1934/35 (15th) Hastings Premier, 27 December - 5 January, White Rock Pavilion

1934/35 Hastings Premier		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Sir George Alan Thomas	London	&;	0	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	6½
2	Max Euwe	Amsterdam	1	&;	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	½	6½
3	Salo Flohr	Prague	½	½	&;	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	6½
4	José Raúl Capablanca	Cuba	0	½	½	&;	½	0	1	1	1	1	5½
5	Mikhail Botvinnik	Moscow	0	0	½	½	&;	½	½	1	1	1	5
6	Andor Lilienthal	Hungary	0	½	½	1	½	&;	1	½	½	½	5
7	Reginald Pryce Michell	London	1	0	0	0	½	0	&;	½	1	1	4
8	Vera Menchik	London	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	&;	1	½	3
9	(Philip) Stuart Milner-Barry	London	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	&;	1	1½
10	George Marshall Norman	Hastings	0	½	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	&;	1½

photo from The Sphere, 5 January 1935, page 31

BCM, February 1935, ppn 49-62

HASTINGS CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL.

The fifteenth of the series of congresses held annually at the Christmas and New Year break was begun in the late afternoon of Thursday, December 27, at White Rock Pavilion. The meeting becomes more and more of an international character and that just closed was generally held to be quite the strongest, as regards the general quality of the players, of the series. Note was taken, too, of the increasing proportion of players with youth on their side.

A quarter of an hour was given before the games started to the usual pleasant ceremony of welcoming the players to Hastings. The Mayor, Alderman A. Blackman, expressed his pleasure in welcoming so large a number of expert players, and recalled that he had the satisfaction of opening the congress during his mayoralty eleven years before, when also Señor Capablanca was a welcome guest to Hastings. He especially welcomed the many foreign players, and noted that Cuba, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Latvia, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Holland and Belgium—a surprising list—-were all represented. The Mayor confessed to cards (he is an excellent contract player) but regretted his ignorance of the royal game. His recalling the old stories of Sir Walter Scott’s two, and somebody else’s seven, languages that could be learned in the time taken to master chess, makes one wonder again how many of the chess ignoramuses learned the two languages, let alone seven. Reference was made by the Mayor and Councillor Dobell (chairman) to the fine work annually performed by Messrs. A. F. Kidney (hon. secretary, Hastings and St. Leonards C.C.) and E. G. Lewcock (hon. treasurer) in organising these meetings. An immense amount of correspondence and other work is involved. A vote of thanks to the Mayor was moved by Senor Capablanca and seconded by R. H. S. Stevenson.

In the absence of Dr. Alekhine, who was believed to be due for a visit to a Melbourne Centenary tournament (though it appears he was making a North African tour) a visit to Europe by Señor Capablanca came in opportunely, and he was persuaded to give Hastings another visit. Flohr (already three times winner) and Lilienthal (equal second with Alekhine last time) were both available again, and a welcome renewal of old acquaintance was provided when Dr. Euwe found himself able to accept an invitation. And topical interest was added by the participation of Botvinnik, the leading representative of the recent amazing development of Soviet chess.

In the British section of the Premier contest were Sir George Thomas, who proved his superiority at the Chester Congress, with his "second-in-command," R. P. Michell. Milner-Barry was given opportunity to make good after his disappointment at the same event. Miss Menchik, whose chess is English, if not her nationality, made her annual appearance as a Hastings representative, as well as in her role of world’s woman champion. For the tenth place, G. M. Norman, another local expert, was offered the place vacated by the withdrawal of Mr. Fairhurst.

The play in the tournament is reviewed below from day to day, and the rise and fall of the players round by round in the two top sections can be followed in the daily tables.

