1965/66 Hastings Premier, 29 December 1965 - 7 January 1966, Sun Lounge, Hastings Pier

1965/66 Hastings Premier		Title	Fed	Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Boris V Spassky	GM	USSR	Russia	&;	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	7½
2	Wolfgang Uhlmann	GM	E.GER	E. Germany	½	&;	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	7½
3	Evgeni Vasiukov	GM	USSR	Russia	½	½	&;	½	1	0	1	½	1	1	6
4	Svetozar Gligoric	GM	YUG	Yugoslavia	½	0	½	&;	½	1	0	1	1	1	5½
5	Helmut Pfleger	IM	W.GER	W.Germany	0	½	0	½	&;	1	1	½	1	1	5½
6	Florin Gheorghiu	GM	ROU	Romania	0	0	1	0	0	&;	1	½	1	½	4
7	William R Hartston		ENG	Enfield	0	0	0	1	0	0	&;	½	1	1	3½
8	Peter N Lee		ENG	Wimbledon	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	&;	0	1	3
9	Norman Littlewood		ENG	Sheffield	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	2
10	Werner Nicolai		W.GER	W. Germany	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	&;	½

BCM, February 1966, ppn 33-34

The Hastings Christmas Congress

By P. H. CLARKE

The forty-first Hastings and St. Leonards International Chess Congress, which when three days old was to become the first event of the ninth-centenary year of the famous Battle of Hastings, was opened by Sir Alan Herbert on the afternoon of Wednesday, December 29th, 1965. More than two hundred competitors had entered for the various sections, which this time included a special Challengers’ Tournament run on the Swiss System. The Premier itself boasted five international grandmasters, one of them the official challenger for the World Championship.

It had earlier been hoped that Petrosian would come himself, but he finally preferred to remain at home to prepare for the defence of his title. So, Spassky came instead. His convincing victories over Keres, Geller, and Tal have made him the most successful player of the last year, and many experts are already predicting that he will beat the Champion. That is for the future to tell; at Hastings he certainly started as clear a favourite as any in recent times.

The Soviet second string, the Moscow grandmaster Vasiukov, was more of an unknown quantity. He has a number of international successes to his credit but has never quite reached the top flight in his own country. Just before coming to England he scored a modest 8 out of 19 in the U.S.S.R. Championship—yet was only a point behind Korchnoi.

Spassky’s most dangerous rivals for first place were expected to be Gligoric and Uhlmann, both previous winners of the Premier. The Yugoslav grandmaster was known to be in good form, having recently shared the top prizes at Copenhagen and also regained his national championship; while the East German is now justly recognized as one of the most formidable tournament players outside the Soviet Union.

The foreign contingent was completed by the youthful Gheorghiu and Pfleger, who were high among the prizes last year, and Nicolai, winner of the Challengers’ Tournament.

As for the home players, Peter Lee, our young Champion, and Norman Littlewood were again in the lists; while lastly, there was William Hartston, at eighteen, the second youngest Briton ever to play in the Premier Tournament. Thanks to their performances in the past year, all three deserved their places. However, none is very experienced at the international level, and considering the strength of the opposition, their chances would surely have been improved by the presence of a seasoned British master such as, for example, Kottnauer. Lee is not yet ready to assume the responsibilities of leadership.

BCM, February 1966, ppn 41-42 (also by P H Clarke)

The two winners thoroughly deserved their success. Apart from the excellence of his chess, Spassky impressed me by his composure at all times. The terrific series of qualifying events which he has gone through in the last couple of years seems to have tempered his nerves like steel. This result will have maintained his confidence at a peak for the match with Petrosian. Uhlmann more than lived up to his fine reputation. He finished with a burst of five straight wins and played most powerfully to do so.

Vasiukov performed well despite being overshadowed by his countryman. Most national teams would be pleased to have him as top board, but in the U.S.S.R. he has to fight to get into the first ten.

Sharing fourth place was, on the one hand, disappointing for Gligoric and, on the other, satisfactory for Pfleger. Neither was in his best form. The Yugoslav grandmaster has made so many appearances at Hastings that an occasional poorer performance is inevitable.

