1914 British Chess Championship, Chester Town Hall, 10-21 August • 1913« »1919

1914 British Chess Championship		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Fred Dewhirst Yates	4	Birstall, Leeds	&;	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1d	9½
2	Joseph Henry Blackburne	9	London	½	&;	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1d	9½
3	Isidor Gunsberg	2	London	0	½	&;	1	½	1	½	0	1	1	1	1d	7½
4	Allan William Edward Louis	11	London	0	0	0	&;	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1d	7
5	Dr. Jacob Schumer	1	London	0	0	½	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1d	6½
6	Roland Henry Vaughan Scott	6	London	1	½	0	0	1	&;	½	0	1	1	½	1d	6½
7	William Samuel Viner	7	Australia	0	0	½	½	0	½	&;	1	½	1	1	1d	6
8	Richard Edward Lean	5	Brighton	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	&;	0	½	1	1d	4½
9	William Henry John Sparkes	8	Sheffield	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	&;	½	½	1d	4
10	John Ellis Parry	10	Bangor, Wales	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	&;	1	1d	3
11	George Wilkes	3	London	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	&;	1d	2
12	Default (Carrick Wardhaugh)	12	Glasgow	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	&;	0

¹ The tie was resolved Yates' favour as Blackburne could not play off. The original line-up listed in the Times, 21 July 1914, included H Jacobs (London), AJ Mackenzie (Birmingham), J Mahood (London), RP Michell (London) and OC Muller (London) who were replaced by Louis, Schumer, Sparkes, Wilkes and Wardhaugh (the latter subsequently withdrew).

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1914 British Ladies' Chess Championship • 1913« »1919

1914 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	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10
2	Mrs Agnes Bradley Stevenson (née Lawson)	5	Dartford	0	&;	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	8½
3	Mrs Annie Sophia Roe (née Verdon)	11	London	1	0	&;	0	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	8
4	Mrs Edith Martha Holloway (née Crittenden)	9	Dartford	0	1	1	&;	0	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	7½
5	Miss Agnes Margaret Crum	7	Inveresk	0	0	½	1	&;	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	7½
6	Mrs Rosa Annie Banting (née Vines)	8	London	0	½	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	0	1	1	6
7	Mrs Hannah Maria Joughin (née Blogg)	4	London	0	0	½	1	0	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	5½
8	Miss Georgiana Watson	1	Hastings	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	4½
9	Miss Alice Elizabeth Hooke	10	Cobham	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	1	1	1	4
10	Mrs Selina Charity Kershaw (née Davie)	3	London	0	0	0	0	½	1	0	0	0	&;	1	1	3½
11	Mrs Bessie Wheeler (née Jeffery?)	12	Beverley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1
12	Mrs [Mary Ann?] McDouall (née White?)	6	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

The original line-up listed in the Times, 21 July, included Miss Abraham (Herne Bay), Miss Campbell (Cambridge), Miss Cotton (London), Mrs Michell (London), Miss Price (London), Miss Ruchon (Hastings) and Miss Hutchison-Stirling (Edinburgh) and these were replaced by Miss Crum, Mrs Banting, Mrs Joughin, Miss Watson, Mrs Kershaw, Mrs Wheeler and Mrs McDouall.

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1914 BCF Major Open

1914 BCF Major Open		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Georg Schories	7	Bradford	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	10½
2	George Barron	11	Hull	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
3	William Henry Watts	6	London	0	1	&;	1	1	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	8½
4	John MacAlister	12	London	0	0	0	&;	1	0	1	1	½	1	1	½	6
5	Ronald George Dixon Addey §	3	Castlebar	0	0	0	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	6
6	Edward Davidson Palmer	2	London	0	0	0	1	1	&;	0	½	1	0	1	1	5½
7	Arthur John Spencer	10	Cheam, London	0	0	1	0	0	1	&;	0	0	1	0	1	4
8	Harry Bogdanor	5	London	½	0	0	0	0	½	1	&;	0	½	½	1	4
9	Bertram Goulding Brown	8	Cambridge	0	0	½	½	0	0	1	1	&;	½	0	0	3½
10	Frank Brown	4	Dudley	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	½	½	&;	1	½	3½
11	John James O'Hanlon	1	Portadown	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	1	0	&;	½	3
12	Samuel Walter Billings	9	Cheltenham	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	1	½	½	&;	2½

