BritBase Chess: 36th British Championship 1949, Felixstowe

BRITBASE - British Chess Game Archive

Tournament: 36th British Chess Championship • 68 games/43 part-games of 176 games (plus 14+2 games from lower sections)
Venue: Felixstowe • Dates: 8-19 August 1949 • Download PGN • Last Edited: Wednesday 16 October, 2024 3:42 PM

1949 British Chess Championship, Felixstowe (n.b. 1st run as Swiss) • 1948« »1950

1949 British Chess Championship		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
1	Harry Golombek	London	◊ 1/18	♦ 1/26	◊ 1/8	♦ 1/15	◊ ½/9	♦ 1/4	♦ 0/11	◊ 1/5	◊ 1/3	♦ ½/2	♦ ½/7	8½
2	Dr. Stefan Fazekas	London	◊ ½/32	♦ 0/30	◊ 1/25	♦ 1/28	◊ 1/7	♦ 1/9	♦ ½/5	◊ ½/11	♦ 1/17	◊ ½/1	♦ 1/4	8
3	Dennis Morton Horne	Oxford	◊ ½/4	♦ ½/7	◊ 0/26	♦ 1/32	◊ 1/31	◊ 1/6	◊ 1/9	♦ 1/16	♦ 0/1	◊ 1/11	♦ 1/5	8
4	Sir George Alan Thomas	London	♦ ½/3	◊ 1/17	♦ ½/21	◊ 1/10	♦ ½/16	◊ 0/1	♦ 1/14	◊ 1/12	♦ 1/11	◊ ½/5	◊ 0/2	7
5	Alfred William Bowen	London	◊ 1/25	♦ ½/8	◊ 1/14	♦ 0/9	◊ 1/15	♦ 1/16	◊ ½/2	♦ 0/1	◊ 1/19	♦ ½/4	◊ 0/3	6½
6	Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas	Exeter	◊ 1/28	♦ ½/32	◊ ½/30	♦ ½/7	◊ ½/26	♦ 0/3	◊ 0/20	♦ ½/13	♦ 1/18	◊ 1/16	◊ 1/17	6½
7	Theodore Henry Tylor	Oxford	♦ ½/31	◊ ½/3	♦ 1/12	◊ ½/6	♦ 0/2	◊ 1/8	♦ 0/10	◊ 1/26	♦ 1/9	◊ ½/17	◊ ½/1	6½
8	John Arthur Fuller	London	◊ 1/24	◊ ½/5	♦ 0/1	◊ 1/17	♦ 0/12	♦ 0/7	◊ ½/23	♦ 1/30	◊ 1/15	♦ 1/19	◊ ½/11	6½
9	William Albert Fairhurst	Glasgow	◊ 1/27	◊ ½/21	♦ 1/11	◊ 1/5	♦ ½/1	◊ 0/2	♦ 0/3	♦ 1/20	◊ 0/7	♦ ½/14	◊ 1/12	6½
10	Reginald Joseph Broadbent	London	◊ 0/26	♦ 1/18	◊ 1/32	♦ 0/4	◊ 0/20	♦ 1/13	◊ 1/7	♦ 0/17	♦ 1/28	◊ ½/12	◊ 1/14	6½
11	David Vincent Hooper	London	◊ 1/20	♦ ½/15	◊ 0/9	♦ 1/23	◊ 1/30	♦ 1/21	◊ 1/1	♦ ½/2	◊ 0/4	♦ 0/3	♦ ½/8	6½
12	Leonard William Barden	London	◊ 0/14	♦ 1/24	◊ 0/7	♦ 1/27	◊ 1/8	♦ ½/26	◊ 1/21	♦ 0/4	◊ 1/16	♦ ½/10	♦ 0/9	6
13	Oliver Penrose	London	♦ 0/21	◊ 1/27	♦ 0/16	◊ ½/19	♦ ½/17	◊ 0/10	♦ 1/31	◊ ½/6	♦ 1/29	◊ 1/20	◊ ½/15	6
14	Charles Stanley Hunter	London	♦ 1/12	◊ ½/16	♦ 0/5	◊ 1/29	♦ 0/21	♦ 1/15	◊ 0/4	♦ ½/19	◊ 1/23	◊ ½/9	♦ 0/10	5½