The Mayoress (Mrs. Lancelot Blackman) attended the final meeting and gave out the prizes. Three couples were "locked up" to finish their games while the meeting was in progress, but got their games over in time to complete the prize list. Sir George Thomas had a rousing reception for his fine performance, the best by a British player in an international tournament since 1898, when Burn was first at Cologne. Dr. Euwe and Flohr were also well received, and the warm cheers for Señor Capablanca showed that he still held a prominent place in the affections of the chess public. Councillor Dobell was in the chair and was supported by the Deputy-Mayor, Councillor H. Burden and Alderman Shoesmith. The chairman noted that twenty women players figured among the contestants. Moving a vote of thanks to the Mayor and Corporation for their moral and material support of the annual tournament, R. P. Michell said that chessplayers’ debt to Hastings increased and no one bewailed the increase. F. H. Booth (Brighton), a former M.P., though having a rival’s care of his praise, could not help putting the Hastings Bowls and Chess Tournaments as the foremost of their kind in the country. Councillor Burden, acknowledging the vote, recognised to the full the popularity and publicity the Chess Congress brought to Hastings, and the Corporation certainly did not regret the day when it decided to assist the Hastings Club with its annual festival of chess.

Señor Capablanca and Dr. Euwe thanked the club officials, Messrs. Kidney and Lewcock in particular, for their excellent conduct of the proceedings, and the Dutch master, with the last round game between Thomas and Michell in mind, could not help referring to the characteristic British sportsmanship shown in the way Michell went all out to beat his old antagonist. Flohr had already expressed a wonder whether any other country could have furnished such an example. Alderman Shoesmith moved a vote of thanks to the Press, acknowledged by E. S. Tinsley (The Times). The competitors did not forget to reward the great services of Miss Lewcock, as Clerk of the Course.

A second notice of the Congress, devoted more particularly to the play in the sections below the Premier, will appear in March.

(BCM, March 1935, p105)

THE HASTINGS CHRISTMAS CONGRESS.(second notice).

The following is a further selection of the most attractive specimens of play, taken from the sections below the Premier. In deriving them the writer has played over a multitude of games, and only a little more of such experience would qualify him for a job in "Room 40" in the next world war. As it is, some of the "ciphers" (mostly illegibilities) have escaped him and possibly more than one gem of purest ray serene is deprived of the publicity it deserves.

Both Dr. Tarrasch and Señor Capablanca in the fine text-books they have recently launched on the chess world emphasize the need for the amateur to be filled full with mid-game positions, especially "type" positions, with a view to a thorough training of the imagination. It is this quality, more than any other, that makes the fine player. Such training makes the instant recognition of any opportunity that presents itself during the intricate ramifications of play almost automatic, saving valuable time and enabling concentration to be applied to the accurate working out of the moves in sequel. It is hoped that such articles as this and similar ones based on the extensive store of games furnished by a big congress will contribute something to this end.

[n.b. the game annotations which followed the above text not included in the download]

1934/35 Hastings Premier Reserves

1934/35 Hastings Premier Reserves		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	George Koltanowski	Antwerp	&;	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	6½
2	Theodore Henry Tylor	Oxford	½	&;	½	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	6½
3	Lodewijk Prins	Amsterdam	½	½	&;	1	0	1	½	1	½	1	6
4	Edward Mackenzie Jackson	Bexhill	1	0	0	&;	0	1	1	½	1	½	5
5	Ilmari Solin	Helsinki	0	1	1	1	&;	0	0	0	½	1	4½
6	(Alfred) Rupert Neale Cross	Oxford	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	½	½	1	4
7	Edward Guthlac Sergeant	London	0	½	½	0	1	0	&;	½	½	1	4
8	James Marston Craddock	Cambridge	0	0	0	½	1	½	½	&;	½	0	3
9	Charles Herbert Stacey	Brighton	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	&;	0	3
10	Simon Rubinstein	Vienna	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	1	&;	2½

1934/35 Hastings Major A, Section 1

1934/35 Hastings Major A1		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Dr. (Jakov) Adolf Seitz	Germany	&;	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	7
2	Francis George Tims-Collins	Oxford	½	&;	0	1	½	½	0	1	1	1	5½
3	Arthur Eva	Manchester	½	1	&;	1	1	0	½	½	0	½	5
4	Theodoor de Jong	Amsterdam	0	0	0	&;	1	1	½	½	1	1	5
5	Jurrien Cornelis Scheffer	Amsterdam	½	½	0	0	&;	1	1	0	1	1	5
6	Alfred Lenton	Leicester	0	½	1	0	0	&;	½	1	½	1	4½
7	William Ritson Morry	Birmingham	0	1	½	½	0	½	&;	½	0	1	4
8	Sonja Graf	Munich	0	0	½	½	1	0	½	&;	½	½	3½
9	Dr (Robert) Lloyd Storr-Best	London	0	0	1	0	0	½	1	½	&;	½	3½
10	George Arnold Shoobridge	Cheam	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	&;	2

