46th Hastings Premier, 29 December 1970 to 7 January 1971

1970/71 Hastings Premier		Nat'y		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Lajos Portisch	HUN	g	&;	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	6
2	Wolfgang Uhlmann	EGER	g	½	&;	1	0	½	1	½	½	0	1	5
3	Peter R Markland	ENG		½	0	&;	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	5
4	Vlastimil Hort	WGER	g	½	1	0	&;	½	½	1	½	½	½	5
5	Nikolai V Krogius	USSR	g	½	½	½	½	&;	½	0	½	1	1	5
6	Svetozar Gligoric	YUG	g	½	0	½	½	½	&;	1	½	1	½	5
7	Zvonimir Mestrovic	YUG	m	0	½	0	0	1	0	&;	1	1	½	4
8	Robert E Byrne	USA	g	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	&;	0	½	3½
9	Robert G Wade	ENG	m	0	1	½	½	0	0	0	1	&;	½	3½
10	Raymond D Keene	ENG		0	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	&;	3

There were 5 Prizes: £200, £150, £100, £50, £25. Non-Prizewinners received £5 for each game won.
Time-limit: 40 moves in first 2½ hours and 16 moves per hour thereafter.
IM norm - Peter Markland

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THE HASTINGS 46 th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS [BCM, February 1971, p45]

by H. Golombek

I arrived a couple of days late at the Hastings Congress, having been, as I understand it was most felicitously phrased at the opening ceremony by a platform speaker, ‘detained in Tunisia’. Anyway, making my escape from a temperature well over 70 to a climate that approached freezing point, I found myself more healthily engaged in essaying the climb up the White Rock Gardens over snow and ice, through a wind which, according to the local inhabitants, came straight from Russia, and at last to the Falaise Hall where no less than six grandmasters were in action.

In action in the Premier that is, though I do not doubt that the day will come when we see grandmasters percolating down via the Challengers and Challengers’ Reserves as far as the Christmas Specials. For there is no doubt that the general level at Hastings is rapidly increasing in strength. The Premier tournament was massively strong; the Challengers’ perhaps the strongest I have ever seen and so on right down the list.

One reason, that applies in particular to the Challengers, for this increase in strength lies in the fact that next year’s Premier will be a [category] 1a tournament with 16 players at least half of whom will be grandmasters (anyway, that is how we are planning it). So many strong players entered for the Challengers in the hope of winning a place in the Premier next year. This meant that in turn strong players had to be pushed down to the Reserves and so on. The Yugoslav international master Mestrovic, having entered for the Challengers, found himself indeed pushed up to the Premier to take the place of the young Russian hope Kuzmin, who fell ill in Moscow on his way through from an outlying Soviet Republic to Hastings. What happened to Mestrovic in the Premier reads rather like one of those Greek tragedies where the hero has an unexpected golden period of success suddenly terminated by revengeful Fate. But about that you can read in Ritson Morry’s account.

The strength of this year’s Premier can be gauged from the fact that in order to gain the international master norm only slightly more than 4 points was necessary. And yet I must confess to having been disappointed at the quality of play. By this I am not referring to the great number of draws since many of these were hard fought and genuine battles. No, I am actually talking about the nature of the games. Two things that one normally associates with grandmasters in chess were notable for the most part in the Premier by their absence — accuracy and ideas.

The reason is not far to seek. Of the six grandmasters in the Premier no less than four had been competing in the Interzonal only a few weeks earlier. They came to the tournament, jaded by and sated with chess. Gligoric, Hort and Portisch had all been reckoned to have reasonably good chances of qualifying for the Candidates from the Interzonal. The fact that they failed to do so, in Portisch’s and Gligoric’s cases by a small margin, must have meant that they were also pervaded by a feeling of futility. On the other hand, Uhlmann, who did indeed qualify for the Candidates, must have felt limp for the opposite reason. He would have been superhuman had he not suffered some reaction.

All this meant that the grandmasters were far from fresh and had to rely for the most part in customary technique and technique alone to pull them through. All the more praise then is due to the great Hungarian player Lajos Portisch for managing to pull himself up from the slough of a preliminary five draws to win first prize for the second year in succession. Halfway through the tournament we had a meeting of the Hastings Congress Committee at which someone said to me, ‘At least, the Cusson trophy is safe’, alluding to Portisch’s indifferent start. ‘Don’t be too sure about that’ I replied and events proved me right.