15	Frank Parr	Sutton	♦ 1/19	◊ ½/11	♦ 1/29	◊ 0/1	♦ 0/5	◊ 0/14	♦ 1/28	◊ ½/18	♦ 0/8	◊ 1/21	♦ ½/13	5½
16	Richard Hilary Newman	London	◊ 1/22	♦ ½/14	◊ 1/13	♦ ½/30	◊ ½/4	◊ 0/5	♦ 1/26	◊ 0/3	♦ 0/12	♦ 0/6	◊ 1/23	5½
17	Harold Israel	London	◊ ½/23	♦ 0/4	◊ 1/20	♦ 0/8	◊ ½/13	♦ 1/31	♦ 1/18	◊ 1/10	◊ 0/2	♦ ½/7	♦ 0/6	5½
18	Jonathan Penrose	London	♦ 0/1	◊ 0/10	♦ 0/27	◊ 1/24	◊ 1/32	♦ 1/22	◊ 0/17	♦ ½/15	◊ 0/6	♦ 1/29	♦ ½/20	5
19	Alan Phillips	Buxton	◊ 0/15	♦ ½/25	◊ ½/24	♦ ½/13	◊ ½/23	♦ 1/28	♦ 1/30	◊ ½/14	♦ 0/5	◊ 0/8	♦ ½/22	5
20	Joseph Stone (né Strachstein)	London	♦ 0/11	◊ ½/22	♦ 0/17	◊ 1/25	♦ 1/10	◊ ½/30	♦ 1/6	◊ 0/9	♦ ½/21	♦ 0/13	◊ ½/18	5
21	Dr. James Macrae Aitken	London	◊ 1/13	♦ ½/9	◊ ½/4	♦ ½/26	◊ 1/14	◊ 0/11	♦ 0/12	♦ ½/23	◊ ½/20	♦ 0/15	◊ ½/24	5
22	Reginald Walter Bonham	Worcester	♦ 0/16	♦ ½/20	◊ 0/28	◊ 0/31	♦ 1/25	◊ 0/18	♦ ½/29	◊ ½/24	◊ 1/32	♦ 1/30	◊ ½/19	5
23	Otto Friedman	London	♦ ½/17	◊ 0/29	♦ 1/31	◊ 0/11	♦ ½/19	◊ 1/27	♦ ½/8	◊ ½/21	♦ 0/14	◊ 1/26	♦ 0/16	5
24	Leo Derby	London	♦ 0/8	◊ 0/12	♦ ½/19	♦ 0/18	◊ 0/27	◊ 1/29	♦ ½/32	♦ ½/22	◊ 1/25	◊ 1/28	♦ ½/21	5
25	Peter Harris	West Bromwich	♦ 0/5	◊ ½/19	♦ 0/2	♦ 0/20	◊ 0/22	◊ 1/32	♦ 1/27	◊ 0/28	♦ 0/24	◊ 1/31	♦ 1/26	4½
26	Edward Guthlac Sergeant	Kingston	♦ 1/10	◊ 0/1	♦ 1/3	◊ ½/21	♦ ½/6	◊ ½/12	◊ 0/16	♦ 0/7	◊ ½/30	♦ 0/23	◊ 0/25	4
27	Herbert Gibson Rhodes	Southport	♦ 0/9	♦ 0/13	◊ 1/18	◊ 0/12	♦ 1/24	♦ 0/23	◊ 0/25	◊ 0/29	♦ ½/31	◊ 1/32	♦ ½/28	4
28	Douglas Eric Arnold Riley	London	♦ 0/6	◊ ½/31	♦ 1/22	◊ 0/2	♦ 1/29	◊ 0/19	◊ 0/15	♦ 1/25	◊ 0/10	♦ 0/24	◊ ½/27	4
29	Ronald Mackay Bruce	Plymouth	◊ ½/30	♦ 1/23	◊ 0/15	♦ 0/14	◊ 0/28	♦ 0/24	◊ ½/22	♦ 1/27	◊ 0/13	◊ 0/18	♦ 1/32	4
30	Harry Ivor Woolverton	London	♦ ½/29	◊ 1/2	♦ ½/6	◊ ½/16	♦ 0/11	♦ ½/20	◊ 0/19	◊ 0/8	♦ ½/26	◊ 0/22	♦ ½/31	4
31	Victor John Anthony Russ	Leicester	◊ ½/7	♦ ½/28	◊ 0/23	♦ 1/22	♦ 0/3	◊ 0/17	◊ 0/13	♦ 0/32	◊ ½/27	♦ 0/25	◊ ½/30	3
32	Gerald Abrahams	Manchester	♦ ½/2	◊ ½/6	♦ 0/10	◊ 0/3	♦ 0/18	♦ 0/25	◊ ½/24	◊ 1/31	♦ 0/22	♦ 0/27	◊ 0/29	2½

