1929 Scarborough Premier, 18-25 May, Pavilion Hotel, Scarborough, Yorkshire

1929 Scarborough Premier		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total
1	Harold Saunders	London	&;	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	6
2	Dr. Saviely Tartakower	Paris	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	6
3	Sir George Alan Thomas	Godalming	½	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	5½
4	Victor Leonard Wahltuch	Manchester	½	0	0	&;	1	1	0	1	3½
5	Edith Martha Holloway	London	0	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	2½
6	Joshua Jackson	Dewsbury	0	0	0	0	½	&;	½	1	2
7	Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland	Eastbourne	0	0	0	1	0	½	&;	0	1½
8	Henry Ashwell Cadman	Scarborough	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1

Note that various games from round one were postponed because of the late arrival of players, while other games of players who had arrived but whose opponents hadn't were brought forward. I have retained the original round numbers but adjusted the dates played to the actual dates where known from Times reports. JS.

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The Times, 18 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. ENTRIES FOR THE TOURNAMENTS. (from our chess correspondent.)

SCARBOROUGH, May 17.

The organizers of the annual chess festival were faced this year with certain circumstances that made the holding of a festival a matter of doubt, but they felt an effort should be made to preserve the continuity of the meetings, the first of which was held in 1925. The response they received enabled them to undertake the responsibility of running another meeting, though certain items must remain in abeyance until to-morrow morning.

So far sufficient entries have been received to provide for three tournaments, and for the premier tournament they have secured the entries of Sir George Thomas, Dr. S. Tartakower, and Mr. H. Saunders. Several strong county players are arriving to-day, and the final selection, as in the other tournaments, will be made in the morning. Sir George Thomas and Dr. Tartakower are a host in themselves, and one may safely predict that first honours will go to one of these players. I may note here that Sir George Thomas will compete in the International Tournament, to be held in Paris next month; also at the Carlsbad tournament in August and the Budapest tournament a little later on in the year. This will keep him out of the British Championship tournament at Ramsgate, but something has to be given up for the sake of accepting these Continental invitations.

I understand we may expect either a simultaneous display or a blindfold display from Dr. Tartakower during the week, and probably the usual lightning or quick play tournaments for the benefit of the visitors. The social side of the festival will not be neglected, and this has created from the first what one may call an "atmosphere," which has done more than anything else to make these annual meetings successful.

Play begins in the Pavilion Hotel at 9.30 in the morning, and the festival ends next Saturday.

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The Times, 20 May

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. THE OPENING DAY. (from our chess correspondent.)
SCARBOROUGH, May 18.

The first day of the Chess Festival ended somewhat incompletely, as a certain number of the entrants had not arrived at the end of the morning.

Some arrived this afternoon, and others are reported as on the way, but it will be Monday morning [20 May 1929] before all is clear. The entry of Mr. Wahltuch, at the last moment, makes the Premier Tournament very much stronger, and there is a prospect of some of the games in arrear being cleared off during the week-end.

Mr. A. Lindsay Densham won his game against W. Barker fairly early this morning. Mrs. Holloway was the next to score, and then
Dr. Tartakower, who did not arrive until the early afternoon, won against the Rev. C. F. Bolland. Several games were not played in the strict order of the pairing table, but it was better to get those players who were present at work as soon as possible. In the seventh round game played in advance H. Saunders beat Dr. Tartakower verv cleverly in 23 moves.

The Premier Tournament is now constituted as follows:—
Sir G. A. Thomas, the Rev. C. F. Bolland. H. A. Cadman, Mrs. Holloway. J. Jackson, H. Saunders, Dr. S Tartakower, and V. L. Wahltuch.

In the Major tournament, Section 'A', the entries are:—
W. Barker, A. Lindsay Densham, J. Keeble, E. Lake, S. J. Osborn, and G. R. Stancey.

The pairings and results in the first round of the Premier tournament were as follows :—

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Thomas	Ruy Lopez	Saunders	Drawn
Cadman	Ruy Lopez	Mrs. Holloway	Black won
Jackson	—	Bolland	—
Wahltuch	—	Tartakower	—

These last two games have not yet been started.

