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	7½
3	Mir Sultan Khan	India	1	½	&;	0	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	7½
4	Edmund Spencer	Liverpool	½	½	1	&;	0	1	½	1	1	½	½	0	6½
5	Sir George Alan Thomas	London	½	½	1	1	&;	½	0	0	½	½	1	1	6½
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	4½
10	Theodore Henry Tylor	Oxford	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	&;	½	1	4½
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	9½
2	Mrs Amy Eleanor Wheelwright (née Benskin)	Watford	½	&;	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9½
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	6½
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	4½
8	Miss Agnes Margaret Crum	Edinburgh	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	&;	½	0	1	1	4½
9	Miss Mary Louisa Harrison	Eastbourne	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	4½
10	Mrs Mary Mills Houlding (née Palmer)	Newport, Monm.	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	&;	½	1	4½
11	Mrs Jeanie Brockett	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1	2½
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	6½
5	Eugene Znosko-Borovsky	Paris	0	½	0	1	&;	0	½	1	1	1	½	1	6½
6	Harry Golombek	London	0	0	½	½	1	&;	½	1	½	½	0	1	5½
7	Harold Talbot Reeve	Osterley	0	0	0	0	½	½	&;	1	1	1	1	½	5½
8	Herbert Jacobs	London	½	1	1	0	0	0	0	&;	1	0	0	1	4½
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	3½
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	8½
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	7½
4	Alfred Joseph Butcher	Wolverhampton	½	½	½	&;	0	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	7½
5	Arthur Reynolds	Solihull	0	½	½	1	&;	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	7½
6	Harold Israel	London	½	0	½	½	½	&;	1	1	½	½	½	1	6½
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	4½
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	9½
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	8½
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	5½
6	Rev. J E Riley	Manchester	0	1	½	0	0	&;	1	0	0	1	1	1	5½
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	4½
10	Arthur T Watson	Brighton	0	0	0	1	1	0	½	½	0	&;	½	1	4½
11	F G Hale	Worcester	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	½	&;	½	2½
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	7½
3	E A Jones	Flint	0	1	&;	½	1	1	½	1	1	0	0	½	6½
4	William Lewis Roche	Worcester	0	0	½	&;	½	0	1	1	½	1	1	1	6½
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	5½
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	3½
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	&;	2½

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	9½
2	John Keeble	Norwich	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1d	8½
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	6½
6	Rev. Howard Cecil James	Coventry	0	0	1	0	0	&;	1	0	1	½	1	1d	5½
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	4½
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	3½
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	8½
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	6½
6	Charles Henry Taylor	London	0	1	1	½	0	&;	½	1	0	1	½	1d	6½
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	4½
10	B Ellis	Worcester Blind	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	1	&;	0	1d	3½
11	G J J Miller	Preston	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	&;	1d	2½
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	7½
2	Henry St John Brooks	London	0	&;	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	6½
3	J A Harris	Bournemouth	0	½	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	6½
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	3½
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	1½
10	L J Warren	Kidderminster	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	½	&;	1½

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	7½
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	5½
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."

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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."

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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).