Gheorghiu was well below his best, as is clear from the large number of losses he suffered. Of quick, variable temperament, he sometimes finds it harder to overcome tournament reverses than more phlegmatic characters.

Of the home representatives, Hartston made a most commendable score, particularly after his depressing start. He is at ease in all types of positions and ever ready to take the chances that come up.

Lee improved on his last year’s result considerably. The draws that he scored against Vasiukov, Pfleger, and Gheorghiu show that he is learning to hold his own against strong opposition. The same cannot be said, I am afraid, for Norman Littlewood. His dynamic play, brilliant as it can be, is not generally sound enough to worry the modern grandmaster.

Nicolai never found his feet. He usually put up reasonably solid resistance for three or four hours but was then gradually worn down by his remorseless opponents. International tournaments are not very much fun for a tail-ender at the best of times.

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The Challengers’ Tournament

The running of the Challengers' Tournament as a ten-round Swiss was the unique feature of the congress. It seemed to work satisfactorily, thanks to the experienced hand of W. Ritson Morry, the Controller. The actual conditions in which the games were played, however, were not up to the standard required for such an important event. There was too little room between boards, and no cordons were put round the section to prevent the infiltration of spectators at critical moments.

The entry was a good one, with some strong foreigners opposed by several of Britain’s leading younger players. Chief interest was naturally enough centred on the sixteen-year-old Soviet master Balashov, and he did not let down expectations. He won his title at the age of fifteen and has already competed in the Semi-finals of the U.S.S.R. Championship (he scored 5½ out of 14). He started off here with three wins and led throughout, gaining first place by a superior Sonneborn-Berger score.

Raymond Keene, himself only seventeen, put up a fine performance to tie with Balashov, and this was officially recognized by his also being invited to take part in next year’s Premier, He has a maturity of style and gift for manoeuvring that is unusual for one so young.

The two winners were challenged most of the way by Hammond, Hollis, and Dr. Christoph. The first-mentioned shared third place in the Premier Reserves way back in 1952-3 but has since had little time to give to serious chess; this result shows that he remains a powerful player. Hollis played determinedly and well, while Dr. Christoph had the unfortunate distinction of meeting the strongest opposition and losing his last two games. Basman, who won five games at the end, and Westerinen, the Champion of Finland, were too variable in the early rounds, while the opposite is true of Gibbs, who was again undefeated.

1965/66 Hastings Challengers, 29 December 1965 - 8 January 1966, Sun Lounge, Hastings Pier

