1926 British Chess Championship, Edinburgh, 2-13 August • 1925« »1928

1926 British Chess Championship		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Fred Dewhirst Yates	4	Leeds	&;	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9½
2	Reginald Pryce Michell	7	Kingston-upon-Thames	0	&;	1	1	½	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	7½
3	Maurice Edward Goldstein	11	London	1	0	&;	½	1	½	1	0	0	1	½	1	6½
4	Joseph Henry Blake	3	Surbiton	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	6½
5	Harold Saunders	8	London	½	½	0	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	0	1	6
6	Andrew Rowland B Thomas	5	Liverpool	0	1	½	0	1	&;	½	0	1	0	0	1	5
7	George Shorrock A Wheatcroft	6	Oxford	0	½	0	0	0	½	&;	1	½	1	1	½	5
8	Christopher Barclay Heath	2	London	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	&;	0	1	½	0	4½
9	Charles Reuben Gurnhill	9	Sheffield	0	0	1	1	0	0	½	1	&;	0	1	0	4½
10	Dr. Ronald Cadell Macdonald	12	Inverness	0	½	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	&;	½	1	4
11	William Gooding	1	London	0	0	½	0	1	1	0	½	0	½	&;	0	3½
12	Henry Bernard Uber	10	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	1	0	1	&;	3½

1926 British Ladies' Chess Championship, Edinburgh, 2-13 August • 1925« »1928

1926 British Ladies Chess Championship		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Mrs Agnes Bradley Stevenson (née Lawson)	2	London	&;	½	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	8½
2	Miss Edith Charlotte Price	8	London	½	&;	½	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	8
3	Miss Mary Dinorah Gilchrist	7	Edinburgh	0	½	&;	1	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	7½
4	Miss Hilda Florence Chater	1	Penzance	0	1	0	&;	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	7
5	Mrs Edith Mary Michell (née Tapsell)	10	Kingston-upon-Thames	½	0	0	½	&;	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	7
6	Mrs Amabel Nevill Gwyn Sollas (née Jeffreys)	3	Oxford	1	0	½	½	0	&;	0	1	1	½	1	1	6½
7	Miss Mary Constance Forbes	4	Edinburgh	0	1	½	0	½	1	&;	0	0	1	1	1	6
8	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	9	Herne Bay	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	&;	1	0	1	1	5
9	Miss Mary Ann Eliza Andrews	6	London	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	0	&;	1	1	1	4½
10	Mrs M M Ritchie	11	Edinburgh	½	0	½	0	0	½	0	1	0	&;	½	1	4
11	Mrs Jeanie Brockett	12	Glasgow	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1	2
12	Mrs Millicent Louise Battrum (née White)	5	Malvern	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

1926 BCF Major Open, Edinburgh

1926 BCF Major Open		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	John Arthur James Drewitt	8	Hastings	&;	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	9
2	John Harold Morrison	9	London	1	&;	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	9
3	Eugene Znosko-Borovsky	2	Paris	½	½	&;	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	9
4	George Wyville Moses	5	Hemsworth	0	1	0	&;	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	6½
5	H G Wright	6	Leicester	0	0	½	½	&;	1	1	1	½	½	½	1	6½
6	Walter Atkinson	4	Hull	0	0	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	½	1	1	5
7	Patrick Charles Littlejohn	1	Nuneaton	0	0	0	½	0	½	&;	1	½	½	1	½	4½
8	Alfred Dudley Barlow	7	London	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	½	4
9	Sydney Gerard Howell-Smith	10	London	½	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	&;	0	1	½	4
10	William Rowland Thomas *	12	Liverpool	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	1	&;	0	0	3
11	Henfrey Austin Turriff	11	Arbroath	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	3
12	Harold Horace Watts	3	Middlesbrough	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	0	&;	2½

* V Buerger was named as a Major Open competitor in the list given in BCM, August 1926, but must have been replaced by WR Thomas at a later date.
§ the player is given as H H Watts in BCM and as H H Watts (Musselburgh) in The Scotsman, 16 August 1926. Is this the Harold H Watts who played in the 1947 and 1949 BCF Congresses? Almost certainly: I'm fairly sure that 'Musselburgh' is a Scottish typesetter's error for 'Middlesbrough'. Harold Horace Watts was born in Stockton, Durham, and was listed as a student and resident with his parents in Middlesbrough in the 1911 census. He served as a seaman in WW1 when his occupation was listed as customs officer. He is a civil servant with HM Customs in Southport in 1939. He died in Southport in 1967. His son Theodore Watts played in the 1955 British Championship.