Saunders played the Morphy defence against Thomas, diverging later in a somewhat unusual manner by playing 6...B-K 2,
7...B-B3, and 8...Q Kt–K 2, afterwards advancing his king’s side pawns in an attempt-to break open that side. Thomas castled on the queen’s side directly this attack began, and then came a long struggle for positional advantage. Exchanges brought the position to a rook and pawn ending, wherein Thomas had possibilities of winning, but it was a most difficult ending to play. He did eventually win a pawn, but the defence was just adequate, and the end of a tense struggle was a draw in 91 moves.

Cadman against Mrs. Holloway was another Ruy Lopez, played on the usual lines of the Morphy defence. There was nothing either way in the position for a while until Cadman went astray in some exchanges, losing a piece in consequence. He struggled on gamely for some time, but the handicap was too great, and he resigned on the 43rd move.

A SIXTH ROUND GAME.

Tartakower against Bolland, on the pairing table, was a sixth round game, but both were willing to play this afternoon. Bolland defended well up to a point, and then a positional error ended in his king’s side being broken up. But the collapse came on the other side, where a cleverly planned sacrificial combination won in 33 moves.

In the Major Tournament “A,” First Round, all the games except that between Densham and Barker were adjourned. The following is the full score of the game between Dr. S. Tartakower and the Rev. C. F. Bolland.

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The Times, 21 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. PLAY IN SECOND ROUND. (from. our chess correspondent.)

SCARBOROUGH, May 20.

With one exception all the entrants for the Chess Festival were in their places this morning and the vacancy thus created in the major tournament, section B, will be filled up.

The pairing in the first round of the premier tournament requires amending to the extent that Dr. Tartakower was paired against Mrs. Holloway and V. L. Wahltuch against H. A. Cadman, making the game H. A. Cadman and Mrs. Holloway a sixth round item. She has not yet begun her game against Dr. Tartakower, but Mr. Wahltuch has beaten Mr. Cadman. With the games played in advance, including this morning’s results, the position is that Sir G. A. Thomas and H. Saunders are equal with 2½ points each. Dr. S. Tartakower and V. L. Wahltuch have scored 2 points each. The pairings and results in the second round of the premier tournament were as follows :—

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Saunders	QP	Jackson	White won
Mrs Holloway	Centre Counter	Thomas	Black won
Wahltuch	QP	Tartakower	Black won
Cadman	Irregular Defence	Bolland	White won

Games played in advance resulted as follows:

Fourth Round.—Wahltuch beat Jackson. Seventh Round.—-Thomas beat Bolland; adjourned game, first round, Wahltuch beat Cadman.

In this last mentioned game Wahltuch exchanged the centre pawn at once and proceeded to obtain the control of the centre with the major pieces. Then a correctly played King’s side attack won the exchange, and though the game was prolonged until the 55th move, it could not be saved.

In the second round games this morning Jackson played a backward defence against Saunders, who soon established the kind of
position that renders one’s opponent helpless. Then came a king’s side attack by Saunders which won in 31 moves. Thomas had much the better of the opening stages against Mrs. Holloway, winning first a pawn and then building up an attack on the queen’s side, which won two more pawns and the exchange. Continuing to press matters, Thomas made another combination which won a piece, and the end came in 39 moves. The hardest fought game of the round was the one between Wahltuch and Tartakower, which was full of interesting points. After the queens were exchanged, Wahltuch instituted a vigorous attack on the king’s side which was nearly good enough but not quite. Finally Tartakower was able to get rid of a dangerous pawn, won another pawn, and then Wahltuch had nothing left to do. He could have prolonged the game, but, knowing it was lost, resigned after 41 moves. Cadman against Bolland was a case of the defence gaining more than it deserved, and then failing at the critical moment. Bolland attacked persistently on the king’s side, and should have won easily, but missed the right line, and lost his queen through an oversight, the end coming in 40 moves.

With regard to the game between Saunders and Tartakower, the result of which was given yesterday, it will be seen from the full score that Saunders quite outplayed his opponent. Tartakower is fond of experiments, but research should be on sound lines.

Major Tournament. Section "A." Second Round.— Barker beat Stancey, Densham drew with Osborn, Keeble beat Lake. Adjourned game, first round. Osborn beat Stancey.

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The Times, 22 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. THE THIRD ROUND. (from our chess correspondent.)

SCARBOROUGH, May 21.

The third round of the Premier Tournament in the Chess Festival brought Sir George Thomas and V. L. Wahltuch together, and this game was important for both players. Sir George Thomas won it.