The evenness of the tournament was shown by a quintuple tie for second place between four grandmasters and the Oxford University player Markland. For a 19 year old player to come equal second with four grandmasters on his first appearance in the Premier is a wonderful augury of further success. Markland may occasionally have been favoured by luck, but fortune favours the brave and luck usually attends the better player. It is a long time indeed since a British player has figured so high in the prize list at Hastings.

Whilst his fellow second prize-winners, Gligoric, Hort and Uhlmann, all showed signs of the interzonal fatigue I have already mentioned, the Soviet grandmaster Krogius seemed to be handicapped by a quite different set of circumstances. He is a fine player with some notable tournament successes to his credit. But they have all been achieved in conditions where his somewhat academic style has had time and space to develop. Hastings in fact was too short for him and had there been double the number of rounds he might well have got into form and won first prize.

In sharing 8th and 9th place with Robert Byrne the British champion, Wade, had a most creditable result with 3½ points, a score that included two wins over grandmasters, Uhlmann and Byrne.

Byrne himself is one of those players of great talent who yet is unable to maintain consistent form. In some tournaments he plays like a true grandmaster and his best games are both lively and original. In other tournaments he is tentative, out of form, knows he is out of form and does not know why. Hastings, I fear, was an event of the latter kind.

Ray Keene, of whom so much had been expected by his home supporters, never really got going. He allowed himself all too often to be manoeuvred into a position where his grandmaster opponent was able to wear him down. Still, I have little doubt that in the next event he will continue on his rapid rise to the forefront of international chess.

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1970/71 Hastings Challengers, 29 December - 7 January