n.b. this was the first British Chess Championship to be played using Swiss system pairings rather than all-play-all. Limited to 32 players, 11 rounds.
Entrance Fee: £ 2 2s. (£2.10).
Prizes: £35, £20, £10.
Hours of play: 2pm - 7pm (40 moves in 2½ hours)

[Manchester Guardian, 25 August 1949, p7] "Pointers from Felixstowe - Although play in the championship tournament at Felixstowe pointed to a real improvement in playing strength, there were certain other matters which could hardly escape notice. There was, for example, the unreliability of form among certain competitors—last year’s champion did not even reach the prize list. There were lapses too. which had far-reaching results, by even the strongest players. The comparatively recent decisions to have five-hour sessions, as on the Continent, may in part account for these. Certainly the older players, and the very young ones too, are unequal to the strain. Sir George Thomas missed two wins by oversights in the fifth hour which affected his position in the final stage. Many otherwise skilful players also showed a lamentable lack of skill in the endings, which may now be looked at with almost mathematical certainty. Five-hour sittings are quite reasonable on the Continent, where the top players on the whole are younger, and a far larger proportion are in constant training. In present circumstances the British Chess Federation might consider a reversion to morning sessions of four hours, which allow adjourned games to be finished on the same day. British chess is handicapped in international competitions because there is a lack of Government support. In the Budget of Czechoslovakia, provision is made for £20,000 to be granted to the country's federation for general purposes of chess, international and national tournaments and matches and tuition in schools and colleges by professionals and salaried masters. In this country we have to rely on the efforts of the British Chess Federation. A radio match between London and Sydney will be played this week-end, the London team playing from Australia House on Friday and Sunday."

1949 British Ladies' Championship, Felixstowe • 1948« »1950

1949 British Ladies' Championship

Total

Miss Eileen Betsy Tranmer

Mrs Rowena Mary Bruce

9½

Miss Joan Frances Doulton

Miss Cicely Mary Murphy

Miss Mary A E A Henniker-Heaton

Mrs Mary Dew

Mrs Helen Muriel Cobbold

Mrs Violet Hilda Caine

Miss Agnes Margaret Crum

Mrs Jane Sadler Rees

Mrs Margaret Penrose

2½

Mrs Melita Ida Elizabeth Seyd

Limited to 12 players. Entrance Fee: £1 1s. (£1.05).
Prizes: £10, £5, £3.
Hours of play: 2pm - 7pm (40 moves in 2½ hours

Draw order (and biographical information) for the Ladies' Championship (1948 pairing rules applied):
1 Joan Frances Doulton (later Hay, 1913-92)
2 R Seyd¹
3 Agnes Margaret Crum (1879-1961)
4 Cicely Mary Murphy (of Whitchurch, Shropshire; 1904-90)
5 Mary Araluen Elizabeth Anne Henniker-Heaton (1904-72)
6 Rowena Mary Bruce (1919-99)
7 Eileen Betsy Tranmer
8 Mary Dew (née Rowe, 1885-1958)
9 Jane Sadler Rees (1884-1974, née Davidson, of Northampton in 1967)
10 Margaret Penrose (née Leathes, later Newman 1901-89)
11 Helen Muriel Cobbold (née Blagg, 1877-1952)
12 Violet Hilda Caine (of Ipswich: Suffolk women's champion, 1897-74; previously Violet Hilda Gretton (by deed poll in 1930) but née Waterhouse, she m. Gerald T Caine in 1939)

¹ Melita Ida Elizabeth Seyd (née Krohn, 1874-1959), married to Richard Ernest Nathaniel Joseph Seyd 1871-1952 - hence the 'Mrs R Seyd' - she was Hon.Sec. of the Women's Suffrage Society in 1911 - they lived in Kensington in the 1930s and in Bexhill after the war - Mrs R Seyd was a regular player at Hastings CC)

[The Times, 22 Aug 1949] "The British Ladies' Championship resolved itself into a battle between Miss Tranmer and Mrs. Bruce who met, appropriately enough, on the last day. For some time Miss Tranmer had the less favourable position but she gradually turned the tables and so won the championship with the remarkable score of 11 out of 11."

[Daily Herald, 20 Aug 1949, p3] "Eileen wins in 59 moves - Herald Reporter - Felixstowe, Friday night - For 7½ hours today dark-haired clarinettist Eileen Tranmer and 30-year-old Mrs. Rowena Bruce battled for the women’s chess championship here. At Rowena's elbow stood a plateful of cream buns placed there by her mother, 64-year-old Mrs. May Dew, of Plymouth. But they were still untouched when Miss Tranmer made the 58th and final move. It won her the game and the title for the second time. And she is the first woman in the history of the British Chess Federation to have played through the championship without losing a point... Fighting Game... After the game Eileen shook hands with her opponent and drove off with friends to celebrate. Rowena went in search of a cup of tea. Said Rowena, who finished 1½ points behind: "I did not even notice the buns. We played a fighting game and Eileen played it best. I shall challenge her again next year." The rest of the Bruces—chess players all—nodded agreement. Rowena's husband, Mr R. M. Bruce, was a "seeded" player. Her mother, who taught her the first moves of chess at her knee, won five of her 11 games. Said Eileen, a member of the Sadlers Wells orchestra: "Now I shall take up my clarinet again. It has always been my main source of inspiration". ... Golombek again ... Harry Golombek, of Chalfont St. Giles, won the British Chess Championship at Felixstowe yesterday, drawing with Dr. P. [sic] H. Tyler [sic] (Oxford University) in a four-hour game. Golombek was champion two years ago."