During the afternoon H. Saunders won against J. Jackson, and Dr. Tartakower defeated H. A. Cadman somewhat easily. The result is that Sir George Thomas and H. Saunders are still leading, with 3½ points each. Tartakower has scored three points, and V. L. Wahltuch two points. The vacant place in the major tournament, section B, has been filled by A. Wellburn.

The pairings and results in the third round of the premier tournament were as follows: —

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Bolland	Caro-Kann	Saunders	Black won
Jackson	QP	Mrs Holloway	Drawn
Thomas	Ruy Lopez	Wahltuch	White won
Cadman	QP	Tartakower	Black won

Bolland has played all his games from the attacking point of view, and was soon pursuing the same tactics this morning. Saunders attacked quite vigorously in his turn, breaking open the king’s side, besides making several threats of winning the opposing queen. Probably, with correct play, Bolland could have come out with a level position, but he failed to see that some exchanges would simplify matters, and the result was resignation after 29 moves.

Jackson against Mrs. Holloway played a variation resulting in the early exchange of queens, and then followed a lengthy period of marching and cross-marching. Exchanges brought the position to a rook and pawn ending, which Jackson should have won. He missed the right continuation, and the draw came in 47 moves.

Thomas has won against Wahltuch almost every time they have met, and the latter was verv anxious to break the sequence. He began badly by losing a pawn in the opening and was struggling with a bad position for the rest of the morning. Then came a combination which regained the pawn, Thomas allowing it for the sake of position, though he need not have let the pawn go. Here came the most interesting and difficult part of the game, and analysts afterwards showed a continuation for Wahltuch that would have produced equality. He missed seeing this through pressure of time, and only a few moves were necessary after the adjournment for Thomas to secure the win in 38 moves.

Cadman played the opening rather weakly against Dr. Tartakower, who soon saw his way to make his opponent uncomfortable. The necessary exchanges, coupled with a pawn advance in the centre, gave him the position he wanted, and then a sacrificial combination won the game in 26 moves.

In the Major Tournament, Section A, third round, Barker drew with Keeble, Densham drew with Stancey, and Osborn drew with Lake.

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The Times, 23 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. RESULTS IN FOURTH ROUND. (from our chess correspondent.)

SCARBOROUGH, May 22.

The fourth round of the Chess Festival was another important one for the leaders, as it brought Sir George Thomas against Dr. Tartakower this morning. The honours went to the Polish expert, for Sir George Thomas did not play the opening well and he lost a pawn which could not be safely recovered afterwards.

The results of the morning’s play left H. Saunders first with 4½ points. Dr. Tartakower had come into second place with four points, and Sir George Thomas was third with 3½ points. In all probability Friday will be the deciding day as Saunders meets V. L. Wahltuch in the fifth round that morning and this game will decide whether Saunders or Tartakower shall come out first.

The pairings and results in the fourth round of the Premier Tournament were as follows :

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Wahltuch	QP	Jackson	White won
Mrs Holloway	Sicilian	Bolland	White won
Tartakower	QP	Thomas	White won
Saunders	Ruy Lopez	Cadman	White won

I have already mentioned the result of the game between Wahltuch and Jackson, which was played in advance, but it should be added that Jackson played the defence in a way which allowed his opponent to occupy all the strategic points. This process of slow strangulation won the game for Wahltuch in 34 moves. Bolland pursued his vigorous tactics against Mrs. Holloway this morning but did not pay enough attention to his defence. The result was that some irregular exchanges gave Mrs. Holloway a passed pawn which could have been stopped. Bolland overlooked the right continuation and lost in 55 moves.

Cadman played the Morphy defence against Saunders, who played first of all to break the centre and then the queen’s side. The position he obtained was good, but again there came a miscalculation in exchanging, leaving Saunders a piece to the good. Cadman resigned on the 26th move.

Tartakower against Thomas was a case of the latter playing the Fianchetto variation on the queen’s side favoured by Capablanca, and there was nothing in it until Tartakower began an attack on the king’s side. In defending himself against this, Thomas made a slight positional error, just enough to enable Tartakower to win a pawn. This pawn could have been regained later, but either way Thomas had a bad game. The rest was a case of exchanging queens and then steady pressure on the weak centre with a passed pawn as the predominant item. Thomas resigned on the 40th move.

In the Major Tournament, Section A, fourth round, Osborn beat Barker, Densham beat Keeble, and Lake drew with Stancey. Densham and Osborn are equal with three points each.

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The Times, 24 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. PLAY IN FIFTH ROUND. (from our CHESS CORRESPONDENT.)