1970/71 Hastings Challengers		Nat'y	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
1	Michael J Franklin	ENG	◊ 1/8	♦ ½/2	◊ 1/26	♦ ½/10	◊ ½/19	◊ 1/18	♦ ½/3	◊ ½/6	♦ 1/7	6½
2	Robert Bellin	ENG	♦ 1/29	◊½/1	♦ ½/6	◊ 1/7	♦ ½/18	◊ ½/11	◊ 1/10	♦ ½/4	♦ ½/5	6
3	George S Botterill	ENG	♦ 1/24	◊ ½/16	♦ ½/7	◊ 0/18	♦ 1/17	◊ 1/15	◊ ½/1	♦ ½/9	♦ 1/6	6
4	Bernard Cafferty	ENG	◊ ½/17	♦ ½/11	♦ 1/23	◊ ½/6	♦ ½/16	◊ ½/9	♦ 1/21	◊ ½/2	♦ 1/10	6
5	Leslie S F Blackstock	SCO	♦ ½/9	◊ ½/27	♦ ½/12	◊ 1/13	♦ 0/6	♦ 1/22	◊ 1/18	♦ 1/8	◊ ½/2	6
6	Adrian S Hollis	ENG	◊ 1/31	♦ ½/15	◊ ½/2	♦ ½/4	◊ 1/5	♦ ½/10	◊ 1/14	♦ ½/1	◊ 0/3	5½
7	Edward W Formanek	USA	◊ ½/28	♦ 1/20	◊ ½/3	♦ 0/2	◊ 1/25	♦ 1/19	◊ ½/8	♦ 1/10	◊ 0/1	5½
8	Gunnar Johansson	SWE	♦ 0/1	◊ ½/29	♦ ½/21	◊ 1/27	♦ 1/12	◊ 1/16	♦ ½/7	◊ 0/5	♦ 1/15	5½
9	Martyn J Corden	ENG	◊ ½/5	♦ 1/28	◊ 0/15	♦ ½/25	◊ 1/26	♦ ½/4	◊ ½/11	◊ ½/3	♦ 1/16	5½
10	Brian R Eley	ENG	♦ 1/21	◊ 1/23	♦ 1/18	◊ ½/1	♦ 1/15	◊ ½/6	♦ 0/2	◊ 0/7	♦ 0/4	5
11	Alan H Perkins	ENG	♦ 0/23	◊ ½/4	◊ 1/28	♦ ½/26	◊ 1/20	♦ ½/2	♦ ½/9	◊ ½/15	♦ ½/17	5
12	Keith B Richardson	ENG	◊ ½/13	♦ ½/25	◊ ½/5	♦ ½/17	◊ 0/8	♦ 1/26	◊ ½/16	♦ ½/14	◊ 1/18	5
13	Miroslav Radojcic	YUG	♦ ½/12	◊ ½/22	♦ ½/24	♦ 0/5	◊ 0/14	◊ 1/30	♦ ½/27	♦ 1/25	◊ 1/19	5
14	Simon Webb	ENG	◊ 0/15	♦ ½/31	◊ 0/20	♦ 1/32	♦ 1/13	◊ 1/24	♦ 0/6	◊ ½/12	♦ 1/21	5
15	Piet van der Weide	NED	♦ 1/14	◊ ½/6	♦ 1/9	◊ ½/16	◊ 0/10	♦ 0/3	◊ 1/19	♦ ½/11	◊ 0/8	4½
16	Peter H Clarke	ENG	◊ 1/32	♦ ½/3	◊ ½/19	♦ ½/15	◊ ½/4	♦ 0/8	♦ ½/12	◊ 1/20	◊ 0/9	4½
17	Frantisek Pithart	CZE	♦ ½/4	◊ 0/18	♦ 1/27	◊ ½/12	◊ 0/3	♦ ½/20	◊ ½/22	♦ 1/28	◊ ½/11	4½
18	Peter C Griffiths	ENG	◊ 1/19	♦ 1/17	◊ 0/10	♦ 1/3	◊ ½/2	♦ 0/1	♦ 0/5	◊ ½/21	♦ 0/12	4
19	John L Moles	IRL	♦ 0/18	◊ 1/21	♦ ½/16	◊ 1/22	♦ ½/1	◊ 0/7	♦ 0/15	◊ 1/31	♦ 0/13	4
20	Alan Phillips	ENG	♦ ½/30	◊ 0/7	♦ 1/14	◊ ½/24	♦ 0/11	◊ ½/17	♦ 1/23	♦ 0/16	◊ ½/22	4
21	J Henk van Donk	NED	◊ 0/10	♦ 0/19	◊ ½/8	◊ 1/23	♦ 1/29	♦ 1/31	◊ 0/4	♦ ½/18	◊ 0/14	4
22	Peter Schaffarth	BRD	◊ ½/26	♦ ½/13	◊ ½/25	♦ 0/19	♦ 1/30	◊ 0/5	♦ ½/17	◊ ½/24	♦ ½/20	4
23	Jan Michael F Nykopp	FIN	◊ 1/11	♦ 0/10	◊ 0/4	♦ 0/21	◊ 1/27	♦ ½/25	◊ 0/20	♦ ½/32	◊ 1/31	4
24	Daniel Wright	ENG	◊ 0/3	♦ 1/32	◊ ½/13	♦ ½/20	◊ ½/31	♦ 0/14	◊ ½/25	♦ ½/22	◊ ½/28	4
25	Gavin N Henderson	ENG	♦ ½/27	◊ ½/12	♦ ½/22	◊ ½/9	♦ 0/7	◊ ½/23	♦ ½/24	◊ 0/13	♦ ½/30	3½
26	Eamon Keogh	IRL	♦ ½/22	◊ 1/30	♦ 0/1	◊ ½/11	♦ 0/9	◊ 0/12	♦ 0/29	◊ ½/27	♦ 1/32	3½
27	Nigel Bloch	SAF	◊ ½/25	♦ ½/5	◊ 0/17	♦ 0/8	♦ 0/23	◊ 1/32	◊ ½/13	♦ ½/26	◊ ½/29	3½
28	Wolfram Berner	BRD	♦ ½/7	◊ 0/9	♦ 0/11	◊ 0/30	♦ 1/32	◊ 1/29	♦ ½/31	◊ 0/17	♦ ½/24	3½
29	Christopher A Evans	NZL	◊ 0/2	♦ ½/9	◊ ½/32	♦ ½/31	◊ 0/21	♦ 0/28	◊ 1/26	◊ ½/30	♦ ½/27	3½
30	Michael F Stean	ENG	◊ ½/20	♦ 0/16	◊ 0/31	♦ 1/28	◊ 0/22	♦ 0/13	◊ 1/32	♦ ½/29	◊ ½/25	3½
31	Timothy S Wickens	ENG	♦ 0/6	◊ ½/14	♦ 1/30	◊ ½/29	♦ ½/24	◊ 0/21	◊ ½/28	♦ 0/19	♦ 0/23	3
32	Louis de Veauce	ENG	♦ 0/16	◊ 0/24	♦ ½/29	◊ 0/14	◊ 0/28	♦ 0/27	♦ 0/30	◊ ½/23	◊ 0/26	1

THE CHALLENGERS’ TOURNAMENT

by P. H. Clarke
Since the winner of this event was to be invited to the enlarged Premier next Christmas, a stronger than ever entry was expected. That proved to be the case, though the lack of high-class opposition from abroad was surprising (the promotion of Z. Mestrovic took away the tournament’s sole international master). If star names were missing, the compensation lay in the solid strength that extended almost to the foot of the table.