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1926 BCF First Class

1926 BCF First Class		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Rev Arthur Percival Lacy-Hulbert	Birmingham	&;	1	0	0	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	7½
2	H Parsons	Bristol	0	&;	1	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	7½
3	Francis Vaughan Dix	Coventry	1	0	&;	½	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	7
4	Mrs Edith Martha Holloway (née Crittenden)		1	½	½	&;	½	0d	1	½	0	1	1	½	6½
5	Francis Albert Joyce		½	0	½	½	&;	½	1	0	1	1	1d	½	6½
6	Major Sir Richard Whieldon Barnett		1	½	½	1d	½	&;	0	1	0	½	0	1	6
7	John MacAlister		0	½	1	0	0	1	&;	½	1	½	½	1	6
8	Frederick Wilkinson		0	½	½	½	1	0	½	&;	½	½	0	1	5
9	H H Elliot		0	0	0	1	0	1	0	½	&;	0	1	1	4½
10	Geoffrey Kendall Nuttall		0	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	&;	1	1	4½
11	Bernard John Barton-Eckett		0	½	0	0	0d	1	½	1	0	0	&;	½	3½
12	George Dickson Hutton		0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1½

1926 BCF Second Class A

1926 BCF Second Class A		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
1	John Macdonald	Paisley	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	9
2	W Barker	Wolverhampton	½	&;	½	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7½
3	Anthony Clifford Steadman	Bristol	0	½	&;	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	7
4	Patrick Humphrey Sullivan		0	½	½	&;	½	0	1d	1	1	1	1	6½
5	Henry Stanley Shelton? §		0	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	½	½	1	5½
6	Ernest Edward Shepherd		0	1	½	1	0	&;	0	½	½	1	1	5½
7	Leslie Burland		0	0	0	0d	0	1	&;	1	1	½	1	4½
8	Stephen Poulson Lees		½	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	1	1	1	4
9	Alexander Goldberg		0	0	½	0	½	½	0	0	&;	1	1	3½
10	Miss A Heard		0	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	&;	1	2
11	Mrs B Reid		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

§ BCM gives 'H H Shelton' but I'm inclined to think this is a typo for H S Shelton – Henry Stanley Shelton played in the 1925 BCF Congress.

1926 BCF Second Class B

1926 BCF Second Class B		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Newman Clissold	New Brighton	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	9½
2	John Keeble	Norwich	½	&;	1*	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
3	C H Taylor	London	0	0*	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
4	Alfred Lindsay Densham		0	½	0	&;	1	0	1	1	½	1	1	1	7
5	George Breese		0	1	0	0	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	6
6	Robert Davidson Dykes §		0	0	0	1	1	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	6
7	Willington Lucette Wakefield		0	0	0	0	1	1	&;	1	0	1	1	1	6
8	J E Riley		1	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	½	½	1	1	5
9	G M Rowson		0	0	0	½	0	0	1	½	&;	1	1	1	5
10	Miss Stella Violey Aline Malcolm		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	0	1	1½
11	George Arthur Youngman		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	½	1½
12	Miss Lillie Eveling		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	½

* infraction of time limit. "In section B, Keeble won his first six games, and led Clissold and Taylor by a point. He could not keep this up in the second week, and Clissold emerged winner by 1 point." (BCM)
§ BCM gives 'RB Dykes' but I'm assuming this is a typo for the Edinburgh-based Robert Davidson Dykes (1908-61) whom the Chess Scotland website tells us "started serious chess in his teens with the Stockbridge Club."

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1926 BCF Third Class A

1926 BCF Third Class A		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	G W Bedford	Leyton	&;	1 ½	1 1	1 1	1 1	1 1d	9½
2	Henry Edward Doran	Coventry	0 ½	&;	1 1	1 1	1 1	1 1d	8½
3	John E Coleman	Grays	0 0	0 0	&;	½ 1	0 1	1 1d	4½
4	Miss Jane Violet Kessen	Edinburgh	0 0	0 0	½ 0	&;	1 1	½ 1d	4
5	Mrs M M Sim		0 0	0 0	1 0	0 0	&;	1 1d	3
6	Mrs A Harrison		0 0d	0 0d	0 0d	½ 0d	0 0d	&;	½

"The old Hampstead player, G. W. Bedford, won Division I of the Third Class in superior style with 9½ out of 10. This is his first first-prize in an open tournament, and the youthful octogenarian is hoping for fresh worlds to conquer next year." (BCM) A George William Bedford was born in Shoreditch in 1841 - could be him.

