev. W. C. Palmer took third prize only a point behind the leaders. After nearly three years' absence from first-class practice this was a most excellent performance, and it shows what a heavy loss British chess is suffering in the removal of this fine player to the West Indies. Mr. Michell played, as he always does, with thoughtfulness and accuracy. He has a wider theoretical knowledge of the game than the majority of players, and is therefore always dangerous. His only losses were against Yates and M'Kee, and with the latter he might have drawn by perpetual check had he not played to win.

"Mr. M'Kee worthily upheld the reputation of Scottish chess on his first introduction to the championship team, in which we hope he will make many future appearances. His games were always the centre of interest to the visitors, the majority of whom were of course particularly anxious for his success. After winning three games at the start he had very hard lines in the fourth round in losing a dead won game to Parry on the time limit. The piece that he intended to move was actually in his hand at the moment that the flag fell. But for this mishap he would have tied for third prize instead of taking the fifth only.

"Mr. West was the 'surprise packet' of the tournament. He has long been known as a good, steady player, but hardly perhaps of championship class. Everything considered, his score of six, bringing him within the prize list, ahead of Messrs. Blackburne and Blake, is one of the greatest individual triumphs of the Congress.

"Of the non-prize winners Mr. Blake made an unusual number of blunders. These cost him three games to start with—a heavy handicap that he could not overcome. Mr. Blackburne palpably tired after a few hours' play, and he had some of the longest games in the tournament, notably one with West that lasted nine and a half hours, and one with Lean of almost equal duration. Mr. Mackenzie never does himself justice in these tournaments, but he beat M'Kee smartly, and the mating position he obtained against Lean was quite the prettiest in the tournament. Mr. Macdonald threw the majority of his games away by unaccountable oversight, and Mr. Parry was apparently outclassed. Mr. Lean established two records—he lost eight games in succession and he managed, in his game with Blackburne, to make ten moves in the space of one minute.

"The absence from the Ladies' Championship tournament of Mrs. Anderson and Mrs. Herring, two of the strongest and most regular of the competitors was much regretted, but amongst the newcomers Miss Cotton, champion of the London Ladies' Chess Club, and Miss Hutchison-Stirling, of Edinburgh, champion of the Scottish Ladies' Chess Association, were expected to make a strong bid for the championship held by Mrs. Houlding, and the friends of Miss Lawson were not without hope that having for three successive years been within an ace of securing the coveted trophy, she would at last succeed. But Miss Lawson unfortunately gave only occasional glimpses of her old form, and though she beat Mrs. Houlding, and in the two final rounds Mrs. Sidney and Miss Hutchison-Stirling, she was not even amongst the half dozen prize-winners. Mrs. Houlding dropped 2½ points in the first week, but in the second she made a fine sequence of five wins, and with a score of 8½ retained the championship she won at Oxford last year. Mrs. Moseley kept level with Mrs. Houlding from the sixth round to the tenth, when a defeat at the hands of Mrs. Banting spoiled her chances. She was a good second, however, a point and a half ahead of the four ladies who divided third, fourth, fifth and sixth prizes.

"The entries in the Major Open Championship were below normal strength. Of the half-dozen leaders of the previous year Messrs. West and Parry were promoted to the championship, and Messrs. Gunston, Waterman and Kerr were absent. This left Shories without any serious opposition, and he won the tournament with practically a clean score, a full three points ahead of any other competitor.

"The usual problem, 'lightning,' and handicap tournaments were held, the winners being :—

"First Lightning Tournament :—1-2 R. H. V. Scott, London, and G. Shories, Leicester ; 3-4 W. Gibson, Glasgow, W. T. Dickinson, London.

"Second Lightning Tournament :—1-3 A. J. Mackenzie, Birmingham, R. E. Lean, Brighton, and J. M'Kee, Glasgow ; 4 T. Taylor, Plymouth.