The original line-up listed in the Times, 21 July, included GJ Birks (West Hartlepool), CH Lorch (Stone), A Louis (London; promoted to Championship), F Raoux (Brighton), Dr J Schumer (London; promoted to Championship), C Wardhough (Glasgow; promoted to Championship but then withdrew), G Wilkes (London, promoted to Championship), who were replaced by Watts, MacAlister, Dixon Addey, Palmer, Spencer, Bogdanor and Goulding Brown.
§ some biographical information about Ronald George Dixon Addey (1882-1956)

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OTHER SECTIONS

First Class: 1 Albert Waterhouse (Manchester) 7½; 2-3 Rufus Henry Streatfeild Stevenson (Dartford), George Wyville Moses (Sheffield) 7; other players (scores not known): Major Francis Hooper Rawlins (Oxford); Sydney Gerard Howell-Smith (Hythe); Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland (Bridgwater/Brington); Richard Francis Lingen Burton (Shrewsbury); John Dibbin Chambers (Cardiff); Ferdinand Uniacke Beamish (Clifton); George Marshall Norman (Bury); Alfred Henry Owen (Birmingham) - 12 players.

Second-Class (Major): 1 John William Broadbent (Nottingham) 10; 2 William Owen Cecil Stuchbery (Maidenhead) 7; 3 Henry George Bockett-Pugh (Clifton, Bristol) 6½; other players (scores not known): James Fish (Blackburn); Patrick Humphrey Sullivan (Dartford); Prof. Robert William Genese (Aberystwyth); Rev. William Ernest Evill (Biddenden); Prof. John Cox (London); Frederick John Hingley (Nottingham); Rev. William Thomas Mackenzie Hooppell (Stoke); Frederick William Forrest (Shrewsbury) - 11 players.

Second-Class (Minor): 1 W Webster (Manchester) 10/10; 2 J U/W James (Wigan) 9½; 3 William Marcus Brown (Liverpool) 7½; other players (scores not known): George Henry Wheeler (Beverley); Hugo Schumer (London, aged 14, pupil of St Olave's School); Edward Victor Strugnell (London); Frank Round Pickering (London); Samuel John Holloway; Arthur Hindell (Stoke); Miss Cooke (Tunbridge Wells); Jones [David Jones of Blaina? May have defaulted]; A Rhead (New Ferry; may have defaulted) - 12 players.

First Handicap: 1 James Fish; 2 Edward Burbery Gittins; 3 John Dibbin Chambers.

Second Handicap: 1 John Ellis Parry; 2 J James; 3 James Fish.

1st Lightning Tournament (36 players): 1 Georg Schories; 2 Isidor Gunsberg; 3-4 John Ellis Parry, Richard Edward Lean.

2nd Lightning Tournament: 1 Bertram Goulding Brown

Problem-Solving: 1 John Keeble; 2 Joshua Walter Dixon.

Retractor Solving: 1 Joshua Walter Dixon; 2 Albert Waterhouse; 3 George Marshall Norman.

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BRITISH CHESS FEDERATION CONGRESS [BCM, September 1914, p325ff]

The Annual Congress of the British Chess Federation took place in the Town Hall, Chester, from August 10th to 22nd, but the withdrawal of nearly fifty competitors, owing to the outbreak of the war, reduced the original entry of 112 to quite the smallest of the eleven congresses which have been held.

The programme was opened in the Council Chamber by the Deputy Mayor of Chester (Mr. H. B. Dutton) who gave the assembled players and members of the Federation a hearty civic welcome, which the Northern Counties Union president (Mr. J. Burgess, Manchester) acknowledged.

In the contest for the British championship the original entry was altered considerably owing to the withdrawal of Messrs. J. Mahood, R. P. Michell, O. C. Muller, A. J. Mackenzie, and Herbert Jacobs, whose places were filled by Messrs. Louis, Schumer, Sparkes, Wilkes, and Wardhough, but as the last named did not compete the contest was reduced to one of ten rounds.

From the early stages to the finish the contest resolved into a race for chief honours between the veteran master, Mr. J. H. Blackburne, now in his 72nd year, and Mr. F. D. Yates, holder of the title. At the close of the seventh round Yates was leading by half a point, having won all his games, whereas Blackburne had drawn against Scott. In the next round Scott defeated Yates in an excellently played ending, while Blackburne defeated Schumer and secured the lead. In the penultimate round Blackburne drew with Gunsberg, and Yates defeated Viner, thus making the title depend upon the result of the personal encounter between Blackburne and Yates. The game provided some excitement, with interesting complications. Yates sacrificed a Pawn for what promised to give a strong attack. Blackburne, however, had plenty of resource, and Yates had some difficulty in equalising the positions and securing the draw. A match to decide the tie will be contested at some later date to be approved by the Federation executive. The full score of the contest, with the omission of Mr. Wardhaugh's name, is appended. The official record shows that all games were scored against Mr. Wardhaugh by default.