1934/35 Hastings Major A, Section 2

1934/35 Hastings Major A2		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Frits van Seters	Brussels	&;	1	½	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	7
2	Francis Herbert Terrill	Birmingham	0	&;	0	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	6
3	Bruno Ullrich	Berlin	½	1	&;	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	6
4	Alexander Koblencs	Latvia	0	½	½	&;	0	1	1	1	½	1	5½
5	John James O'Hanlon	Dublin	½	0	½	1	&;	½	0	½	1	1	5
6	(Nicholas) Anthony Perkins	Oxford	0	0	½	0	½	&;	1	1	1	1	5
7	Emil Josef Diemer	Baden	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	1	1	1	4
8	(William) Arthur Winser	Hastings	½	½	½	0	½	0	0	&;	1	1	4
9	Leonard Illingworth	Royston	½	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	&;	1	2½
10	George Clifford Brown	Worcester	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

1934/35 Hastings Major B

1934/35 Hastings Major B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	James J Doyle	Dublin	&;	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	7½
2	Baruch H Wood	Birmingham	½	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7½
3	Alfred Dudley Barlow	London	½	0	&;	1	½	1	0	½	½	1	5
4	E A Morrison / M Hes	Netherlands	0	0	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	5
5	Raymond Owen Young	East Sheen	0	1	½	0	&;	½	1	½	1	½	5
6	George J Craddock1	Birmingham	0	0	0	1	½	&;	1	0	1	1	4½
7	Ernest Montgomery Jellie	London	0	0	1	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	3½
8	C Lewis	Bexhill	0	0	½	0	½	1	½	&;	0	1	3½
9	J H Wise	Croydon	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	1	&;	0	2
10	Harold John Francis Stephenson	Hastings	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	&;	1½

¹ George J Craddock was the father of James Marston Craddock who played in the Premier Reserves.

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1934/35 Hastings Major C

1934/35 Hastings Major C		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Ralph Lancelot Aldis	Birmingham	&;	1	1	1	0	1	½	½	1	1	7
2	Ronald Grubb Stansfield	Cambridge	0	&;	1	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	6½
3	L G Hoenselaar	Netherlands	0	0	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	6
4	George Frederick Ramsay	Hastings	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	5½
5	H Ward	Eastdean	1	½	0	½	&;	0	1	½	1	1	5½
6	Minnie Musgrave	St Leonards	0	½	1	0	1	&;	0	0	1	1	4½
7	Edith Mary Ann Michell	Kingston-upon-Thames	½	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	½	1	4
8	Charles William Roberts	Huddersfield	½	0	0	0	½	1	0	&;	1	0	3
9	Capt. Hugh Windsor Fiesch Heneage	Brighton	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	1	2
10	Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland	Hastings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	1

1934/35 Hastings First Class - Morning

1934/35 Hastings First Class - Morning		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total
1	G Fletcher	Nottingham	&;	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	5
2	Alfred Herman Reeve	Great Missenden	1	&;	0	1	½	1	0	1	4½
3	Charles Henry Taylor	Wells	½	1	&;	0	1	0	1	1	4½
4	Col. William Ernest McKechnie	Hastings	0	0	1	&;	1	1	0	1	4
5	B Talbot	Hastings	0	½	0	0	&;	1	1	1	3½
6	Muriel Ivy Scobell Mackereth (née Watson)	Buxton	½	0	1	0	0	&;	1	½	3
7	Leonard Stanley Hanson-Powter	Brede	0	1	0	1	0	0	&;	1	3
8	Elsie Margaret Reid (later Lenton)	Leicester	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	½