SCARBOROUGH, May 23.

In the fifth round of the Chess Festival the four principal players in the Premier Tournament were paired against the four who are distinctly weaker, with the result that at the end of the morning Sir George Thomas, Mr. Saunders, and Dr. Tartakower had each added a point to their scores.

It was not easy to see why Bolland played a sacrificial variation just before the adjournment, nor can he explain it himself, but it should have made things much easier for Wahltuch. The positions of the leaders are unchanged, for Saunders has scored 5½ points, Tartakower 5 points, and Thomas 4½ points. Tartakower played seven boards blindfold simultaneously last night, winning four games and drawing three.

The pairings and results in the fifth round of the premier tournament were as follows :—

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Thomas	Ruy Lopez	Cadman	White won
Jackson	Sicilian	Tartakower	Black won
Saunders	QP	Mrs Holloway	White won
Bolland	Vienna Game	Wahltuch	White won

The adjourned game from the first round between Jackson and Bolland has been played off and drawn in 40 moves. In this morning’s games Cadman played the Morphy defence against Thomas, but did not follow this up in the best manner, which allowed Thomas time to exert considerable pressure in the centre. Here again Cadman played an indifferent continuation, with the result that Thomas won a pawn on the king’s side. He followed up this advantage with a pretty combination involving the sacrifice of a rook, the end coming in 29 moves.

Jackson against Tartakower ran on usual lines for a little time, until some exchanges led to an attack by Tartakower on the queen’s side. For some unknown reason Jackson castled on that side, and was soon in serious trouble. In fact there was no escaping the various threats. Jackson resigned after 23 moves.

Saunders against Mrs. Holloway got a king’s side attack going at an early stage which was probably sound up to a point, but there was just one stage when Mrs. Holloway might have exchanged to win a rook and three pawns for two minor pieces, and she let this opportunity go by. The rest was a case of pressure on both wings by Saunders resulting in a win in 36 moves.

One was hardly prepared for the later developments of the game between Bolland and Wahltuch, but the latter went astray just at the adjournment. Bolland played the next few moves very well, regaining the piece later on and coming out with a rook and pawns against knight and pawns for the end game. The win was easy, but he made very hard work of it and this prolonged the game until the 94th move.

In the Major Tournament, Section "A," Keeble beat Osborn, and Lake beat Densham; and in the games played out of turn Barker drew with Lake and Keeble beat Stancey. Keeble wins this section with 3½ points and plays Knight, who has won the other section.

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The Times, 25 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. A TIE FOR FIRST PLACE. (from our chess correspondent.)

SCARBOROUGH, May 24.

This morning’s play in the sixth round of the Chess Festival decided the question of first honours in the Premier Tournament, for Saunders could do no more than draw with Wahltuch. Saunders therefore ties for first place with Tartakower, each having scored 6 points, and Sir George Thomas is next with 5½ points.

This, of course, is taking into account the games played in advance, and neither of these three players has anything to do in the morning. The other scores depend on the two games to be played in the last round.

The pairings and results in the sixth round of the Premier Tournament were as follows :—

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Thomas	Ruy Lopez	Jackson	White won
Tartakower	QP	Bolland	White won
Cadman	Ruy Lopez	Mrs Holloway	Black won
Wahltuch	QP	Saunders	Drawn

Photo from Yorkshire Post, 25 May 1929

The first-round game between Tartakower and Mrs. Holloway was played this morning and won by Tartakower in 38 moves. The fortune of the draw gave Thomas the white pieces again this morning, Jackson playing the Berlin defence to the opening. Thomas was soon able to put pressure on the centre and Jackson then missed his way in some exchanges, losing a piece in consequence. He struggled on for a time and then resigned, after 35 moves. The games between Tartakower and Bolland and between Cadman and Mrs. Holloway were dealt with in The Times of last Monday.

Wahltuch tried very hard to gain an advantage against Saunders, but the defence was adequate all the time. This defence was conducted on close lines, and then some developments in the centre led to the exchange of a good deal of material. The inevitable draw was agreed to in 31 moves.

In the game between Tartakower and Mrs. Holloway Tartakower played the variation wherein the king's bishop's pawn is advanced at an early stage, and there was little in it until Mrs. Holloway began to suffer from indecision. Tartakower played a combination which broke up the king’s side, and then forced the exchange of practically all the pieces. He won two pawns in the end game and then there was no defence left. The end came in 38 moves.

