BRITBASE - British Chess Game Archive
Events: University Matches • Venues: various • Dates: 15-20 March 1915
Download PGN • List of Varsity Matches • last edited:
Thursday May 29, 2025 1:53 PM
N.B. there was no Oxford University vs Cambridge University match in 1915. (The series of matches restarted in 1919.) However, the tradition of 'Universities week' was maintained, with a series of six matches being held in held between 15 and 20 March 1915 between a team composed of past and present members of the Oxford and Cambridge university clubs and London clubs. This is a record of those matches. JS
BCM, April 1915, ppn 136-139
The Universities’ Week in London.—The exigencies of the military situation which have converted Oxford and Cambridge into the semblance of garrison towns, had their effect likewise on the annual tour of the University chess teams. In so many cases has the trim khaki of Kitchener's Army replaced the tattered gown of the undergraduate that Oxford was unable to play a single home match, and Cambridge only carried out its programme by calling on its reserves, and the combined team suffered both in numbers and strength, several London players who usually take a prominent place on the University side being absent, and all the matches (except that against the City Club) being played with decreased numbers. In one case, however, it was the London club (the Metropolitan) which was short of players, and the University captain transferred three of his men to play for the other side, so as to equalise numbers, though in so doing he abandoned all hope of winning the match.
As the inter-’Varsitv match was not to take place, it was thought that the week would lose some of its interest, but this was by no means the case. The individual games were keenly contested, and the renewal of old friendships, which is so pre-eminently a feature of this annual re-union, seemed to possess increased value in the special circumstances of this eventful year. The arrangements for the matches, too, worked with noteworthy smoothness, and all difficulties in the adjudication of unfinished games were removed by the able assistance of Mr. Amos Burn, who, in his capacity as honorary adjudicator to the combined University team, attended every match and decided all outstanding questions with his unrivalled skill and precision.
The Cambridge men showed considerable skill, and if next year gives us normal conditions, the Cantab team should be a powerful one. Mr. G. E. Smith had an unfortunate week, but he was out of health. His knowledge of the game is considerable. Mr. H. C. Care is a strong match player, his two losses being against the same powerful opponent. Mr. Birnberg and Mr. Hermann are, we believe, products of the London Secondary Schools League, and do credit to their preceptors. Mr. Warden has an excellent style and a good grasp of position. Mr. Patton, Mr. H. B. Howard, and Mr. B. A. Howard only need good practice to become strong players. Mr. R. H. Thouless shows more promise than any young Cambridge representative of the last few years. Mr. Winter, who is not yet in residence, has already proved his skill in club contests, and will be a tower of strength if he continues to improve.
The Oxford men, naturally, were rusty for lack of practice. Mr. Hogg showed considerable aptitude for the game. Mr. Walker is an imaginative player with too little regard for Pawns and minor pieces. Mr. Wells is steady and reliable. Mr. Morrah only needs a little more restraint and caution.
On the whole, the Universities’ week of 1915 is an excellent example of "Business as usual," and its success justifies its existence.