[The Times, 8 Aug 1949, p8] FELIXSTOWE, Aug. 7 - Over 150 entries have been received for the B.C.F. congress which begins here to-morrow and goes on to August 20. Out of the 58 entries for the British championship the following 32 have been selected:—G. Abrahams, J. M Aitken, L. Barden, R. W. Bonham, A. W. Bowen, R. J. Broadbent, L. Derby, W. A. Fairhurst, Dr. S. Fazekas, Dr. O. Friedman, J. A. Fuller, H. Golombek, P. Harris, D. V. Hooper, D. M. Horne, C. S. Hunter, H. Israel, R. H. Newman, F. Parr, J. Penrose, O. Penrose, A Phillips. D. E. A. Riley, H. G. Rhodes, V. J. A. Russ, E. G. Sergeant, J. Stone, A. R. B. Thomas, Sir G. A. Thomas, T. H. Tylor, B. H. Wood, and H. I. Woolverton. in spite of the absence of a few well-known names—C. H. O’D. Alexander, P. S. Milner-Barry and W. Winter—this is a strong entry, including the holder, Broadbent, the previous year's champion. Golombek, and two other ex-champions, W. A. Fairhurst and Sir George Thomas. The main interest will be in the results obtained by the five representatives of the younger generation, the brothers Penrose, Barden, Fuller, and Harris, all of whom have either won first place or done well in recent boys’ championships. For the first time in British chess the Swiss system will be used to decide the championship. In the first round the players will meet each other by lot, and afterwards those with equal scores will play each other. By this selective process leaders will play against leaders and so on down the list. The advantages of this system are that it allows a large number of contestants and forces the leaders to play grimly for wins all the time. Given a sufficient number of rounds, it is calculated to single out the best player and the worst, though it is quite useless in differentiating those in the middle of the table. Its influence on the quality of play remains to be seen. The entry for the British Ladies’ Championship which will be played on the usual lines, is Mrs. R. M. Bruce, Mrs. G. T. Caine, Mrs H. M. Cobbold, Miss A. M. Crum, Mrs M. Dew, Miss J. M. Doulton, Miss Henniker-Heaton, Mrs. M. Penrose, Miss C. M. Murphy, Mrs. J. S. Rees, Mrs. R. Seyd, and Miss E. Tranmer. Here the chief struggle should lie between Mrs. Bruce and Miss Tranmer.

Subsidiary Events

Major Open (All-Play-All, Sections of 12)

Entrance Fee: £1 1s. (£1.05).
Prizes: £6, £4, £2.
Hours of play: 9am - 1pm (40 moves in 2 hours)

Major A: (1) Stanley Clifford Davey (Ipswich) 8/10; (2) Henry Holwell Cole (London, Hastings CC) 7; (3) Frederick Forrest Laurie Alexander (Westcliffe) 5½; (4-5) Charles Reuben Gurnhill (Sheffield), John H Pollitt (Manchester) 5; (6-7) Alan Edgar Nield (New Zealand), Alfred Joseph Butcher (Wolverhampton) 4½; (8-10) Philip Edward Collier (Leicester), Leonard Illingworth (Cambridge), Harold Horace Watts (Southport) 4; (11) Francis Samuel Woolford (Cinderford) 3½. (Nield lost to to Cole in one of the last two rounds)

Major B: (1) Denis Victor Mardle (Luton) 9/11; (2-3) Donald M Andrew (Bradford), Cyril Duffield (Stoke-on-Trent) 8; (4) Roy Alan Wagstaff (Ilford) 6½; (5) Theodore Watts (Southport) 6; (6-7) T Kenyon, Robert Douglas Wormald (Worcester) 5; (8-9) Alan Forrest Stobo (Altrincham), Harold Dobson Wells (Colchester) 4, (10-12) Alfred Eva (Manchester), Herbert Francis Gook (South Croydon), Christopher Barclay Heath (London) 3½.

Major C: (1) Percy Baldwin Cook (Ilford) 9½/11; (2) John James O'Hanlon (Dublin) 8½; (3) G Sutton (Manchester) 7½; (4) William James Fry (Southampton) 6½; (5) W A Sutcliffe (South Croydon) 6; (6) William John Clare Hart Burges (Metropolitan) 5½; (7) John M Hancock (Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs) 5; (8-9) Eric Henry K Beecher (Herne Bay), Raymond M Ellison (West Bromwich) 4½; (10-11) W E Lewis (Birmingham City), Ralph Carter Woodthorpe (Hastings) 3½; (12) (Edward) Douglas Fawcett (London) 1½.

First Class (All-Play-All, sections of 12)

Entrance Fee: £1 1s. (£1.05).
Prizes: £5, £3, £1 10s (£1.50).
Hours of play: 9am - 1pm (40 moves in 2 hours)

First Class A: (1) Geoffrey F Harris (Stourbridge) 8/11; (2) J D Thorn (Lincoln) 7½; (3) Rev. Ernest Clement Mortimer (Eastcote) 7; (4-5) Edwin Breckon Chapman (Leicester), A E Luck (Southend) 6½; (6-7) Alfred Herman Reeve (High Wycombe), (Arthur) John Roycroft (Richmond, Surrey) 5½; (8-9) Anthony Joseph Amor (Hounslow), Franics Harry Senneck (Yeovil) 5; (10) George Oliver Feather (Bradford) 4; (11) F Lynch (Manchester) 3½; (12) L E Fitzgerald 2.