1926 BCF Third Class B

1926 BCF Third Class B		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
1	Mrs M Healey	Purley	&;	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	8½
2	William Patrick Pepper	Liverpool	½	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1d	1	1	1	8½
3	Miss E H Henderson	Edinburgh	0	0	&;	1	1	½	1	1d	1	1	1	7½
4	C W Marshall	Greenock	1	1	0	&;	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	7½
5	Miss M Crookshanks		0	0	0	½	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	5½
6	J M Harris		0	0	½	0	1	&;	1	0	1	1	1	5½
7	Miss M R Watson		0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	4
8	Mrs M Barker		0	0d	0d	0	0	1	0	&;	1	0d	1	3
9	Mrs E Copland		0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	&;	0	1	2
10	Miss M Tweedie		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1d	1	&;	0	2
11	Mrs A Fletcher		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1

Lancashire Evening Post - Thursday 12 August 1926: "FATAL COLLAPSE AT A CHESS MATCH. A tragedy brought a sudden end to the British Chess Congress in Edinburgh, yesterday. Games in the lightning tourney were being contested when one of the onlookers, Mr. J[ames]. Marshall, collapsed. Two doctors went to his assistance, but their efforts were of no avail, and he died in a few minutes. Mr. Marshall was Scottish chess champion in 1889, and for many years he has taken an active part in the affairs of the Scottish Chess Association, being president in 1922."

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1926 BCF All-Play-All Pairings

Table 1	1	2	3	4	5	6
Rd 1	1 v 2	11 v 3	10 v 4	9 v 5	8 v 6	7 v 12
Rd 2	3 v 1	7 v 8	6 v 9	5 v 10	4 v 11	12 v 2
Rd 3	1 v 4	2 v 3	9 v 7	10 v 6	11 v 5	12 v 8
Rd 4	5 v 1	4 v 2	8 v 9	7 v 10	6 v 11	3 v 12
Rd 5	1 v 6	2 v 5	3 v 4	10 v 8	11 v 7	9 v 12
Rd 6	7 v 1	6 v 2	5 v 3	9 v 10	8 v 11	12 v 4
Rd 7	1 v 8	2 v 7	3 v 6	4 v 5	11 v 9	12 v 10
Rd 8	9 v 1	8 v 2	7 v 3	6 v 4	10 v 11	5 v 12
Rd 9	1 v 10	2 v 9	3 v 8	4 v 7	5 v 6	11 v 12
Rd 10	11 v 1	10 v 2	9 v 3	8 v 4	7 v 5	12 v 6
Rd 11	1 v 12	2 v 11	3 v 10	4 v 9	5 v 8	6 v 7

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File Updated

Date	Notes
March 2016	Original upload. My thanks to Gerard Killoran for his help in sourcing the games, culled from BCM and newspapers.
9 March 2016	Seven more games from the Tinsley notebooks, which have a complete record of games from rounds 1, 10 and 11. Many thanks to Tony Gillam. I'm hoping that Tinsley records of games from other rounds will eventually turn up.
13 March 2016	Corrected one move in the Saunders-Wheatcroft game, rd 1 (37.h4, not 37.a4). My thanks to Andy Ansel.
15 March 2016	Included one more Championship game, between Gooding and Yates in Rd 3. No ordinary game - it went to a staggering 142 moves! It turned up in the chess column of the Glasgow Herald some two years after it was played.
16 March 2016	15 further games from Gerard Killoran, including three from the Championship proper.
4 April 2016	Removed a duplicate game - the game Watts-Drewitt was shown with the colours reversed in the Glasgow Herald. My thanks to Brian Denman for spotting the error.
11 April 2016	Games sourced from The Scotsman newspaper. Three championship games (Goldstein-Thomas, Rd 3, Wheatcroft-Heath, Rd 6, and Goldstein-Michell, Rd 5) have more moves at the finish (replacing the "and wins" comments in BCM); four more games from the women's championship, and one from 2nd Class B.
26 April 2016	Added one Major Open game, Barlow-Littlejohn (which The Scotsman newspaper gives with the wrong colours). Many thanks to Gerard Killoran for supplying.
15 April 2018	Minor change of move order in the game Goldstein-Thomas, Round 3, after checking against Thomas's book 'Chess for the Love of It'. The Scotsman also has this correct move order.
5 March 2019	Two games added: Youngman-Wakefield & Breese-Wakefield, both Second Class B. Many thanks to Brian Denman.
28 August 2020	One game added – Parsons 1-0 Elliot, in the First Class section. Found by JS.
1 June 2022	One game added, from the Championship proper: C.Gurnhill 1-0 W.Gooding. Geoff Chandler found this in an undated press clipping from The Scotsman (presumably in the weekly edition as it is not discoverable in the online archive of the daily editions). Thanks, Geoff. Running total of Championship game scores now 53 out of 66. I have also used the opportunity to add/amend round numbers and dates of games in the Women's Championship.
3 December 2024	Added the game H Parsons 0-1 A Lacy-Hulbert (First Class), contributed by Gerard Killoran via the English Chess Forum, for which many thanks.