Eight of the players had previously taken part in the Premier, and it was probably fitting that one of them should regain his place among the chosen few. Michael Franklin emerged from a mass of rivals at the finish and snatched the narrowest of victories. He was a popular winner, since his great efforts here in the last few years have deserved a better reward than the position of second prizewinner.

So close was the struggle that a multiple tie looked likely until practically the last moment, and one can hardly claim that Franklin’s play was superior M.J.Franklin Photo BCM. to the other leaders. Examination of his last-round game with Formanek (the one foreigner to put in a really dangerous challenge) shows that the British master was under strong pressure for much of the middlegame and could not have avoided a draw if White had wanted it. Still, Franklin kept cool and seized his chance as soon as it came. His steadiness and faith in his own systems sustained him throughout the tournament.

Bellin and Botterill both played excellently and might easily have triumphed. If the Formanek-Franklin encounter had been drawn, Bellin would have been awarded first place on the tie-breaking system (though play-offs are surely to be preferred), while Botterill must have had enough winning positions in his games for an outright success. His determined play deepens the strong impression he made at Coventry last August.

Hollis had the misfortune to lose in the last round and thus miss the prizes altogether. He had been in his best form up to then, backing up a scientific approach with aggressiveness in the middlegame. His sacrificial attack against Blackstock was one of the highlights of the event.

Late spurts brought Cafferty and Blackstock into the top five, and for that reason they could be well satisfied. Their final positions contrast sharply with those of Eley and Griffiths, who both experienced disastrous finishes. Eley led by a full point after five rounds and seemed all set for victory. But then this talented player’s weaknesses made themselves felt: confidence turned to carelessness, and defeats and the pack overtook him.

The overall results of this well fought tournament reflected the domination of the home contingent. Let us hope that this state will continue in future years; for places in the grandmaster tournament will not be easily given away, and a foreign success in the Challengers’ may cut down our representation in the Premier. What is assured is that the competition will get fiercer.