The full scores of the matches are as follows:
(1) Monday 15 March 1915: Combined Universities 5½-8½ West London
| Bd | Combined Universities | 1915 | West London |
| 1 | Rev. William Alban Cunningham Craig (St John's, Oxford) | 0-1 | Philip Walsingham Sergeant (Trinity, Oxford) |
| 2 | George Leathem (St John's, Cambridge) | 1-0 | Charles Ernest Ford |
| 3 | John Rowland Hanning (New, Oxford) | ½-½ | W M Greening |
| 4 | Henry Clifford Care (St John's, Cambridge) | 1-0 | R Eastman |
| 5 | Harold Dotson Wells (Pembroke, Oxford) | 0-1 | Frederick Jackson Camm |
| 6 | Edward Paice (Merton, Oxford) | 0-1 | Charles Richard Witham |
| 7 | Edward Algernon Michell (Queen's, Oxford) | 0-1 | Frederick Samsom Dünkelsbühler |
| 8 | W G Walker (Oxford) | 0-1 | W D Whitelow |
| 9 | H B Howard (Clare, Cambridge) | ½-½ | L Brooks |
| 10 | Basil Alvin Howard (Sidney Sussex, Cambridge) | ½-½ | A G Beattie |
| 11 | Rev. H Ball (Oxford) | 0-1 | E Coates |
| 12 | Robert Henry Thouless (Corpus Christi, Cambridge) | 1-0 | D Robertson |
| 13 | George Robert Disraeli Hogg (St John's, Oxford) | 0-1 | John William Halliburton Saybourne |
| 14 | D Ramsay (Cambridge) | 1-0 | Alfred James Daplyn |
| Venue: Brook Green Hotel, Hammersmith | 5½-8½ | Date: 15 March 1915 |
(2) Tuesday 16 March 1915: Combined Universities 5-13 Hampstead
| Bd | Combined Universities | 1915 | Hampstead |
| 1 | George Leathem (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Roland Henry Vaughan Scott |
| 2 | Leonard James (Trinity, Oxford) | 0-1 | Richard Clewin Griffith |
| 3 | George Ernest Smith (St John's, Cambridge) | ½-½ | John Herbert White |
| 4 | Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland (Clare, Cambridge) | 0-1 | E A Morgan |
| 5 | Henry Clifford Care (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Dr. Jacob Schumer |
| 6 | W G Walker (Oxford) | 0-1 | Walter Emmanuel Bonwick |
| 7 | Arnold Gordon Patton (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Ernest Montgomery Jellie |
| 8 | George Warden (Caius, Cambridge) | ½-½ | Henry S Staniforth |
| 9 | H B Howard (Clare, Cambridge) | 0-1 | J M Cochrane |
| 10 | Basil Alvin Howard (Sidney Sussex, Cambridge) | ½-½ | Philip H Coldwell |
| 11 | W H Mitchell (Oxford) | ½-½ | George H Murdock |
| 12 | Robert Henry Thouless (Corpus Christi, Cambridge) | 1-0 | W F Richards |
| 13 | George Robert Disraeli Hogg (St John's, Oxford) | 1-0 | (Charlotte) Helena Minchin Cotton |
| 14 | Rev. H Ball (Oxford) | 0-1 | W Eldridge |
| 15 | D Ramsay (Cambridge) | ½-½ | J E Salter |
| 16 | B P Blackell1 (Oxford) | 0-1 | A G Richards |
| 17 | Dermot Michael Macgregor Morrah (New, Oxford) | ½-½ | W J Pidgeon |
| 18 | George Cecil Ives (Magdalene, Cambridge) | 0-1 | H S Metcalfe |
| Venue: Stanfield House, Hampstead | 5-13 | Date: 16 March 1915 |
1 B P Blackell - looks like a typo. An Oxford player called B H Blackett was listed in the team vs London University (see below) but that too could be a typo. I'm wondering whether the player was actually Henry Middleton Blackett (1888-1967) who could have been up at Oxford at this time. JS
(3) Wednesday 17 March 1915: Combined Universities 8½-11½ City of London
| Bd | Combined Universities | 1915 | City of London |
| 1b | Philip Walsingham Sergeant (Trinity, Oxford) | 1-0 | Roland Henry Vaughan Scott |
| 2w | Harold John Snowden (Queens', Cambridge) | 1-0 | Brian Harley |
| 3b | George Leathem (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Theodore Germann |
| 4w | Charles Edward Taylor (Trinity, Cambridge) | ½-½ | Arthur James Maas |
| 5b | Thomas Lodge (Trinity, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Cecil Perfect Hammond |