1965/66 Hastings Challengers		Fed		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Yuri S Balashov	USSR	USSR	♦ 1/16	◊ 1/5	♦ 1/21	♦ ½/4	◊ ½/7	♦ 1/19	◊ ½/2	◊ 1/3	♦ ½/12	◊ ½/6	7½
2	Raymond D Keene	ENG	Dulwich	◊ ½/11	♦ 1/26	◊ 1/10	♦ ½/20	◊ 1/13	♦ 1/7	♦ ½/1	◊ 1/12	♦ ½/3	◊ ½/4	7½
3	Adrian S Hollis	ENG	St Andrews	◊ 1/14	♦ 1/22	◊ ½/4	♦ 0/7	◊ 1/23	♦ 1/11	◊ 1/19	♦ 0/1	◊ ½/2	♦ 1/13	7
4	Norman G Hammond	ENG	Hastings	♦ 1/36	◊ 1/15	♦ ½/3	◊ ½/1	♦ ½/8	◊ 1/14	♦ 0/6	◊ 1/18	◊ 1/7	♦ ½/2	7
5	Michael J Basman	ENG	Leeds	◊ 1/13	♦ 0/1	◊ 0/15	♦ 1/29	♦ 0/12	◊ 1/27	◊ 1/25	♦ 1/22	◊ 1/11	♦ 1/7	7
6	Heikki MJ Westerinen	FIN	Finland	◊ 0/21	♦ 1/29	◊ 1/28	♦ 1/15	◊ 0/19	♦ 1/13	◊ 1/4	♦ 0/7	◊ 1/9	♦ ½/1	6½
7	Manfred Christoph	GER	W.Germany	♦ 1/18	◊ ½/8	♦ 1/12	◊ 1/3	♦ ½/1	◊ 0/2	♦ 1/20	◊ 1/6	♦ 0/4	◊ 0/5	6
8	Peter C Gibbs	ENG	Sutton Coldfield	◊ 1/25	♦ ½/7	◊ ½/11	♦ ½/22	◊ ½/4	♦ ½/9	◊ ½/17	♦ 1/19	◊ ½/13	♦ ½/10	6
9	Helmut Weichert	GER	W.Germany	◊ 1/31	♦ ½/21	◊ ½/19	♦ 0/11	♦ 1/16	◊ ½/8	♦ ½/18	◊ 1/20	♦ 0/6	◊ 1/12	6
10	John W Naylor	ENG	Ilkley	♦ 1/29	◊ ½/23	♦ 0/2	◊ 0/18	♦ ½/24	◊ 1/33	♦ ½/14	1	◊ 1/22	◊ ½/8	6
11	David E Lloyd	ENG	London	♦ ½/2	◊ 1/24	♦ ½/8	◊ 1/9	♦ 1/20	◊ 0/3	♦ 0/12	◊ 1/17	♦ 0/5	♦ ½/14	5½
12	Manne Joffe	SWE	Sweden	◊ 1/26	♦ ½/30	◊ 0/7	♦ ½/14	◊ 1/5	♦ 1/23	◊ 1/11	♦ 0/2	◊ ½/1	♦ 0/9	5½
13	Andrew R B Thomas	ENG	Tiverton	♦ 0/5	◊ 1/16	♦ 1/27	◊ 1/31	♦ 0/2	◊ 0/6	♦ 1/24	◊ 1/15	♦ ½/8	◊ 0/3	5½
14	David Lees	ENG	Bury	♦ 0/3	◊ ½/18	♦ 1/32	◊ ½/12	♦ 1/27	♦ 0/4	◊ ½/10	◊ ½/16	♦ 1/20	◊ ½/11	5½
15	Freysteinn Thorbergsson	ISL	Iceland	◊ 1/35	♦ 0/4	♦ 1/5	◊ 0/6	♦ 1/31	◊ 0/18	◊ 1/23	♦ 0/13	1	◊ ½/17	5½
16	Modjtaba Abtahi	GER	Iran	◊ 0/1	♦ 0/13	◊ 1/35	♦ 1/28	◊ 0/9	♦ 1/36	◊ 0/22	♦ ½/14	1	◊ 1/18	5½
17	W Arthur Winser	ENG	Hastings	◊ ½/19	♦ ½/28	◊ 0/22	◊ ½/32	♦ 1/36	◊ 1/21	♦ ½/8	♦ 0/11	1	♦ ½/15	5½
18	Michael V Lambshire	ENG	Southampton	◊ 0/7	♦ ½/14	◊ 1/30	♦ 1/10	◊ ½/22	♦ 1/15	◊ ½/9	♦ 0/4	◊ ½/19	♦ 0/16	5
19	Percy B Cook	ENG	Ilford	♦ ½/17	◊ 1/34	♦ ½/9	◊ 1/24	♦ 1/6	◊ 0/1	♦ 0/3	◊ 0/8	♦ ½/18	½	5
20	Roger L Paige	ENG	Cowplain	♦ ½/34	◊ 1/32	♦ 1/23	◊ ½/2	◊ 0/11	♦ 1/22	◊ 0/7	♦ 0/9	◊ 0/14	♦ 1/31	5
21	Derek M Wise	ENG	Bristol	♦ 1/6	◊ ½/9	◊ 0/1	♦ 0/23	◊ 1/30	♦ 0/17					5
22	Geoffrey A Hollis	ENG	Oxford Univ	♦ 1/33	◊ 0/3	♦ 1/17	◊ ½/8	♦ ½/18	◊ 0/20	♦ 1/16	◊ 0/5	♦ 0/10	½	4½
23	Hans Juergen Doehner	GER	W.Germany	♦ 1/27	♦ ½/10	◊ 0/20	◊ 1/21	♦ 0/3	◊ 0/12	♦ 0/15	1	1	◊ 0/38	4½
24	Wolfgang Schmidt	GER	W.Germany	◊ ½/28	♦ 0/11	◊ 1/34	♦ 0/19	◊ ½/10	♦ 1/31	◊ 0/13				4½
25	Adolivio Capece	ITA	Italy	♦ 0/8	◊ 0/36	♦ 1/33	◊ 0/27	♦ 1/35	◊ 1/32	♦ 0/5				4½
26	Svend Ove Van Seelen	DEN	Denmark	♦ 0/12	◊ 0/2	◊ 0/29	♦ 0/35	◊ 1/34			♦ 1/31			4½
27	John G Brogden	ENG	London	◊ 0/23	♦ 1/35	◊ 0/13	♦ 1/25	◊ 0/14	♦ 0/5	◊ ½/31				4
28	Gerard Gorse	FRA	France	♦ ½/24	◊ ½/17	♦ 0/6	◊ 0/16	♦ 0/32					◊ 1/33	4
29	Dr. Werner Alles	GER	W.Germany	◊ 0/10	◊ 0/6	♦ 1/26	◊ 0/5	♦ 0/33						4
30	Pank A Hoogendoorn	NED	Netherlands	♦ ½/32	◊ ½/12	♦ 0/18	◊ ½/36	♦ 0/21			1/33			4
31	David W Anderton	ENG	Wolverhampton	♦ 0/9	◊ 1/33	♦ 1/36	♦ 0/13	◊ 0/15	◊ 0/24	♦ ½/27	◊ 0/26	♦ 1/32	◊ 0/20	3½
32	Heinrich Juehe	GER	W.Germany	◊ ½/30	♦ 0/20	◊ 0/14	♦ ½/17	◊ 1/28	♦ 0/25			◊ 0/31		3½
33	David G Levens	ENG	Loughborough	◊ 0/22	♦ 0/31	◊ 0/25	♦ 1/34	◊ 1/29	♦ 0/10	0	0/30	◊ 1/35	♦ 0/28	3
34	Harry G T Matchett	ENG	Bexhill	◊ ½/20	♦ 0/19	♦ 0/24	◊ 0/33	♦ 0/26	◊ ½/82	◊ 1/36			◊ 0/41	3
35	Andrew P Sombor	ENG	Croydon	♦ 0/15	◊ 0/27	♦ 0/16	◊ 1/26	◊ 0/25				♦ 0/33		2
36	Michael J Freeman	SCO	Glasgow	◊ 0/4	♦ 1/25	◊ 0/31	♦ ½/30	◊ 0/17	◊ 0/16	♦ 0/34	0	0	0	1½