1934/35 Hastings First Class - Afternoon

1934/35 Hastings First Class - Afternoon		Residence	Draw No?	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Arthur Douglas Field	Croydon	3	&;	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	7½
2	Hon. Arthur James Beresford Lowther	Woodbridge	6	½	&;	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	7
3	W Barker	Wolverhampton	8	0	½	&;	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	6½
4	Josep Cabestany Olle	Spain	7	0	½	½	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	6½
5	W G Watson	Hastings	1	½	0	½	½	&;	1	1	1	1	1	6½
6	Julian Mayne Ilott	Bexhill	2	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	4
7	Herbert William Tidball	Birmingham	5	½	½	0	0	0	0	&;	0	1	1	3
8	Samuel Frederick Dalladay	Hastings	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	0	2
9	Mrs F C Ayris/Ayres	Rye	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1
10	Rev. C E Hughes1	Hastings	9	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	1

Draw numbers are tentative, based on a crosstable published in El Ajedrez Español, 2/1935, p163, not in score order and thus probably in draw order.
¹ "Rev. C E Hughes had to withdraw early on" (but not known precisely when)

1934/35 Hastings Second Class - Morning (Double-Round Tournament)

1934/35 Hastings Second Class - Morning		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6		1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	Dennis Bernard Mercer	East Sheen	&;	1	1	1	1	0		&;	0	1	½	1	½	7
2	Mrs Pauline Peckar	Hampstead	0	&;	1	1	1	1		1	&;	0	1	0	0	6
3	Mrs M Healey	Hastings	0	0	&;	0	½	1		0	1	&;	1	1	0	4½
4	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	Ramsgate	0	0	1	&;	0	1		½	0	0	&;	1	1	4½
5	Mrs Helen Muriel Cobbold	Hampstead	0	0	½	1	&;	1		0	1	0	0	&;	½	4
6	J Francis	St Leonards	1	0	0	0	0	&;		½	1	1	0	½	&;	4

1934/35 Hastings Second Class - Afternoon

1934/35 Hastings Second Class - Afternoon		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	F H Booth	Brighton	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	8
2	W C Lamsweerde	Netherlands	1	&;	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7
3	Frank Miles Argrave	Whitstable	0	1	&;	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	6
4	George Henry Wheeler	Hastings	0	0	1	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	6
5	T Moody	Hastings	0	1	0	1	&;	0	1	½	1	1	5½
6	Arthur Albert Rider	Hastings	0	0	1	0	1	&;	0	1	1	1	5
7	John E Coleman	Grays	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	½	1	1	3½
8	Thomas Gasson	Rye	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	&;	1	1	3
9	Mrs C M Lillie	Hastings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1
10	Audrey Bourne Poupard	Essex	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

1934/35 Hastings Third Class - Morning

1934/35 Hastings Third Class - Morning		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Philip J Homan	West Malling	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
2	Geoffrey George Homan	Rochester	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
3	Mrs Melita Ida Elizabeth Seyd1	Oxted	0	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	6
4	E Swanson	Hastings	0	1	1	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	6
5	W F Freeman	Hastings	0	0	0	1	&;	½	1	1	1	½	5
6	Mrs Anne Muriel Shannon Shannon (née Kerr)	Hurlingham	0	0	0	1	½	&;	½	1	0	1	4
7	J Tracey	Hastings	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1	½	1	3
8	F Gorringe	Hastings	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	2
9	E F Glazier		0	0	0	0	0	1	½	0	&;	0	1½
10	H Stacey	Hastings	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	&;	1½

¹ Listed as "Mrs R Seyd" – I'm now sure this is Melita Ida Elizabeth Seyd (née Krohn, 1874-1959), married to Richard Ernest Nathaniel Joseph Seyd 1871-1952 - - she was Hon.Sec. of the Women's Suffrage Society in 1911. They lived in Oxted in the 1910s, Kensington in the 1930s and in Bexhill after the war - Mrs R Seyd became a regular player at Hastings CC.

1934/35 Hastings Third Class - Afternoon

1934/35 Hastings Third Class - Afternoon		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
1	P Foster	Hastings	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
2	Mrs C Lewis	Bexhill	1	&;	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	6½
3	Miss I M Shaw	St Leonards	0	1	&;	1	0	1	1	½	1	5½
4	Frederick William Binge	Hastings	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	5
5	Miss Edith Maud Eleanor John Goodacre	Cheltenham	0	0	1	0	&;	1	1	1	0	4
6	Dr. C Dukes	London	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	3
7	Mrs F Simpson	Brighton	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	2
8	J T Hardy	Hastings	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	&;	1	2
9	Miss Mabel Annie Lankey	Hastings	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	&;	1

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Manchester Guardian, 16 February 1935, p6

Letter to the Editor

CHESS IN ENGLAND

Impressions of the Soviet Champion

To the Editor of the Manchester Guardian.