"Problem Solving Tournament: — 1 F. D. Yates, Leeds, 51 points out of a possible 54 ; 2-3 J. Keeble, Norwich, and A. Louis, London [; 4th Albert Waterhouse, 33; 5th J W Dixon, 32 - source: The Scotsman - Monday 28 August 1911]

"Retractor Problem Solving Tournament: —1 J. Keeble, Norwich; 2 F. R. Adcock, Norwich; 3 J. W. Dixon, Hanley.

"Handicap Tournament :—First, Rev. C. F. Bolland, Bridgwater ; second, Dr. Forrester, Edinburgh ; third, J. D. Chambers, Cardiff ; fourth, W. Frost, London.

"The farewell meeting was held on Saturday morning, when the Rev. A. G. Gordon-Ross, chairman of the executive committee, presided, and was supported by Mrs. Gibb, president of the Scottish Ladies' Chess Association, who distributed the prizes to the successful players, Messrs. L. P. Rees (hon. secretary), H. E. Dobell (hon. treasurer), J. M. Finlayson (Glasgow), C. Wardhaugh (Glasgow), W. Gibson (local hon. secretary), and I. M. Brown (hon. secretary of the Northern Counties Union). Mrs. Gibb, responding to a vote of thanks in a humorous speech, pointed out that the inequalities of the sexes extended even to the chess-board. The whole object of the game was to protect and save the King. He was not allowed to go more than one square at a time, moving in a halting fashion, for all the world as if he wore a hobble skirt, whereas the Queen had to roam all over the board and bear the brunt of the battle. Then the King was allowed to have more than one Queen —he might have as many as nine at once —but who ever heard it suggested that the Queen should be allowed to take a second King. The satisfaction of all concerned with the admirable arrangements made for the comfort and convenience of the competitors, and the skilful management of the meeting was fittingly expressed in the presentation of souvenirs to Mr. Rees and Mr. Gibson, and the Congress was brought to a close with votes of thanks to the Scottish Chess Association, the University authorities, and the Press. For the benefit of readers who wish to solve the problems submitted at Glasgow, we give the positions on diagrams in the Problem Department of this number. The retractors were supplied by Mrs. W. J. Baird."

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File Updated:

Date	Notes
12 August 2015	Lean-Palmer (Rd 11 added) - thanks to Brian Denman.
17 August 2015	Palmer-Blackburne (Rd 3) and Yates-McKee (Rd 11) added, and correction to the score of Yates-Palmer (Rd 4) - thanks to Roger Watson.
20 August 2015	One Major Open game added - thanks to Roger Watson.
21 July 2017	Substantive part of the score of Macdonald-Blackburne (Rd 1) now added. Thanks to Gerard Killoran and others who have helped collect these games.
5 April 2018	The name of a player amended in the PGN file - 'Chambers, John D' amended to 'Chambers, John Dibbin' - as a result of researches made by Alan McGowan at the Chess Scotland website.
19 April 2018	Added full score of Michell-Yates (Rd 5), contributed by Alan Smith, for which many thanks.
26 April 2018	Amended the name 'Edmund E Macdonald' to 'Edmund Macdonald'. See note here.
16 May 2018	Added one game – Billings-Krasser (First-Class). Thanks to Gerard Killoran.
12 May 2020	Brian Denman has identified an error in the score of the game Yates-McKee, round 11. It has now been corrected, with the full score of the game now appearing. Also, a game has been added from the Third Class tournament - Dr CF Knight vs Miss Wilkins. Thanks to Brian Denman.
17 April 2021	Full crosstables added.
16 April 2023	Added one game: J.Crum 0-1 J.MacDonald (First-Class, rd 8). Many thanks to Gerard Killoran who supplied the game via the English Chess Forum.
8 February 2024	Added the game H.Pinkerton 1-0 F.P.Wenman (Major Open, rd 3). Thanks to Gerard Killoran who contributed it via the English Chess Forum.