First Class B: (1) Stephen Wilkinson (Loughton) 7½/9; (2) C Cordel (Leicester) 6; (3) Rev. Arthur Percival Lacy-Hulbert (Ludlow) 5½; (4) Capt. Hugh Windsor Fiesch Heneage (Hastings) 5; (5) K W Thorpe (Worksop) 4½; (6) Bernard Landon Wilkinson (Bolton) 4; (7-9) J W Cash (Cambridge Town), Ronald William Hornbrook (Plymouth), George Arthur Peck (Kingston-upon-Thames) 3½; (10) H. Ford (Metropolitan) 2.

First Class C: (1) Newman Clissold (Wallasey) 8½/11; (2) Donald Gould (Leicester) 7½; (3) Arthur T Watson (Brighton) 7 [The Chess Bulletin says 7½ but probably an error] (4-5) Daniel Castello (Athenaeum), Patrick Humphrey Sullivan (Dartford) 6½; (6-7) Arthur Emerson Mercer (Hampstead), D F Wagstaff (Ipswich) 6; (8) William Henderson (W. London) 4½; (9-10) Harry Starbuck Littlechild (Wisbech), Thomas H Wallis (Nailsworth) 4; (11) R J Hill (Lye, Worcs) 3½; (12) J Hill (Gainsborough, member of Grimsby CC) 2.

Second Class (All-Play-All, sections of 12)

Entrance Fee: £10s 6d. (53p).
Prizes: £3, £2, £1.
Hours of play: 9am - 1pm (40 moves in 2 hours)

Second Class A: (1) Anthony George Midgley (Huddersfield) 8½/10; (2) E J de Ree (Holland) 8; (3) Peter M Shaw (Harrow) 7½; (4-5) J Davis (Manchester), Kenneth Stuart Procter (W. London) 6; (6) Thomas W Crabb (Sheffield) 5; (7) Geoffrey George Homan (Rochester) 4½; (8) Alexander Schofield (Wakefield) 3; (9-10) G S Barnes (Ipswich), Frank Passingham (Sleaford) 2½; (11) John G Brogden (Chester) 1½.

Second Class B: (1-2) Philip B Sarson (Harrow), Stanley Sedgwick (East Ham) 8/11; (3-5) Albert Facon Crooks (Nottingham), Peter Thomas Kirstein (Hendon), F Matthews (Grantham) 7½; (6-7) Thomas Eagle Lovell Chataway (Stourbridge), Andre van der Naaten (Felixstowe) 6; (8) Alfred M Diaper (Ipswich) 5½; (9) Edgar Priestley (Huddersfield) 5; (10) Keith Edward Charles Budge (Plymouth) 2½; (11) George Mitchell Careswell (Manchester) 1½; (12) Frank Ernest Tanner (Gloucester) 1.

Second Class (All-Play-All, sections of 12 - in the event, there was only 1 section)

Entrance Fee: £10s 6d. (53p).
Prizes: £2 10s (£2.50), £1 10s (£1.5), 15s (75p).
Hours of play: 9am - 1pm (40 moves in 2 hours)

Third Class: (1-2) C H Matthews (Blackpool), Gregory Owen John Melitus (London) 9/11; (3) T E Cook (Ipswich) 8; (4) A Terrett 7; (5-7) Mrs. E Heath, G E Sutcliffe (South Croydon), A. E. W(r)igglesworth (Ipswich) 6; (8) Henry Edward Crooks (Nottingham - son of Albert Facon Crooks) 5; (9) Joseph Vernon Malet (né Joseph Hans Mautner, London) 4½; (10) Leonard Herbert Herring (Felixstowe) 3; (11) Douglas Enty Budge (Kilmacolm) 2; (12) Bernard G Garnham (Gissing, Diss) ½. (Mr. Garnham withdrew after 7 rounds).

There were 3 prizes in each section, and in addition the Chess Bulletin offered "Best Game" Prizes in each class. The entries for these special awards are being judged and the result will be announced later. [Results as given in The Chess Bulletin, Vol, 1 No. 1, 3 September 1949 and elsewhere]

British Boys and Girls Under-18 Chess Championships (held separately from each other and the above-mentioned events - JS)...