1970/71 Hastings Challengers Reserves, 29 December - 7 January

1970/71 Hastings Challengers Reserves		Nat'y	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
1	(Robert) Walter Lambert Moberly	ENG	◊ 1/18	♦ 1/11	◊ 1/12	♦ ½/9	♦ ½/2	◊ 1/24	♦ ½/10	♦ 1/4	◊ 0/3	6½
2	Gerald H Bennett	ENG	◊ 1/20	♦ ½/6	◊ 1/14	♦ 1/23	◊ ½/1	♦ ½/9	◊ 0/4	♦ ½/7	♦ 1/10	6
3	Pank A Hoogendoorn	NED	♦ ½/9	◊ 0/14	♦ ½/28	◊ ½/13	♦ 1/19	◊ 1/5	♦ 1/18	◊ ½/10	♦ 1/1	6
4	John N Sugden	ENG	♦ 1/21	◊ ½/8	♦ ½/10	◊ ½/16	◊ 1/12	♦ ½/6	♦ 1/2	◊ 0/1	◊ 1/11	6
5	Harry Lamb	ENG	◊ 1/17	◊ ½/10	♦ 0/9	♦ ½/15	◊ ½/27	♦ 0/3	◊ 1/12	◊ ½/24	♦ 1/16	5½
6	Alan T Ludgate	IRL	♦ 1/26	◊ ½/2	♦ ½/16	◊ 1/8	♦ ½/10	◊ ½/4	◊ ½/9	♦ ½/11	◊ ½/7	5½
7	Ian C McNee	ENG	♦ ½/14	◊ 0/9	♦ 1/20	◊ 1/19	♦ 1/16	◊ 0/10	♦ 1/24	◊ ½/2	♦ ½/6	5½
8	Werner Nicolai	BRD	◊ 1/15	♦ ½/4	◊ ½/24	♦ 0/6	◊ 1/23	♦ 1/12	◊ 0/11	♦ 1/14	◊ ½/9	5½
9	Richard St George Upton	ENG	◊ ½/3	♦ 1/7	◊ 1/5	◊ ½/1	♦ ½/24	◊ ½/2	♦ ½/6	◊ ½/16	♦ ½/8	5½
10	Milan Bajovic	YUG	◊ 1/23	♦ ½/5	◊ ½/4	♦ ½/12	◊ ½/6	♦ 1/7	◊ ½/1	♦ ½/3	◊ 0/2	5
11	James L Harkins	USA	♦ 1/19	◊ 0/1	♦ 0/27	♦ 1/14	◊ ½/15	◊ 1/25	♦ 1/8	◊ ½/6	♦ 0/4	5
12	John Burstow	CAN	◊ 1/25	♦ 1/13	♦ 0/1	◊ ½/10	♦ 0/4	◊ 0/8	♦ 0/5	◊ 1/18	♦ 1/24	4½
13	Mike J Conroy	ENG	♦ ½/27	◊ 0/12	◊ ½/22	♦ ½/3	◊ ½/18	♦ ½/17	◊ 1/23	♦ ½/15	◊ ½/14	4½
14	Paul D Gait	ENG	◊ ½/7	♦ 1/3	♦ 0/2	◊ 0/11	◊ 1/22	♦ 1/15	♦ ½/16	◊ 0/8	♦ ½/13	4½
15	Michael Gielow	ENG	♦ 0/8	◊ 1/21	♦ ½/19	◊ ½/5	♦ ½/11	◊ 0/14	♦ 1/28	◊ ½/13	♦ ½/17	4½
16	Svend O van Seelen	DEN	◊ ½/24	♦ 1/22	◊ ½/6	♦ ½/4	◊ 0/7	♦ 1/27	◊ ½/14	♦ ½/9	◊ 0/5	4½
17	G Stiehl		♦ 0/5	◊ 0/23	♦ 1/26	◊ ½/28	♦ ½/25	◊ ½/13	♦ 1/27	◊ ½/19	◊ ½/15	4½
18	(Louis) Alan Edwards	ENG	♦ 0/1	◊ 0/19	♦ ½/21	◊ 1/20	♦ ½/13	◊ 1/26	◊ 0/3	♦ 0/12	◊ 1/22	4
19	Manfred Krause	BRD	◊ 0/11	♦ 1/18	◊ ½/15	♦ 0/7	◊ 0/3	♦ 1/20	◊ 1/22	♦ ½/17	w/d	4
20	Alan K May	ENG	♦ 0/2	◊ ½/27	◊ 0/7	♦ 0/18	♦ ½/21	◊ 0/19	♦ 1/26	◊ 1/25	◊ 1/23	4
21	B Hessbrugge		◊ 0/4	♦ 0/15	◊ ½/18	♦ 0/26	◊ ½/20	♦ 0/22	♦ 1/25	◊ ½/28	♦ 1/27	3½
22	Brian A Jones	ENG	♦ ½/28	◊ 0/16	♦ ½/13	◊ ½/25	♦ 0/14	◊ 1/21	♦ 0/19	◊ 1/27	♦ 0/18	3½
23	Akihiro Kanamori	ENG	♦ 0/10	♦ 1/17	◊ 1/25	◊ 0/2	♦ 0/8	◊ ½/28	♦ 0/13	◊ 1/26	♦ 0/20	3½
24	Karl Schlinkert	BRD	♦ ½/16	◊ 1/28	♦ ½/8	◊ 1/27	◊ ½/9	♦ 0/1	◊ 0/7	♦ 0/5	◊ 0/12	3½
25	H Johansson		♦ 0/12	◊ 1/26	♦ 0/23	♦ ½/22	◊ ½/17	♦ 0/11	◊ 0/21	♦ 0/20	◊ 1/28	3
26	K D Mann		◊ 0/6	♦ 0/25	◊ 0/17	◊ 1/21	♦ 1/28	♦ 0/18	◊ 0/20	♦ 0/23	1/bye	3
27	John R Cooke	ENG	◊ ½/13	♦ ½/20	◊ 1/11	♦ 0/24	♦ ½/5	◊ 0/16	◊ 0/17	♦ 0/22	◊ 0/21	2½
28	Wim Posthumus	NED	◊ ½/22	♦ 0/24	◊ ½/3	♦ ½/17	◊ 0/26	♦ ½/23	◊ 0/15	♦ ½/21	♦ 0/25	2½

There were 5 Prizes: £25, £15, £10, £8 and £6. Time limit: 40 moves in 2½ hours and 16 moves per hour thereafter.

