1922/23 Hastings Premier, 27 December - 4 January, Hastings Town Hall

1922/23 Hastings Premier		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Akiba Rubinstein	&;	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	0	1	6½
2	Richard Réti	0	&;	1	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	6
3	Bruno Siegheim	½	0	&;	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	6
4	Adrián García Conde	0	1	0	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	5
5	George Marshall Norman	0	0	1	1	&;	1	½	½	½	½	5
6	Fred Dewhirst Yates	½	0	½	1	0	&;	0	½	1	1	4½
7	Joseph Henry Blake	0	½	0	0	½	1	&;	½	½	½	3½
8	Edward Guthlac Sergeant	½	½	0	0	½	½	½	&;	½	½	3½
9	John Arthur James Drewitt	1	0	0	0	½	0	½	½	&;	½	3
10	Philip Walsingham Sergeant	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	&;	2

HASTINGS CHRISTMAS CHESS CONGRESS [BCM, February 1923, p33]

"The chess community of Hastings brought off, between December 27th 1922, and January 4th, 1923, another of the congresses for which they are famous, and the thanks of the chess world are due to them—and especially to Mr. E. J. Ackroyd, chief organiser, and his assistants on the committee, Messrs. Dobell, Bishop, Kirkpatrick and Lewcock for their enterprise, energy and devotion to the interests of the game. We believe that we are right in saying that the Congress cost about £141, including the prize-fund of £101; and against this there were receipts in the way of gate-money and profit on refreshments.

After a brief speech of welcome by Mr. H. E. Dobell, president of the Hastings Chess Club, proceedings started on the evening of December 27th. Of the expected competitors in the Premier Tournament, G. Maroczy (Hungary) had not arrived, owing to passport difficulties. To obviate a bye, the Committee invited P. W. Sergeant to play; and, although he had only come to the Congress in a journalistic capacity, he accepted the invitation."

Note - two rounds were played on 30 December, with no play on 31 December.

1922/23 Hastings Major

1922/23 Hastings Major		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Louis Savage	London	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	8
2	Maurice Fox	London	½	&;	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	7½
3	Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas	Liverpool	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	6½
4	Richard Edward Lean		0	0	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	5
5	Percival John Lawrence		0	0	0	1	&;	1	1	½	½	½	4½
6	John James O'Hanlon		0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	0	3
7	George Frederick Harold Packer		0	1	0	0	0	0	&;	½	½	1	3
8	William John Berryman		½	0	0	0	½	0	½	&;	½	½	2½
9	John MacAlister		0	0	0	0	½	0	½	½	&;	1	2½
10	James Arthur Watt		0	0	½	0	½	1	0	½	0	&;	2½

[BCM, February 1923, p42] "In the Major Tournament, Fox (who had come in to fill the vacancy filled by Drewitt’s promotion to the Premier when A. J. Mackenzie withdrew after the entries had been originally sorted) went off with a very strong lead, winning his first six rounds. Savage, having drawn with Berryman in the first round, chased Fox hard, but when they met and drew in the seventh round, was still half a point behind him. However, in the next round, Fox succumbed to Packer, and Savage went ahead; and next day he made sure of the first prize by winning his last game; Fox was second by half a point; and young [A. R. B.] Thomas, who only lost to the two leaders and drew with Watt, was a good third. Lean, the Sussex champion, started well, but finished disappointingly with three successive losses.

In the First Class, Section A, H. J. Stephenson at the last moment took the place of J. H. Morrison, who failed to turn up. He drew the first round with Mrs. Stevenson, but then won seven games in succession, only to lose to Victor Rush in the final round. As Rush had previously drawn with Hore and Lees and won all his other games, he took first prize while Stephenson was second and Lees third. Scores: (1) Victor Rush (London) 8/9; (2) Harold John Francis Stephenson (Hastings) 7½; (3) Stephen Poulson Lees (Essex) 6; (4-5) Sydney Gerard Howell-Smith, A Puckridge 4½; (6) Mrs. Agnes Bradley Stevenson 4; (7-8) Alfred Dudley Barlow, Capt. Arthur Edward Dickinson 3; (9) Henry Wickham W Hore 2½; (10) Prof. Robert William Genese 2.