| 6w | John Rowland Hanning (New, Oxford) | 1-0 | W T Marshall |
| 7b | Edward Paice (Merton, Oxford) | 0-1 | William Henry Watts |
| 8w | Edward Algernon Michell (Queen's, Oxford) | 0-1 | Dr. Thomas Wilfrid Letchworth (Emmanuel, Cambridge) |
| 9b | George Ernest Smith (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Benjamin William Hamilton |
| 10w | Henry Clifford Care (St John's, Cambridge) | ½-½ | C Roberts |
| 11b | Arnold Gordon Patton (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | W G Burmister |
| 12w | Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland (Clare, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Louis Savage |
| 13b | George Warden (Caius, Cambridge) | 1-0 | Frederick Winter Markwick |
| 14w | H B Howard (Clare, Cambridge) | 0-1 | William Augustin Francis Boulger |
| 15b | Robert Henry Thouless (Corpus Christi, Cambridge) | 0-1 | F(rederick) Wilkinson |
| 16w | Basil Alvin Howard (Sidney Sussex, Cambridge) | 1-0 | Alfred Eustace Habershon |
| 17b | George Robert Disraeli Hogg (St John's, Oxford) | 0-1 | G Smart |
| 18w | Jonas Birnberg (Queens', Cambridge) | 1-0 | Guy Wills Chandler |
| 19b | Harold Dotson Wells (Pembroke, Oxford) | 1-0 | Thomas Henry Acton |
| 20w | Dermot Michael Macgregor Morrah (New, Oxford) | ½-½ | H Pullen |
| Venue: City of London CC | 8½-11½ | Date: 17 March 1915 |
(4) Thursday 18 March 1915: Combined Universities 9½-8½ Insurance
| Bd | Combined Universities | 1915 | Insurance |
| 1 | George Leathem (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Frederick Law Anspach |
| 2 | Edward Paice (Merton, Oxford) | ½-½ | A A Percival |
| 3 | Edward Algernon Michell (Queen's, Oxford) | 1-0 | S Moore |
| 4 | Leonard James (Trinity, Oxford) | ½-½ | (John) Stanley Runtz |
| 5 | George Ernest Smith (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | A Tooke |
| 6 | Henry Clifford Care (St John's, Cambridge) | ½-½ | Frederick Wesley Fulford |
| 7 | Jonas Birnberg (Queens', Cambridge) | 1-0 | A W Williams |
| 8 | Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland (Clare, Cambridge) | 0-1 | William Augustin Francis Boulger |
| 9 | George Warden (Caius, Cambridge) | 1-0 | G Glover |
| 10 | W H Mitchell (Oxford) | 0-1 | D S Anderson |
| 11 | H B Howard (Clare, Cambridge) | 1-0 | W Stevens |
| 12 | Robert Henry Thouless (Corpus Christi, Cambridge) | 1-0 | Walter Washington Walthew |
| 13 | Basil Alvin Howard (Sidney Sussex, Cambridge) | 0-1 | A Bain |
| 14 | George Robert Disraeli Hogg (St John's, Oxford) | 1-0 | Bernard Wallace Penford |
| 15 | W G Walker (Oxford) | 0-1 | Cyril Frederick Clements Brodie |
| 16 | D Ramsay (Cambridge) | 1-0 | Charles Stuart Barry |
| 17 | Dermot Michael Macgregor Morrah (New, Oxford) | 1-0 | Robert Percy Bovey |
| 18 | George Cecil Ives (Magdalene, Cambridge) | 0-1 | C Robinson |
| Venue: The Cabin, Old Jewry, London EC | 9½-8½ | Date: 18 March 1915 |
(5) Friday 19 March 1915: Combined Universities 4½-10½ Metropolitan
| Bd | Combined Universities | 1915 | Metropolitan |
| 1 | Philip Walsingham Sergeant (Trinity, Oxford) | 1-0 | Roland Henry Vaughan Scott |
| 2 | Rev. William Alban Cunningham Craig (St John's, Oxford) | 0-1 | William Patrick MacBean |
| 3 | George Leathem (St John's, Cambridge) | ½-½ | David Miller |
| 4 | Thomas Lodge (Trinity, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Jacques Davidson |
| 5 | Dr. Thomas Wilfrid Letchworth (Emmanuel, Cambridge) | 0-1 | A Louis |
| 6 | Henry Clifford Care (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Dr. Jacob Schumer |