THE GENERAL CONGRESS

by W. Ritson Morry

Last year I remarked that the remodelling of the supporting tournaments had not, apparently, proved any deterrent to entries. If any doubts about this remained in the minds of the Committee, they must have been dispelled when the size of this year’s entries became known: 272 competitors, 43 more than in 1969, assembled for battle and the Falaise Hall could not contain all of them. Accordingly, three sections of the Christmas Special were put into the new Indoor Bowls Pavilion just across the road from the Falaise Hall.

Such was the entry for the Challengers and Challengers Reserves sections that many had to overflow into the Main Tournament thus making it stronger than ever.

The Challengers Reserves, originally intended to be a 32-player event, had its numbers reduced to 28 owing to the promotion of two players to fill vacancies caused by the withdrawal of L.W. Barden from the Challengers Tourney and the elevation of Z. Mestrovic to the Premier plus withdrawals through illness. Nevertheless it was a very strong international tournament in itself and the performance of R.W.L. Moberly in winning it with a round to spare was very meritorious. Two other young British players G.H. Bennett and J.N. Sugden were just behind.

There was a good foreign entry not confined to the afternoon tournament, and it was encouraging to see that the British players withstood the invaders in most sections.

Main A: (1-4) Ronald F Harman, G Katz, Lewis Johnstone Mills, K Neuman 6/9; (5) A Sottocasa 5½; (6-9) Miss Dinah M Dobson [Norman], Heinrich Jühe, James R Nicolson, W Arthur Winser 5; (10-12) Percy B Cook, Paul F Habershon, A J Tromp 4½; (13-14) Dr. Reinhard Cherubim, P Schurter 4; (15-17) C Gielvoet, J C Kleinbloesem, Norman Henry Stewart Lavers 3½; (18-19) M Kammerman, P A Vorstermans 3; (20) Robert J Kermeen 2½.

Main B: (1-3) John A Feavyour, Roland Gronau, J M Turner 6/9; (4-7) C D Carr, R E Evans, John A Gorman, Kevin J O’Connell 5½; (8-14) John Bertram Goodman, Gerald P Hildred, Michael J Rose, Robert P Ross, H G Schafer, J P Urankar, R Wyss 4½; (15-18) R J Bavin, Raymond M Ellison, M Herrou, A J Smith 4; (19) S B Scott 3½; (20-22) Ian Eustis, David H Powell 3; (23) George Frederick Ramsay 2.

Main C: (1) G Hill 7½/9; (2) G Agnew 7; (3-6) W Andre, Graham J Bromley, M J Meakin, R J Roberts 5½; (7-10) John A Felton, R W Jennings, Daffydd R Johnston, Truman V Parrott 5; (11-13) Nigel W Dennis, B Holzapfel, Walter R Rayner 4½; (14-15) Sydney Ross Capsey, A Kerry 4; (16-21) Kevin R M Claudius, G Frost, J Johnson, David Edward Luckin, Miss Olive Richards, Leslie E Vine 3½; (22) Urmas O Aavelaid 0.

Main D: (1) Lucien Mouillaux (FRA) 7/9; (2) E Myers 6½; (3-5) W Bainbridge, Ronald E Rushbrook, von Beers 6; (6-12) N Brat, D A Burrows, Thomas E L Chataway, David Terence Fairbank, A S Grant, Michael P R Houlden, E Mitchell 5; (13-14) E Chambers, C Sottocasa 4½; (15-19) R L Baker, William Edward Busbridge, Miss Julie Dobson, Alfred Milner, F A Winter 4; (20-21) Mrs Evaline Emily Feavyour, W G Oliver 3; (22-23) W Latey, Victor Litvin 2½; (24) J Sottocasa 1½.

Xmas Special A: (1-2) B Huss, Stephen J Taylor 4/5; (3-5) I Fertoszegi, Peter W Hempson, R Hughes-Hallett 3½; (6-7) Anthony C Ashby, Rev. Peter R Kings 3; (8-15) A B Bamford, Rev. David J Casiot, Michael P Cook, Martin H Hawley, Mark H Horton, H Trevor Jones, Peter G Moore, John M Ripley 2½; (16-18) Charles Ambrose Scott Damant, R Doelman, C M Read 1½; (19) E Barry Sandercock 1; (20) M N Sutton 0.