British Ladies' Championship. —Miss Price and Mrs. Michell were the chief withdrawals. Of the ladies who took part Mrs. Houlding and Mrs. R. H. S. Stevenson were regarded as the probable winners of the chief prizes, and they finished first and second respectively. The full scores were :—Mrs. Houlding, 10; Mrs. Stevenson, 8½; Mrs. Roe, 8; Miss Crum and Mrs. Holloway, 7½; Mrs. Banting, 6; Mrs. Joughin, 5½; Miss Watson, 4½; Miss Hooke, 4 ; Mrs. Kershaw, 3½; Mrs. Wheeler, 1; Mrs. McDouall, 0.

The Major Open Tournament proved an easy task for Mr. G. Shories (Bradford), who scored 10½ points. The second prize was taken by Mr. G. Barron (Hull), 9; third, Mr. W. H. Watts (London), 8½. The remaining scores were Messrs. Dixon, Addey [sic] and Macalister, 6; Palmer, 5½; Bogdanor and Spencer, 4; Frank Brown and Goulding-Brown, 3½; O'Hanlon, 3 ; and S. W. Billings, 2½.

In the First-Class Tournament Mr. A. Waterhouse (Manchester) won first prize. Mr. R. H. S. Stevenson (Dartford) and G. W. Moses (Sheffield) divided second and third prizes with equal scores.

The first prize in the Second-Class Tournament was won by Mr. J. W. Broadbent (Nottingham), late of Sheffield.

Two Lightning Tourneys were played. Mr. G. Shories won the first and Mr. B. G. [sic] Goulding-Brown the second.

The first prize in the Problem Solving Competition was won by Mr. J. Keeble (Norwich). Second, Mr. A. Waterhouse.

The Retractor Solving Contest resulted as follows: 1st, Mr. J. W. Dixon (Hanley); 2nd, Mr. A. Waterhouse (Manchester) ; 3rd Mr. G. M. Norman (Bury).

The farewell meeting took place on Saturday, August 22nd, when the prizes were presented by Mr. J. Burgess.

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Further background on the 1914 British Championship, from A Century of Chess (1934), by Philip Walsingham Sergeant:

"The month of August arrived, the B.C.F. Congress being fixed for the period between the 10th and 22nd, and Chester being the chosen spot. The crash of the world came first; and, though it was decided to carry out the programme as far as possible, out of a hundred and twelve entries for the various events nearly fifty were scratched. In the British Championship there were five withdrawals, including that of Mahood, who was second in 1913. The vacancies were filled up; but one of the substitutes did not play, so that there were only ten games (note by JS - I think he means ten rounds, so that the player listed above as scoring 0/11 may not have played). Yates and Blackburne tied for first place, with 8½ [sic] points each. Gunsberg took third prize, with 7½; A. Louis, of the Metropolitan C.C., fourth, with 7; and Dr. J. Schumer and R. H. V. Scott divided the two remaining prizes, with 6½ each. The Ladies’ Championship was won by Mrs. Houlding. In the Major Open Tournament G. Shories— a German, very shortly to be interned as a civilian prisoner-of-war!— won with 10½ points, G. Barron, of Yorkshire, being second [with 9 - JS]. (Later in BCM, p375: "Mr. G. Shories, who won the major open tournament at Chester, is interned at the concentration camp at Frimley.")

"The tie between Yates and Blackburne was never played off, as Blackburne resigned, not being in sufficiently good health for a match later. Thus Yates was a second time champion.

"There is little more to be recorded for 1914, for chess nearly came to a stop. The English County Championship for the year was completed on January 16th, 1915, when Middlesex beat Lancashire in the final round at Birmingham by 8-4. In this winter the City of London and London League tournaments were carried out with diminished entries. The late champion of the City of London, Edward Lasker, it may be noted, was able, through the influence of friends, to leave England for New York, as his German nationality was atoned for by an American mother, agreeable manners, and a considerable period of residence in England. He was luckier than some of his chessplaying compatriots here ; and also than some players of “ alien enemy ” origin who, though long naturalised British subjects, received harsh treatment, socially at least, for the error of their birth. Happily not all British chessplayers were so minded in their conduct towards them.(see PWS's footnote below)

"Death claimed a prominent amateur player as victim in the autumn of this year, the Rev. W. C. Palmer succumbing to typhoid fever in Trinidad on September 1st, aged only forty-one. With him passed almost the last of chess’s “ fighting parsons.”"