Sir.—Now that I have returned to Russia after my first visit to England, and before I take part in the important Moscow chess tournament which is just about to begin, I should like to let you know my impressions of the Hastings Congress.

I went to Hastings because it was important for me to play in an international chess tournament in a foreign country, but it also gave me much pleasure to get to know such a highly cultured country as England. Secretly I even hoped in my spare time to see something of English achievements in the field of electro-technique, for, being an engineer, I devote more attention to that subject than to chess. Alas, I was only able to catch glimpses of electric transmission lines and other structures relating to my speciality through the window of my railway carriage.

London impressed me by its vastness, its exemplary orderliness, and the beauty of its historic buildings. I spent many hours in the British Museum: I admired the fine architecture of Westminster Abbey and fed the pigeons by St. Paul’s. Unfortunately, the need to return to Russia prevented my visiting the London chess clubs. The only chess players I met were the two ex-world champions, Emanuel Lasker and Capablanca, with whom I had to make arrangements for their visit to the Soviet Union to take part in the Moscow tournament.

I arrived in Hastings on the opening day of the tournament. There was a rough sea; it rained, and the wind tore our hats from our heads. I went straight from my hotel to the tournament, where I learned that I was booked to play in the first round with that pastmaster Flohr, against whom I played a match of twelve games last year in Leningrad and Moscow. Thus my first international tournament began.

The organisation of the tournament was splendid. It proceeded without any misunderstandings, and would have been a very pleasant one for me had I played better. Unfortunately, I made a number of serious mistakes which cost me several important points. I feel I must mention the splendid game of Sir George Thomas who played against me, and the wonderfully solid strategy of Mr. Michell, as well as the clever parrying of Mr. Milner-Barry. They all showed themselves to be exceptionally fine players, and I was very sorry that Sir George Thomas declined my invitation to take part in the tournament at Moscow.

The Hastings Congress differed in many ways from our tournaments. With us the players at tournaments are mostly between the ages of seventeen and thirty; women play in special women’s tournaments; with you all play together, and the average age of the players is probably in the neighbourhood of forty to forty-five, while cases of players of seventy are frequent. I was the more surprised because in our country we should hardly find a chess player as old, say, as Mr. Michell who would be his equal in strength. Furthermore, I was impressed by the amazing coolness and restraint of your players. We Russians, and myself in particular, expend much nervous energy in our play, which, naturally, often tells against us. We have to learn sportsmanlike restraint from Englishmen and their ability to control their nerves in the most difficult moments of a game.

It was pleasant to play at Hastings, particularly because of the absence of a large public, who, at our tournaments, in spite of the carpets and the precautions taken, make much noise and often interfere with one’s complete concentration. I left Hastings carrying the best of impressions away with me. The splendidly enthusiastic organisers, the exemplary arrangements of the whole tournament, the agreeable atmosphere have left me with the best of recollections of this my first but, I hope, not my last visit to England.—Yours, &c.,

M. Botwinnik.
Leningrad, February 6 [1935]

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File Updated

Date	Notes
2016	First uploaded as a separate file (previous part of a 1930s zipped file)
19 December 2022	Full crosstables added. More to come soon...
31 December 2022	Now featuring 32 games from subsidiary sections (mainly part-games).
31 December 2022	The number of subsidiary games is now 36, with these four added: (1) C.Stacey ½-½ G.Koltanowski (Premier Reserves, rd 2); (2) R.Aldis 0-1 H.Ward (Major C, rd 5); (3) H.Heneage 1-0 C.Bolland (Major C); (4) G.Ramsay 0-1 R.Aldis (Major C). Many thanks to Brian Denman for the games.
3 January 2023	The quota of subsidiary games is now up to 24 complete games plus 20 part-games. Many thanks to Ulrich Tamm.
12 March 2024	The quota of subsidiary games has been adjusted to 25 (complete) plus 19 (part-games) with the replacement and correction of the part-score of Cross-Tylor (Premier Reserves) with the complete score, submitted by Michael Kühl. Many thanks to Michael.