Xmas Special B: (1-2) K Berg, Edward W Nottingham 4/5; (3-5) Raymond J Gamble, R J Pool, A Torn 3½; (6-8) Mrs van der Giessen, E Houghton, R A Walker 3; (9-10) E H Goodwin, John G Turnock 2½; (11-15) D H Beattie, J W Dick, Robin A E Shaw, E J Smith, Kenneth Henry Staines 2; (16) Philip M Stimpson 1½; (17) J Eyre 1; (18) G Quilter 0.

Xmas Special C: (1-2) H Olsen, D J Towers 4/5; (3) W L Starling 3½; (4-6) C W Bryan, I Fayter, D J Gulliver 3; (7-10) John R Cotterell, R J Nash, H A Viets, R G Woods 2½; (11-13) B Morris, Jack A Speigel, D A R Vallat 2; (14-15) J Hobden, A R Towner 1½; (16) P Mack ½.

Xmas Special D: (1) Neville Robin Laurence Boyd 4/5; (2-5) A Archer, N R Browne, H G Crews, R Quaye 3½; (6) I B Collins 3; (7-9) P A Bond, J W Prosser, Mrs S L Roper 2½; (10-13) P A Hann, J T Hodgkinson, S A Rawlings, P R Rooke 2; (14) I C Baker 1½; (15) H Rawcliffe 1; (16) H Marner 0.

Xmas Special E: (1) J Halliwell 5/5; (2) Francis Norman Copping 4; (3-6) J R Anderson, P A Baldwin, Miss E Whyte, J Wright 3; (7-8) G Burnett, A R Gardner 2½; (9-12) C M Chamberlain, A J Edwards, A Hills, C Woods 2; (13) Miss Elsie Grace Coulson 1; (14) Mrs M Battrum 0.

New Year Special A: (1) Peter G Moore 4½/6; (2-6) Martin H Hawley, Gottfried Kräuchi, Brian F O’Sullivan, Stephen J Taylor, Heinz Wirthensohn (SUI) 4; (7-8) Charles Ambrose Scott Damant, S G Johnson 3½; (9-13) M McNaughton, (Nicholas) Anthony Perkins, James Rushton, W P Taylor, Leigh A Trangmar 3; (14-16) P D Bond, P O’Connor, D J Towers 2½; (17) Maj. Eric Howard Flear 2; (18-19) T Gentsch, M A Marshall 1½; (20) W H Penfold 1.

New Year Special B: (1) H Young 5½/6; (2-3) K Earland, R Quaye 4½; (4-7) A Archer, Martin J Cowley, J C Loose, R C Winter 4; (8) G Burnett 3½; (9-11) David E Begamie, B J Cole, G Quilter 3; (12-14) S Blewitt, P A Bond, J Hatton 2½; (15-18) Miss Elsie Grace Coulson, E Newham, R Park, Miss E Whyte 2; (19) Mrs M Scannell 1; (20) Arthur Cecil Finney ½.

There were five prizes in each of the main sections and four in each of the Christmas and New Year Special sections.

Time-limit in all morning sections (Main and Specials) was 36 moves in the first 2 hours and 18 moves per hour thereafter.

I end this report on a sad note. On Sunday morning, Jan. 3rd, Mr. A.C. Finney, who was a well known figure at congresses for many years and a leading member of the Stoke Victory Chess Club, suffered a stroke just as he was about to enter the Falaise Hall. Although assistance was quickly on hand in the person of ‘Robbie’ Robinson, who, among his many valuable accomplishments, is skilled in first aid, and an ambulance arrived with commendable speed to convey him to hospital, it proved impossible to revive him and he died in the early hours of the following morning. The incident cast a cloud over what was otherwise a very happy congress. [Arthur Cecil Finney, 2 May 1904 - 4 January 1971]

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File Updated

Date	Notes
Previously	Uploaded as part of the Hastings collection some time ago.
2 January 2023	Uploaded the 45 Premier games plus 33 games from the Challengers, crosstables, results, etc. The Challengers games include four submitted by Andy Ansel, for which many thanks.
2 January 2023	Added two more games from subsidiary sections, both brevities: (1) I.McNee 0-1 R.Upton (Challengers Reserves, rd 2); (2) P.A.Bond 0-1 R.Winter (New Year Special B). Many thanks to Brian Denman.
4 July 2023	Added one more game from the Challengers: H.Van Donk 0-1 B.Cafferty (rd 7). I have the late Peter Gibbs to thank for this: I was browsing his Birmingham Daily Post columns and found this game.