n.b. this is as close to a crosstable as can be compiled, based mainly on articles spread over several issues of CHESS Magazine.

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General Congress

Main A: (1) Manfred Krause (West Germany) 7/9; (2) Dr. Reinhard Cherubim (West Germany) 6½; (3) Michael J Conroy (Burnley) 5; (4) Philip C Hoad (Upton-by-Chester) 4½; (5-7) H Lantz (Sweden), Norman Charles Pyper, James Joseph Walsh (Ireland) 4; (8-9) Ronald Mackay Bruce (Plymouth), Christopher R Orchard (Knebworth) 3½; (10) I F Karlsen (Denmark) 3.

Main B: (1) Juergen Teufel (West Germany) 6½/8; (2) Charles Ambrose Scott Damant (Hastings) 5; (3-4) Robert P Ross (Hull), (Reginald) Graham Thimann (Nottingham) 4½; (5) Mrs. Rowena Mary Bruce (Plymouth) 4; (6) Michael J Rose (London) 3½; (7) Richard H K Mann (Wareham) 3; (8-9) John A Flood, Allert Kerje 2½.

Main C: (1) Peter R Hindley (Oxford University) 8/9; (2) John M Ripley (Liverpool) 6½; (3-5) Graham Russell Mitchell, Alan Edgar Nield (St Leonards), Alan Forrest Stobo (Timperley) 5; (6) Michael Ash (Loughton) 4½; (7-8) Albert Victor Lightfoot, Alfred Dempster Whyte 3½; (9) William A Bainbridge (Wilmslow) 3; (10) C F Pelling (London) 1.