First Class, Section B: Mrs. Holloway and A. S. Allen had a good race for first place and finished level, the lady beating Allen in their individual game, but losing to Major Montague Jones and Watson, while Allen drew with King and Mrs. Sollas. King took third prize. Scores: (1-2) Mrs. Edith Martha Holloway (Bromley), A S Allen (London) 7/9; (3) Wallace Henry King 6; (4) Henry Edmund Tudor 5½; (5-6) Hon. Frederick Gustavus Hamilton-Russell, Major Edgar Montague-Jones 5; (7) Edward Victor Strugnell 4; (8-9) Mrs. Amabel Nevill Gwyn Sollas, W G Watson 2; (10) Sydney Meymott (who retired ill after six rounds) 1½.

The prizes in the Second Class were won by (1) Samuel Frederick Dalladay (Hastings) 7; (2) John William G Danahay (Hastings) 6½; (3) Miss Minnie Musgrave (Hastings) 5½. [Other participants: WE Leffler, R Owen, Emily Eliza Abraham, T Moody, Rev. G T Turnbull, Monteith Dunn, Miss Beddall] Those in the Third Class Section A, were won by (1) Ronald Walter Dodds (a very small lad of 14 - Gresham's School, Holt, Norfolk) 8; (2) William Ernest Francis Court, 7; (3-4) William Gordon Perrin, Lawrence Alfred J Glyde 6½. [Other participants: A Kelvin, Rev. W J Watson, Colonel Hancock, Miss Thomas, R H Swatland, Miss French Lucas, G Shoosmith, Alfred Mortlock, aged 12 - though two of these may have dropped out - JS]. In Third Class Section B (1) R H Brown, 8; (2-3) Alfred George Coote, Alfred Herman Reeve 6½. [Other participants: Miss Watson, Captain MacMullen, Mrs Ayris, Mrs Howes, N Lambert, W Harvey, John E Coleman - data in square brackets from the Manchester Guardian, 28 December 1922]

In a Lightning Tournament of forty players on December 29th, the four prizes were won as follows : (1) G. M. Norman; (2) F. D. Yates; (3) A. Rubinstein; (4) R. E. Lean. In a "Quick" Tournament on January 2nd, R. E. Lean took first prize and Miss Abrahams [Emily Eliza Abraham?] second.

The prize-distribution took place punctually at 6 p.m. on January 4th, the Rt. Worshipful Mayor, Alderman R. W. Mitchell, presiding, and Mrs. Mitchell giving away the prizes. Votes of thanks were passed by acclamation to the ladies’ committee in charge of the commissariat, the Press, the Hastings Chess Club and its organising committee, and to the Mayor for presiding.

Immediately after the conclusion of this ceremony, Rubinstein gave an exhibition of simultaneous play against twenty-eight opponents, and Réti one of simultaneous blindfold play against six selected opponents. Rubinstein, in just over two and a half hours won 26 games, and drew with J. Keeble and J. W. Danahay. Réti lost his first game through a blunder, M. Fox being the winner. He then drew with A. R. B. Thomas; but he finished up with 4 wins, against Mrs. Michell, R[onald]. W[alter]. Dodds, the Hon. Hamilton Russell and G. E. Taylor."

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File Updated

Date	Notes
Previously	The basic data (29 games from a possible 45) has been available here and elsewhere for some years.
19 August 2020	Added dates, crosstables, results and seven games from the Major section.
15 October 2020	Some minor cosmetic changes, plus a couple of links to biographical details found elsewhere.
2 February 2022	Added two games and one part-game from the Major section, plus two games from Réti's blindfold simul of 4 January 1923. Also, some source references added to scores and the Major games now have round numbers and dates.
3 February 2023	Some minor score errors have been corrected. The relevant games are Drewitt-Réti (rd 3), Rubinstein-García Conde (rd 5), García Conde-Blake 9rd 6), and Norman-García Conde (rd 9). Many thanks to Andy Ansel.
7 February 2023	Added the name of a player who Réti played in a blindfold simul. The name was given as 'G E Taylor' by BCM (February 1923, p43) but Brian Denman corroborates the name of 'E G Taylor' given by the Cheltenham Chronicle: Edmund George Taylor (1879-1964) was a regular member of Hastings CC for many years. Many thanks to Brian.
9 September 2023	Added one game, kindly contributed by Gerard Killoran, for which many thanks: S.Meymott 0-1 E.Holloway (First Class B)