| 7 | Jonas Birnberg (Queens', Cambridge) | 1-0 | H Ford |
| 8 | Arnold Gordon Patton (St John's, Cambridge) | 0-1 | John MacAlister |
| 9 | George Warden (Caius, Cambridge) | 1-0 | A A Percival |
| 10 | H B Howard (Clare, Cambridge) | 0-1 | T E Webb |
| 11 | Robert Henry Thouless (Corpus Christi, Cambridge) | 0-1 | John Rowland Hanning (New, Oxford) |
| 12 | Basil Alvin Howard (Sidney Sussex, Cambridge) | 0-1 | Edward Paice (Merton, Oxford) |
| 13 | George Robert Disraeli Hogg (St John's, Oxford) | ½-½ | Leonard James (Trinity, Oxford) |
| 14 | W G Walker (Oxford) | 0-1 | J W Wright |
| 15 | Harold Dotson Wells (Pembroke, Oxford) | ½-½ | A A Sainsbury |
| Venue: The Mecca, 54 Gresham St, EC | 4½-10½ | Date: 19 March 1915 |
(5) Saturday 20 March 1915: Combined Universities 10-5 London University
| Bd | Combined Universities | 1915 | London University |
| 1 | Dr. Thomas Wilfrid Letchworth (Emmanuel, Cambridge) | 1d0 | Default |
| 2 | John Rowland Hanning (New, Oxford) | 1-0 | David Miller |
| 3 | Edward Paice (Merton, Oxford) | 1-0 | Michael Davies |
| 4 | Edward Algernon Michell (Queen's, Oxford) | 0-1 | Frederick Samsom Dünkelsbühler |
| 5 | George Ernest Smith (St John's, Cambridge) | ½-½ | C W Care |
| 6 | Henry Clifford Care (St John's, Cambridge) | ½-½ | M Schwartz |
| 7 | William Winter (Clare, Cambridge) | 1-0 | H E Soper |
| 8 | Basil Alvin Howard (Sidney Sussex, Cambridge) | 1-0 | M White Stevens |
| 9 | George Robert Disraeli Hogg (St John's, Oxford) | ½-½ | E Wassermann |
| 10 | W G Walker (Oxford) | 0-1 | B S Long |
| 11 | Harold Dotson Wells (Pembroke, Oxford) | ½-½ | K S Tan |
| 12 | George Cecil Ives (Magdalene, Cambridge) | 1-0 | W G Hartog |
| 13 | Leo Hermann1 (Clare, Cambridge) | 1-0 | H J North |
| 14 | B H Blackett2 (Oxford) | 1-0 | G E Chapman |
| 15 | Dermot Michael Macgregor Morrah (New, Oxford) | 0-1 | E C Francis |
| Venue: Imperial Institute, South Kensington SW | 10-5 | Date: 20 March 1915 |
1 Leo Hermann - birth reg'd as Leonard Thomas G Hermann, 1st q. of 1895. At Clare College, Cambridge, where he achieved a 1st in Mathematics Tripos, Part 1, 1914. Worked as a teacher of Mathematics & Physics, Regent Street Polytechnic, 1921. Nothing further known.
2 B H Blackett - could be a typo. An Oxford player called B P Blackell was listed in the team vs Hampstead (see above) but that is even more likely to be a typo. I'm wondering whether the player was actually Henry Middleton Blackett (1888-1967) who could have been up at Oxford at this time. JS
The People, 28 March 1915 (T F Lawrence column)
"The University chess week without the Inter-University match is rather suggestive ol "Hamlet" without the Prince of Denmark, but the exigencies of the war have depleted the ranks of both organisations to such an extent that it was felt that a contest under present conditions was impossible.
"Several keenly contested matches have, however, been played be tween the combined teams of Oxford and Cambridge Past and Present, and leading London clubs, though unfortunately it was found impracticable—except in the encounter with the City Club—to play the full number of boards.
"Six matches in all were played and of these the combined team won from the Insurance Club, 9½ to 8½, and the London University 10 to 5, but lost to West London, 5½ to 8½, Hampstead 5 to 13, City of London 8½ to 11½, and Metropolitan 4½ to 10½. It should be noted that in the Metropolitan match, the London club was short of men and three University players were transferred to the other side."
File updated
| Date | Notes |
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| 28 May 2025 | First uploaded. |