Main D: (1) John T Hearson (Mapperley) 7/9; (2) John H Jones (Hastings) 6½; (3) Gerald F Morrish (Berkhamsted) 6; (4) John H Gardener (Southampton? Nottingham?) 5½; (5) J Gordon Lloyd (Ramsgate) 4½; (6-7) Michael Goll (Spilsby), P J Smith (Mayfield) 4; (8) Roger L Baker (Bakewell) 3½; (9) Arthur T Watson (Worthing) 2½; (10) Alfred Milner (Manchester) 1½.

Main E: (1-2) John B Sellens (Tunbridge Wells), Timothy S Wickens (Ilkley) 6½/9; (3) Rev. R A Pugh 5½; (4) A K Henderson (Canterbury) 5; (5) P C Wood (London) 4½; (6-8) Miss Olive Richards (Cobham), Thomas Eagle Lovell Chataway (Stourbridge), Michael J Meakin (Northwich) 4; (9) Truman V Parrott 3½; (10) Gregory Owen John Melitus (London) 1½.

Main F: (1) Robert Bellin (Gt. Yarmouth) 6½/8; (2-3) J Kilner, M Wiktor (West Germany) 6; (4) J Herring 5½; (5) Michael P F Singleton 4; (6) T W Baxter 3; (7) E Peck 2½; (8) Geoffrey George Homan 1½; (9) William Edward Busbridge 1.

Main Afternoon A: (1) David George Springgay 8/9; (2) Dr. H Engelhaupt 6½; (3) Louis de Veauce 5½; (4-5) Alan John Dilworth (Warrington), I McDonald 4½; (6) Henry Vickers W Trevenen 4; (7) C I Russell 3½; (8-9) Miss Eileen Betsy Tranmer, J Tavana (Cardiff) 3; (1) L van Camp 2½.

Main Afternoon B: (1-2) Anthony C Ashby, Maj. Eric Howard Flear 7/9; (3-4) John A Felton, John Myles Gorton (Hastings) 6½; (5) P S Read 4; (6-7) J Johnson (Liverpool), Ronald Ernest Rushbrook 3½; (8) George Arthur Peck¹ (Rugby) 3; (9-10) Mrs Susan Mary Thomson (née Hamilton, Scotland), Richard Charles Winter 2.
¹ George Arthur Peck collapsed at Charing Cross Station on his way home from Hastings to Rugby. It was diagnosed as "simple exhaustion" at Charing Cross Hospital and he was taken by car to his home in Rugby but died the next day, aged 97 (this time the diagnosis was pleurisy and pneumonia - report in the Birmingham Post, 25 January 1966). In the tournament he defeated Mrs Sue Thomson. He took part in 26 Hastings Christmas Congresses.

Open, Morning: (1) P McDermott 7½/8; (2) Paul F Habershon (Bath) 7; (3) E Chambers 5; (4) R Wiktor (West Germany) 4½; (5) I Morris 4; (6) D W Foster 3½; (7) I G Wright 2½; (8-9) Mrs Laura Ethel Amelia Start (née Whitehouse), R Youdale 1.

Open, Afternoon: (1) Rev. Henry Middleton Blackett 7; (2-3) Miss Margaret Eleanor Lander, Reginald J Manfield 6½; (4) G Burnett (Worcester) 6; (5) T N French 5; (6) Mrs. Jane Sadler Rees 4½; (7) Miss E Whyte 3½; (8) Claud Vernal Warter Lucas 3; (9) Lady Gwendolyn/Gwendolen Harriet Herbert (née Quilter) 2½; (10) Miss W J Mitchell ½.

Christmas A: (1) David John Richards (Exeter) 4/5; (2-3) John G Collins (West Bridgford), Christopher W Johns (Bedford) 3; (4) Graham Kenneth Sandiford (Cambridge) 2½; (5) Geoffrey F Steele 1½; (6) (Sydney) Hugh Brocklesby (Bath) 1.

Christmas B: (1) Gordon V Cadden 4/5; (2-3) Sydney Ross Capsey, Lucien C Mouillaux (Grenoble, France) 3½; (4) R T Berry 3; (5) R Brunner 1; (6) A Hoogendoorn 0.

