1900/1901 Craigside Cup Tourney

1900/1901 Craigside Cup		Residence	1	2	3	4	Total
1	Amos Burn	Liverpool	&;	11	½1	½½	4½
2	Henry Ernest Atkins	Leicester	00	&;	1½	11	3½
3	William Hewison Gunston	Cambridge	½0	0½	&;	11	3
4	George Edward Horton Bellingham	Dudley	½½	00	00	&;	1

First prize, 8s., Mr. Burn; second prize, £6 6s., Mr. Atkins; third prize, £4 4s., Mr. Gunston.
Mr. Burn also won outright the Craigside Challenge Cup, this being his third victory in succession. (BCM)

THE COUNTIES AND CRAIGSIDE TOURNAMENT. (BCM, February 1901, p61ff)

Unquestionably one of the most enjoyable Meetings in the year is that held annually in the first week of January, at the Craigside Hydro, Llandudno. One reason for this is that the climatic condition of the famous seaside resort at this season of the year is a delightful change from the gloom prevailing in most parts of the country; but a more important reason is undoubtedly the fact that the whole of the competitors are, as one might say, for that week a “ band of brothers,” all living under one roof. At but few contests is it possible for competitors to house together, and also play in the same establishment; but the advantages, when this can be done, are numerous.

No Meeting was held in January, 1900, as extensive alterations were in progress at the Hydro; but the Tourney was merely suspended, and came to the fore again last month. In accordance with a suggestion made at the previous Meeting, the old division of competitors into two classes was discontinued, and three sections were adopted, viz.: (1) “Cup” tourney, for previous winners of the Craigside cup, or of an open tourney; (2) for recognised first-class amateurs; and (3) for those ineligible for the first two classes. In the two-class contests of 1897, ’98, and ’99, the numbers of competitors were respectively 10,8; 11,9; and 12, 10. As the entry seemed to grow year by year, and it was desired to finish the tournament in the week, the three fold division was becoming a matter of necessity.

Since the Meeting of 1899, there has been a change of hon. secretaries, Mr. Arthur Firth, a most popular and zealous official, having left Llandudno for Richmond. The duties devolved upon Dr. J. Miles Chambers, who bids fair to rival Mr. Firth himself. Inexperience of the duties and routine caused the notices of the Tournament to be rather late in appearance, and not too well distributed when they were forthcoming; and consequently, the entry was perhaps rather less numerous than it might have been. As it was, four entered the 'Cup Tourney,' six the first class event, and ten the second class, though one of these failed to appear. In the aggregate, the entry was little inferior to previous tourneys, but classes of four and six were scarcely full enough. Messrs. Victor Wahltuch and Coates, of Manchester, had intended to enter, but details of the contest were by some oversight not furnished to them. The separation of the 'Cupites,' also, was not to the taste of all interested, and one well-known expert, at least, was absent probably on this account.

The names of the entrants were:—
Cup Tourney:—Messrs. H. E. Atkins (Leicester), G. E. H. Bellingham (Dudley), A. Burn (Liverpool), and W. H. Gunston (Cambridge).
First Class:—Messrs. N. Clissold (Liverpool), H. V. Crane (Manchester), A. Dod (Liverpool), A. J. Mackenzie (Birmingham), C. H. Sherrard (Stourbridge), and B. D. Wilmot (Birmingham).
Second Class:—Mrs. Fagan and Miss Finn (London), Messrs. T. H. Billington (Birmingham), M. D. Crewdson, R. W. Genese (Aberystwyth), W. Leech, C. F. Lewis (Birmingham), R. J. Quelch (Hastings), and Rev. J. L. Peach (Malton)

It was arranged that the 'Cup' players should contest a two-round [two-cycle] tourney, and the others one round. In Class I. the Lasker system of scoring drawn games was to be tried, viz., ¼ each, the game to be replayed and to score ½ to either winning it, and ¼ each, if again drawn. Curiously enough, not a single drawn game occurred in this class out of a total of 15 games.

A Handicap was played during the week, Messrs. Burn, Atkins, and Gunston taking the three prizes. The committee met at the conclusion of the Meeting and resolved upon carrying on future Tournaments on the same lines, while the Hydro undertook to furnish a new Cup for competition. The management are to be highly praised for their enterprise, and we venture to prophesy increasing success at future gatherings.

It will be seen that Mr. Bum went through his section without the loss of a game, but he had a narrow escape in one of his games with Mr. Bellingham, who played an attack invented by Captain Mackenzie, sacrificing a Kt at K Kt 6. In the position shown, Mr. Burn played 22 Q—K 2 (R—K 2 was better), giving an opportunity for 22..., Q— R 8 ch ; 23 B—Kt sq, BxP ch; 24 Q x B, R x P ch, winning easily. Instead. Bellingham played 22..., RxPch; 27, QxR, B x P ch ; 24 Q x B, R—K B sq ch ; 25 K—K 2, Q x Q ch ; 26 K—Q 3, and Black had eventually to fall back on a perpetual check to draw.

Strange to say, the Dudley player, who was far from being in his best fom, was guilty of a similar lapse in his first game of the contest, with Mr. Gunston. At his 16th move, playing the French Defence, he had soundly sacrificed a Kt for the
two centre Pawns, and [at move 25] was weak, and allowed a brilliant finish by the Cambridge professor...

Burn appeared to have the worst of his other game with Bellingham at one stage, but he cleverly brought about skilful manoeuvring of the Bishop ...

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1900/1901 Craigside Llandudno First Class

1900/1901 Craigside Llandudno First Class		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	Anthony Dod	Liverpool	&;	1	0	1	1	1	4
2	Charles Hugh Sherrard	Stourbridge	0	&;	1	1	1	0	3
3	Newman Clissold	Liverpool	1	0	&;	0	1	0	2
4	Henry Vincent Crane	Manchester	0	0	1	&;	0	1	2
5	Arthur John Mackenzie	Birmingham	0	0	0	1	&;	1	2
6	Bernard Dinwoody Wilmot	Birmingham	0	1	1	0	0	&;	2

First prize, 8s., Mr. Dod; second prize, 6s , Mr. Sherrard; third prize, £4 4s., equally divided between the remaining four competitors. (BCM)

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1900/1901 Craigside Llandudno Second Class

1900/1901 Craigside Llandudno Second Class		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Total
1	Thomas Henry Billington	Birmingham	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7
2	Mrs Louisa Matilda Fagan	London	0	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	6
3	C F Lewis	Birmingham	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	5½
4	Miss Kate Belinda Finn	London	1	0	½	&;	½	0	1	1	1	5
5	Rev. James Legard Peach	Malton	0	1	0	½	&;	0	1	1	1	4½
6	R J Quelch	Hastings	0	0	0	1	1	&;	1	½	0	3½
7	Robert William Genese	Aberystwyth	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	2
8	M D Crewdson		0	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	1	1½
9	W Leech	Birmingham	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	&;	1

Fist prize, £5 5s., Mr. Billington; second prize, £1 Mrs. Fagan; third prize, £2 2s., Mr. Lewis. (BCM)

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File Updated

Date	Notes
28 May 2023	First upload: nine games (and three stubs) from the main tournament plus 11 from the First Class, 10 from the Second Class and six from the Handicap event. My thanks to Tony Gillam for supplying a copy of Tournaments of 1900 and 1901 (Chess Player, 2012) from which the game scores were taken.