(Footnote, by PWS) I may perhaps be permitted to recall, without too much claim to negative virtue, the memorable general meeting of the City of London Chess Club when it was decided, by an overwhelming vote, to expel all members of alien enemy birth, and I ventured to protest in the case of two honourable and hitherto honoured members—thereby incurring, for some time, the deadly reproach of being “pro-German”!

Another example of war fever during the 1914 Chester Congress: "Mr Beamish, whilst studying a position on a pocket chessboard in the park, was arrested as a suspect, but was soon released by an inspector who played chess." (Lincolnshire Echo, 13 August 1914)

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Chester Chronicle, Saturday 29 August 1914:
First Class Tournament.—1, S.[probably 'A'] Waterhouse, 7½; 2= R. H. G[more likely 'S']. Stevenson and G. W. Moses, 7.
Second Class Tournament (Major).—1 J. W. Broadbent, 10; 2, O. Stuchberry, 7; 3, H. J. Bockett-Pugh, 6½.
Second Class Tournament (Minor).—1 M. Webster 10; 2. J. W. James, 9½; 3, W. M. Brown, 7½.
First Handicap.—1, J. Fish; 2, E. B. Gittins; 3, J. O. Chambers. Second handicap.—1, J. E. Parry; 2, J. James; 3, J. Fish.
(I think there could be several typos here - JS)

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Manchester Guardian, 21 July 1914:

"The details of the Chester Congress were finally arranged. There will be a reception of Congress competitors and visitors by the Corporation at 3 p.m. on Monday, August 10, and play will begin on the same day. There are 112 entries, arranged in nine sections. The players in the principal sections are as under:—

British Championship: J. H. Blackburne, I. Gunsberg, H. Jacobs, R. E. Lean, A. J. Mackenzie, J. Mahood, R. P. Michell, O. C. Muller, J. E. Parry, R. H. V. Scott, W. S. Viner, and F. D. Yates.

British Ladies’ Championship: Miss Abraham, Herne Bay; Miss Campbell, Cambridge: Miss Cotton, London; Mrs. Holloway, Dartford; Miss Hooke, Cobham; Mrs. Houlding, Newport; Mrs. Michell, London; Miss Price, London; Mrs. Roe, London; Miss Ruchon Hastings; Mrs. Stevenson, Dartford; and Miss Hutchison-Stirling, Edinburgh.

Major Open: G. Barron, Hull; S. W. Billings, Cheltenham; G. J. Birks, West Hartlepool; Frank Brown, Dudley; C. H. Lorch, Stone; A. Louis, London; J. J. O’Hanlon, Portadown; F. Ruoux, [sic] Brighton; Dr. J. Schumer, London; G. Shories, Bradford; C. Wardhaugh, Glasgow: and G. Wilkes, London.

There are 24 players in the first-class, 24 in the second-class, and 28 in the third-class."

(n.b. There were no reports posted in the Manchester Guardian during the tournament, nor in the Times)

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File updated

Date	Notes
8 February 2018	Source of the game Schories-O'Hanlon (Round 6, Major Open) now given as Dunedin Evening Star, 17 April 1915. Thanks to Alan Smith.
21 April 2021	Added two games: (1) A.Spencer 1-0 F.Brown (Major Open, Rd 1); (2) J.O'Hanlon 1-0 A.Spencer (Major Open, Rd 9). Updated crosstables and results, added BCM report.
12 November 2021	Subsidiary games now up to 45 with the addition of two games from the Second Class Major: (1) Cox 0-1 Stuchbery; (2) Stuchbery 1-0 Genese. Contributed by Gerard Killoran, for which many thanks.
17 December 2021	Five more games added. Three from the Major Open: (1) Addey 1-0 O'Hanlon (rd 2); (2) Palmer 1-0 Addey (rd 3); (3) Addey 0-1 Watts (rd 7). And two from the First-Class: (4) Norman 0-1 Beamish; (5) Stevenson 1-0 Beamish. My thanks to Gerard Killoran who collected them from the Cork Weekly News.
30 April 2022	Added one Championship game: G.Wilkes 0-1 J.Schumer (rd 2). My thanks to 'Tabanus' who found the game and posted it on chessgames.com.
1 June 2022	Added one game played in one of the handicap events: J.Parry 1-0 R.Lean. Thanks to Brian Denman for the game and also for his help in determining the round number and date of nine games from the First Class, Second Class (Major) and Second Class (Minor) competitions.