Christmas C: (1) E J Smith 4½/5; (2) Nigel W Dennis 3½; (3) Henry William Kennett (Sheerness) 3; (4) A Dickens 2; (5-6) Leslie Valentine Robert Elgy, George William Henlen 1.

Christmas D: (1) Timothy George Congdon (Colchester) 4/5; (2) William C Davies (Wrexham) 3½; (3) J Buis (Marks Tey, Essex) 3; (4) C J Wood 2½; (5) H B Howard 2; (6) Miss [Wendy?] Kennett (Sheerness) 0.

Christmas E: (1) Walter R Rayner 5/5; (2) S Thorpe (Hastings) 3; (3-4) Robert Littler (Chester), A J Thurgood (Chelsham, Surrey) 2½; (5) D Jeffery (Hastings) 2; (6) S Postlethwaite 0.

Christmas, Afternoon: (1) William H Penfold 4/5; (2) Mrs. Margaret Eileen Elizabeth (Peggy) Clarke 3½; (3) G F Ramsey 2½; (4-5) Christopher John Richard Lasper (Bristol), Leonard Percy Spain (Deal) 2; (6) Arthur Cecil Finney (Stoke-on-Trent) 1.

New Year A: (1-2) Michael A Stevenson (Tettenhall), (Alexander) Aird Thomson (Scotland) 4; (3) John Dudley Taylor (London) 3; (4-5) Dan E Mayers, Robert Hans Pinner (Twickenham) 2; (6) David Sanchez (Manchester University) 0.

New Year B: (1) A Torn 4½/5; (2) John Bate (Chester) 4; (3) Sydney Ross Capsey 3½; (4-6) A R Gardner, R A Hubbard (Bishops Stortford), Baghoomian Vrej 1.

New Year C: (1-2) Eric Wilfred Knapp (London), Victor Norman Rains 4; (3) D J Hurst (London) 3; (4) W B Turner (Chester) 2½; (5) Rupert S Tipples 1; (6) J A Day ½.

New Year D: (1) David A R Vallat 5/5; (2) C Hann (Hastings) 3½; (3-4) R Dibley, Nicholas van Gemeren (Chesterfield) 2; (5) R Schonhut (Mayfield) 1½; (6) J Mulvaney (Mayfield) 1.

New Year E: (1-2) M Edwards (Birmingham), E C Terrill 4/5; (3) Maurice David Speigel 2½; (4-5) Eric J Leyns, Percy Archibald Turley (Birmingham) 2; (6) J Capel ½.

New Year, Afternoon: (1) Sydney Gothard (Burton-on-Trent) 4½/5 (the draw was against Jean Pickles - report and photo of Sydney Gothard in Burton Observer and Chronicle, 20 January 1966); (2) Miss Jean Pickles (Preston) 4; (3) Nigel S A Grimwade (Tunbridge Wells) 3; (4) A R Gardner (Oxford University) 2; (5) Miss Elsie Grace Coulson (Folkestone) 1; (6) J Parry ½.

New Year, Late Extra: (1-2) Rev. R A Pugh, Jack Alfred Speigel 4½/5; (3) R Quaye 2½; (4) Miss Jean Pickles 2; (5) R Burt 1½; (6) F Mitchell 0.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
1997	45 Premier games previously uploaded as part of a collection of Hastings games in zipped PGN format.
6 April 2024	The same 45 Premier games as previously, but they have now been examined carefully to weed out score errors, of which there were rather a lot. The state of the scores for this tournament on ChessBase's Mega/Big Database is sketchy and I would recommend anyone who cares about the quality of their database to replace them with what they find here. Also appended are 43 complete scores and 23 part-games from the Challengers, plus some stubs, which I utilised to compile a partial crosstable (complete for those with higher scores). Finally there is one game from one of the lower sections, culled from a regional newspaper.
13 April 2024	Added all six of Roger Paige's games that were outstanding after the initial upload. Many thanks to Roger for sending them to me. Thus the total of Challengers games is now 49, with a further 23 part-games.