[London Chess Bulletin, Vol.1 No.9, 6 May 1949] OUTSIDER WINS BRITISH BOYS’ CHAMPIONSHIP - 15 year old candidate outstrips fancied competitors - Another Midland Success - Surprise was a great feature of the British Boys’ Championship which was fought out at Hastings during last week. To confound the critics, who all expected a substantial victory for either the holder, D. G. Horseman, or Peter Harris fresh from his triumph in the Midland Adult Championships, young Malcolm Barker, of King Edward School, Birmingham, quietly built up a winning score of wins and draws and took the title with half a point to spare over Horseman. In the final round his margin was so well established that he was able to offer his opponent a draw in a winning position to clinch the issue. This is the second year in succession in which the chief prizes have gone to the Midland boys, and it clearly shows that the intensive cultivation of talent in that area is having its effect. As we go to press we have not yet received the full details from Hastings, but interviewed on the telephone by our representative, Barker modestly attributed his success to "lots of luck." The fact is, however, that he has been recently showing great promise in Birmingham chess and has won games against leading players. In the current Warwickshire Championship tourney, he was leading such stalwarts as N. M. Bouckley, W. Ritson Morry and A. R. Chamberlain and beat both of the first named. Described by the "Birmingham Post" as " one of the most promising youngsters discovered during the last 25 years or so," he embarks on a chess career full of possibilities. Until he won the Warwickshire Boys’ Championship at the Birmingham Easter Congress, he had never previously won a chess tournament. We hope to obtain full details of the tournament for our next issue. In view of the large entry this time, the organisers decided to change over to the Swiss System, and this seems to have had the effect of increasing the interest and excitement of the event. We have secured one of the new Champion’s games. It was a crucial battle for him as it was played in the penultimate round when his opponent was tied with him in the lead.

British U18 Championship scores: (1) Malcolm N Barker (King Edward's School, Birmingham) 7/9; (2) Derek G Horseman (Coventry) 6½; (3-9) Peter Harris (West Bromwich), David V W Lofts (Leyton), Ian Marshall (Blackburn), Anthony G C Paish (St Paul's, London), Robert C Phillips (Stroud), Cyril Pollitt (Bolton), L Young (St Paul's, London) 6; (10-13) R Hill (Bolton), Alan J Willson (Coventry), Michael Fox (Finchley), Robert Edmond Borland (Plymouth) 5½; (other scores included...) Gerald Homer 5, B A Pritchard, J Way (Worcester College for the Blind), (Alastair) Brian Walden 4½, Graham K Barker, Kenneth W Lloyd, R J Bird 4...

No crosstable available but some pairings were given in the Midland Chess Bulletin, 14 May 1949. Position of name does not indicate colour... Round 1: M N Barker ½-½ J A Jackson, P Harris 1-0 R Jory, D Horseman 1-0 B Atkinson; Round 2: M N Barker 1-0 D Lock, P Harris ½-½ D Roberts, D Horseman 1-0 H Morton; Round 3: M N Barker 1-0 F A Outen, P Harris 1-0 I Marshall, D Horseman 1-0 A B Walden, D V W Lofts 1-0 J Jackson; Round 4: P Harris ½-½ M N Barker, D Horseman 0-1 R Hill, D V Lofts ½-½ J Way; Round 5: D Horseman ½-½ M N Barker, P Harris ½-½ A B Walden, R Hill 1-0 J Way, D V Lofts 1-0 M Fox; Round 6: M N Barker 1-0 C R Berry, P Harris ½-½ A Sayers, D Horseman 1-0 I Marshall, D V Lofts 1-0 R Hill; Round 7: M N Barker 1-0 D V Lofts, P Harris 1-0 D Lloyd, D Horseman ½-½ L Young, B Hill ½-½ C Pollitt; Round 8: M N Barker 1-0 R Hill, D Horseman 1-0 P Harris, D V Lofts ½-½ C Pollitt; Round 9: M N Barker ½-½ A G C Paish, D Horseman ½-½ D V Lofts, P Harris 1-0 R Hill, C Pollitt ½-½ M Fox.

[SAME SOURCE AS ABOVE - "from Elaine Saunders"] Jean Craker wins Girls’ Title - Former Holder deposed - The British Girls’ Championship, open to girls under 18 years old, was held at St. Brides Institute, London, from 20th to 23rd April [1949]. This year’s entry, probably the strongest since the inauguration of the Championship, comprised 8 fairly evenly matched competitors. An American Tournament resulted in a win for (1) Jean Craker (Willesden) with 6 points, followed by (2) Lesley Fletcher (Tiffins School, Kingston) 5; (3) Sylvia Epps (Bromley) 4½; (4) Sylvia Fisher (Bromley) 4; (5) Ann Bennett (Godalming Grammar School) 3; (6-7) Audrey Pocknell (Bromley) and June Barker (Bicester Grammar School) 2½; (8) Rosina Orr (Bromley) ½.

Audrey Pocknell, holder of the Championship in 1947 and 1948, failed to make good against this year’s more formidable opposition. Jean Craker, who has greatly benefited from her participation in adult chess, both as a member of the West London C.C. and the B.C.C.A. played soundly and convincingly throughout the tournament and fully deserved her victory. Her only loss was to the winner of last year’s Junior Trophy, Sylvia Epps, now a member of the John Lewis Partnership's team. Sylvia shows great promise and is not afraid of complications. The runner-up was Lesley Fletcher, probably Jean’s keenest and most consistent rival during the past three years. The provincial entrants, Ann Bennett (Godalming) and June Barker (Bicester), a newcomer, are likely to improve on this performance with more experience of tournament chess. Both are only 15 years of age.