In the play-off between the leaders of the two major sections J. Keeble beat A. H. Knight and wins first honours.

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The Times, 27 May 1929

SCARBOROUGH CHESS FESTIVAL. THE FINAL ROUND. (from our chess correspondent. )

SCARBOROUGH, May 25.

The final round in the Premier Tournament of the Chess Festival was played today, or rather the games remaining from that round. They made no difference to the leading scores, but added a point to the score of Mr. V. L. Wahltuch, who won decisively against Mrs. Holloway.

The remaining scores were:—V. L. Wahltuch, 3½ points; Mrs. Holloway, 2½; H. A. Cadman, 2; the Rev. C. F. Bolland, 1½; J. Jackson, 1. The pairings and results in this final round of the Premier Tournament were as follows :—

WHITE	OPENING	BLACK	RESULT
Jackson	Ruy Lopez	Cadman	White won
Bolland	Vienna	Thomas	Black won
Saunders	QP	Tartakower	White won
Mrs Holloway	Irregular	Wahltuch	Black won

Jackson against Cadman was played in advance. Jackson playing the Exchange variation against the Berlin Defence adopted by Cadman. There was rather a long struggle after this, coming down to a queen and pawn ending, in which Cadman did not make the best of the position, and just lost enough time to make all the difference when the queens were exchanged. The "move behind" cost Cadman the game in 50 moves.

Bolland against Thomas had also been played in advance, Thomas defending the opening with 3...P-Q 3, after Bolland had played 3. P—B 4. After the major pieces had been exchanged the position came down to a rook and plawn ending, and here Thomas was completely in his element, winning in 48 moves through gaining a second queen just one move before his opponent.

The game between Saunders and Tartakower, played in advance, was given in The Times last Tuesday, and in the game between Mrs. Holloway and Wahltuch, the latter ran a certain amount of risk with the irregular defence which he adopted, but did so designedly with the idea of taking his opponent out of the usual lines of the "books." It was some while before he gained the upper hand, and then a cleverly designed combination on the king’s side won in 37 moves.

The following are the full scores in the other two tournaments :—

MAJOR TOURNAMENT "A."—J. Keeble, 3½ points; A. L. Densham and S. J. Osborn, 3 each; E. Lake, 2½; W. Barker, 2; G. R. Stancey, 1.
MAJOR TOURNAMENT "B."—A. H. Knight, 4½; F. R. Adcock, 4; J. J. Perks, 3; M. Winterburn, 2; A. B. Wellburn, 1½; W. H. Eyles, 0.
J. Keeble defeated A. H. Knight in the "play-off" from these two sections.

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1929 Scarborough Major A

1929 Scarborough Major A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	John Keeble	Norwich	&;	0	1	1	½	1	3½
2	Alfred Lindsay Densham	Kingston Hill	1	&;	½	0	1	½	3
3	S J Osborn		0	½	&;	½	1	1	3
4	Ethelbert Lake	Norwich	0	1	½	&;	½	½	2½
5	W Barker		½	0	0	½	&;	1	2
6	George Ronald Stancey		0	½	0	½	0	&;	1

1929 Scarborough Major B

1929 Scarborough Major B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	Anthony Henry Knight	London	&;					1	4½
2	Frank Raven Adcock	Norwich		&;				1	4
3	J J Perks	Birmingham			&;			1	3
4	Maurice Winterburn	Dewsbury				&;		1	2
5	Austin Bishop Wellburn						&;	1	1½
6	W H Eyles	Birmingham	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

Tartakower Blindfold Simul, 22 May 1929: "On Wednesday evening Dr Tartakower played seven games blindfold. Considering the complicated nature of the games this was really a very fine performance—the best your correspondent has seen. In three hours he won four games and drew three, the latter being adjudicated. The players who drew were W. Barker, C. Fenton Bolland, and W. Hick." (Linlithgowshire Gazette, 31 May 1929)

1929 Scarborough Congress: details at Yorkshire Chess History website

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File Updated

Date	Notes
10 August 2024	First uploaded. 28 games from the Premier plus 2 from the Major A section. Crosstables and reports.
11 August 2024	Score amendments applied to two games: (1) G.Thomas ½-½ H.Saunders (rd 1); (2) H.Saunders 1-0 J.Jackson (rd 2). My thanks to Andy Ansel for drawing my attention to these.