Congratulations to the new champion, who, we understand, hopes to make a debut in the British Ladies’ Championship at Felixstowe. She is aged 17 and is now in the Inland Revenue Dept, of the Civil Service. She was a prizewinner in the B.C.C.A. Odds Tourney and played in the B.C.F. Congress in London last September. She is the only player to have the distinction of having won both the Senior and Junior Girls’ Trophies. She is also a keen philatelist.

JUNIOR TOURNAMENT - The Junior Tournament open to girls under 15 attracted a record entry of 28 competitors, but was unfortunately weakened by the "promotion" of last year’s promising youngsters to the Championship. The four section winners, all of the Aylesbury School, Bromley, played an American tournament which resulted in a win for Molly T Betts 3, Lily Barry 2, J[ennifer] Mann 1, J[oan] Philpott 0. Molly Betts is to be congratulated on emerging from the contest with a clean score. Bristol failed to send their junior contingent this year. Comrie House School, however, provided 2 representatives, including the youngest competitor Patricia Bettie aged 10, who acquitted herself very well.

Professor Penrose kindly consented to present the Trophies and prizes which included the Menchik Cup for Girl’s Schools, again won this year by the Aylesbury School, Bromley. Especial thanks were expressed to Miss K. [Katharine Tate] Austin (Tournament Controller), also to Miss E. [Elaine] Saunders (Secretary), Miss E. [Eileen] Tranmer and Miss A. L. [Lucy] Anness for their work in connection with the organisation of the tournaments.

CHESS, July/Aug/Sept 1949, Vol.14/166-167-168, p220

THE BRITISH GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP April* 20th-23rd, 1949 - By Eileen Tranmer (* actually gives 'March' but this is an error - JS)

Thirty-six keen schoolgirls whose ages ranged from eleven to seventeen years faced one another over the boards at St. Bride’s Institute to decide the British Girls’ Chess Championship. Last year’s champion, Audrey Pocknell, started firm favourite, but like many title-defenders, played below her best strength.

Jean Craker won, playing the strongest and most accurate chess, which reflected the practice she has had in the West London Club during the past year. Lesley Fletcher and Sylvia Epps, both of whom show talent in complicated positions, were close behind.

The standard of play in the Seniors, which was higher than last year, has benefited from the encouragement in the past few years of Junior players, some of whom have now graduated to the Senior section.

The Junior Championship was won by Molly T. Betts without the loss of a game, with Lily Barry a good second.

Stella Ogden, aged eleven, who scored 5 out of 6 in the preliminaries, was unfortunate in just failing to reach the Junior Finals, but won the consolation tournament with a full score.

The tournament again owes everything to the kindly presence and efficient hard work of Miss K. Austin.

One of the Junior games whose eharm and freshness atones for many faults:[Betts 1-0 Clements - see download]

Bromley & West Kent Mercury - Friday 29 April 1949

In the Consolation [Girls] Tournament A, B and C prizes were won by Stella Hogden [Ogden?], Gillian Buntrock and Diane Marlow who has only been learning chess eight months. In the age groups special prizes were won as follows: Adrienne Yearron (14 years), Myrtle Barnes (13 years), Pamela Smith (12 years), Marjorie Longford (11 years)...

The BCF's Tournament and Match Committee, appointed to plan the 1949 Felixstowe BCF Congress was Owen Dixson, JH van Meurs, H Meek, W Ritson Morry, JT Boyd, WH Pratten and F Taylor (treasurer) (info: Midland Chess Bulletin, Vo.1 No.2, 11 December 1948, p4)

Biographical Info

Otto Friedman - (from the London & Midland Chess Bulletin, Vol.1 no.12, 11 June 1949)

DR. O. FRIEDMAN

Mr. Otto Friedman is a University Lecturer in Social Psychology. He is a Doctor of Law of Prague and a M.Sc. of London University. He is a writer on social and psychological problems and the Czech translator of Sigmund Freud’s works on psycho-analysis. During the war he was Research Assistant to the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister, Mr. Jan Masaryk.

In 1925, at the age of 20 he became the Champion of the "Aljechin" C.C. then the strongest club in Prague. In 1926, playing for the first time in a Master tournament, he tied for second prize in the Prague Tournament with Chodera, only ½ point behind the winner, Major Hromadka (Opocensky was 4th). His scientific and musical interests induced him to give up tournament play for 17 years. During the war, however, when serving with the Czechoslovak Army in Britain, he revived his old hobby which helped him to overcome the boredom of guard duties, particularly at night. He usually memorised one or two chess problems and attempted to solve them blindfold. As soon as this queer habit of his was noticed by his commanding officer, he was conscripted into the chess team of the Czechoslovak Army, and then into a representative team of the Allied Forces in England.

In 1945 he was third in the London Championship, one point behind the winner, G. Wood, and ahead of Dr. Aitken and Sir George Thomas. In 1948 he tied for first prize in the Middlesex Championship with G. Wood, but lost the play-off. In the last knock-out round of the London Championship he knocked out the present British Champion, Mr. Broadbent. As a lecturer in Citizenship and Current Affairs to H. M. Forces and to the German prisoners of war in this country, he introduced chess as a subsidiary subject and gave many simultaneous displays and lectures on "Chess and Life."

Otto Friedman (1905-1978) - biog at chess.games.com

Charles Stanley Hunter (8 October 1922, Nuremberg, Germany – 5 July 1982, Horley, Surrey, England)

Obituary, BCM, October 1982 p456:

"Charles Hunter died on 5th July [1982], only four months after the death of his wife. Dr C.S. Hunter was a GP in Rochdale and active in postal chess, though he made his name in Middlesex chess and was 14th in the 1949 British Championship at Felixstowe, the inaugural Swiss System event. Born in 1922, he learned chess at the age of seven but did not take up postal play until 1959. He was joint British Correspondence Chess Champion in 1961 and had an outstanding record in international postal play thereafter, both in team events for England and in invitation tournaments (e.g. shared first place with Zagorovsky in the 2nd Swiss Invitation in the early 1960’s).

"A President of the British Correspondence Chess Society, Dr Hunter was also active in the deliberations of the world ruling body ICCF and acted as translator of speeches and written documents on various occasions."

Chess: The Records by Kenneth Whyld (Guinness, 1986), p144: "Hunter, Charles Stanley b. 8 Oct 1922 d. 5 Jul 1982 Horley. IMC 1967. British correspondence champion 1961 (joint). In Guinness Book of Records as world's fastest speaker."

Birth name of Charles Stanley Hunter was Carl Sigmund [Karl Siegmund] Hirschmann - he changed it by deed poll in November 1938 (aged 16) at the same time as his 15-year-old brother Richard Alfred Hirschmann (1923-1981) changed his name to Richard Alfred Hunter. Both became medical doctors, as was their Nuremberg-born mother Ida Hirschmann (née Wertheimer, later Ida MacAlpine, 1899-1974). Their father was Ernst Hirschmann (born 1896, Nuremberg, died ?). Charles Stanley Hunter was born in Nuremberg as was his younger brother Richard, who followed his mother in becoming a psychiatrist. (original research, JS, 27 February 2023)

File Updated

Date	Notes
13 April 2016	Original upload
15 April 2016	Two more games from subsidiary events, supplied by Brian Denman, and one by Gerard Killoran, for which many thanks.
17 April 2016	Eight more complete games played by Ron Bruce in the Championship. Three of Bruce's games were already there so this completes the set for this player. I remembered that I had already downloaded a large file of Ron Bruce games which Bob Jones input from scorebooks. Thanks to Bob.
18 April 2016	Nine new games by William Fairhurst and one existing game played by him corrected from BCM's version of the score. These came from Alan McGowan's Fairhurst collection, for which many thanks.
12 November 2017	Results added.
15 April 2018	Added game fragment J.Penrose-A.Thomas (Rd 9.11).
11 March 2019	Added more newspaper text and completed details of results from subsidiary sections, via The Chess Bulletin, Vol, 1 No. 1, 3 September 1949 and various newspaper reports.
14 March 2019	Added biographical info about Otto Friedman (1905-1978).
3 December 2020	Added all eight missing Dr Aitken scores.
17 March 2021	Added most of the scores of the British Boys' U18 Championship.
4 June 2022	I've now found more games and part-games and completely revamped the file. It's complicated because available material differs in size: there are (a) complete games; (b) substantially complete games (where the score ends prematurely - typically with the words "and wins"; (c) part-games where the opening moves are missing; (d) part-games consisting of some opening moves (mostly from a magazine article by Leonard Barden reviewing openings played in the tournament; (e) two reconstructions where I've tried to weld together segments of games where only a handful of moves are missing in the middlegame - Abrahams-Russ (rd 8) and Thomas-Fazekas (rd 11). The upshot is we now have 62 complete/near-complete/reconstructed scores, 33 final phase part-games and 10 opening phase part-games; plus 8 scores from subsidiary competitions and 6 games from the Boys' U18 Championship held at Easter 1949.
16 May 2023	Add the game M.Betts 1-0 D.Clements from a preliminary section of the girls' junior (under 15) championship, held at St Brides, London, from 20-23 March.
2 October 2023	Added the women's championship game J.S.Rees 0-1 (rd 3). Many thanks to Alan Smith for submitting the score.
9 October 2024	Added all the missing scores bar one of Victor Russ's games (his rd 2 game vs Riley is still a part-game). I am in the process of entering Victor Russ's games, having been lent his collection of scorebooks by his son Steve Russ, to whom many thanks. Running total now 68 games/43 part-games from a possible 176 Championship games, plus 14 games and 2 part-games from lower sections.

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