1920 British Chess Championship, Edinburgh, 9-20 August • 1919« »1921

1920 British Chess Championship		Residence	Draw No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Roland Henry Vaughan Scott	London	7	&;	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	9
2	Sir George Alan Thomas	London	9	1	&;	½	0	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	8
3	Edward Guthlac Sergeant	London	6	0	½	&;	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	7½
4	Reginald Pryce Michell	London	4	½	1	1	&;	½	0	½	½	½	1	½	1	7
5	William Gibson	Glasgow	2	0	½	0	½	&;	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	6½
6	Arthur John Mackenzie	Birmingham	10	0	0	1	1	½	&;	0	½	1	1	0	1	6
7	Dr. Stephen Francis Smith	Oxford / Bournemouth	3	0	0	0	½	0	1	&;	1	1	1	½	0	5
8	George Edward Wainwright	London	12	0	½	0	½	0	½	0	&;	1	0	1	1	4½
9	Herbert Levi Jacobs	London	11	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	&;	1	½	1	3½
10	Edward Empson Middleton jnr	London	1	½	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	&;	1	0	3½
11	(Francis) Percival Wenman	Edinburgh	8	0	0	0	½	0	1	½	0	½	0	&;	1	3½
12	Joseph Henry Blake	London	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	&;	2

1920 British Ladies' Chess Championship, Edinburgh • 1919« »1921

1920 British Ladies Championship		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Mrs Agnes Bradley Stevenson1 (née Lawson)	London	&;	1	0	1	0	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	8½
2	Miss Edith Charlotte Price	London	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	8½
3	Mrs Gertrude Alison Beatrice Anderson (née Field)	Woldingham	1	0	&;	1	½	1	½	1	1	0	1	1	8
4	Mrs Edith Mary Ann Michell (née Tapsell)	London	0	1	0	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	7½
5	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	Herne Bay	1	0	½	1	&;	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	6½
6	Mrs Annie Sophia Roe (née Verdon)	Putney	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	1	½	½	½	1	5½
7	Mrs Amabel Nevill Gwyn Sollas (née Jeffreys, « Moseley)	Oxford	0	0	½	0	0	0	&;	1	½	1	1	1	5
8	Miss Mary Dinorah Gilchrist	Edinburgh	½	½	0	0	1	0	0	&;	½	1	½	½	4½
9	Miss Florence Hutchison Stirling	Edinburgh	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	&;	1	½	½	3½
10	Miss Mary Constance Forbes	Edinburgh	0	0	1	0	1	½	0	0	0	&;	½	0	3
11	Mrs M M Ritchie	Edinburgh	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	&;	½	3
12	Miss [Ellison Scotland] Gibb2	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	½	&;	2½

¹ Mrs Stevenson won the play-off
² Or possibly Margaret Skirving Gibb - see the entry for the Gibb family, Scottish Chess History website

---

1920 BCF Major Open, Edinburgh

1920 BCF Major Open		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Abraham Speijer	Netherlands	&;	1	1	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1d	9½
2	Hubert Ernest Price	Birmingham	0	&;	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1d	9
3	William Gooding	London	0	½	&;	1	1	0	½	1	0	1	1	1d	7
4	Gerard Oskam	Netherlands	0	0	0	&;	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1d	6½
5	Dr. Robert Dunstan	Teignmouth	½	0	0	½	&;	1	½	0	1	½	1	1d	6
6	Carrick Wardhaugh	Glasgow	½	½	1	0	0	&;	0	1	0	½	½	1d	5
7	Paul Van't Veer	Netherlands	½	0	½	½	½	1	&;	½	½	0	0	1d	5
8	John James O'Hanlon	Ireland	0	0	0	0	1	0	½	&;	½	1	1	1d	5
9	Christopher Barclay Heath	Dundee	0	0	1	0	0	1	½	½	&;	0	½	1d	4½
10	William Henry John Sparkes	Sheffield	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	0	1	&;	0	1d	4½
11	John Macalister	London	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	0	½	1	&;	1d	4
12	Horace Ransom Bigelow	Oxford/USA	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	0d	&;	0

Note on the above table - Bigelow did not play any games but the BCF, after first annulling the defaulted games, finally ruled that they should "count" towards the score.

1920 BCF First-Class A

1920 BCF First-Class A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Harold Alvin Burton	Pontefract	&;	1	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	9½
2	Rev. William Alban Cunningham Craig	London	0	&;	1	½	½	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	7
3	Leslie Charles Gwyn Dewing	Maidstone	0	0	&;	1	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	½	7
4	Clemens Palme Dutt	Bristol	½	½	0	&;	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	7
5	William John Berryman	Barnsley	½	½	0	0	&;	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	6½
6	Edith Martha Holloway (née Crittenden)	Bromley	0	0	1	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	6½
7	Sydney Gerard Howell-Smith	Hythe	½	1	½	0	½	½	&;	0	0	1	0	1	5
8	Henry David Osborn	Gosport	0	1	0	1	½	0	1	&;	0	½	0	1	5
9	Prof. John Cox	Bromley	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	&;	0	½	1	4½
10	Rev. Charles Fenton Bolland	Huntingdon	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	&;	1	1	4
11	I G Thomson		0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	½	0	&;	0	2½
12	I Crum		0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1½

1920 BCF First-Class B

1920 BCF First-Class B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Basil Heastie	Acton	&;	½	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
2	Frederick Jackson Camm	London	½	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1d	8½
3	George Wyville Moses	Wakefield	½	1	&;	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	0	½	8
4	Harry Charles Griffiths	(Surrey)	0	1	½	&;	½	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	8
5	Edmund Tom Jesty	London	1	0	0	½	&;	0	1	1	½	1	1	1d	7
6	William Rowland Thomas	Liverpool	0	0	½	0	1	&;	½	½	1	1	1	1d	6½
7	G E Smith		0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	½	1	1	1	1d	5
8	John Dibbin Chambers	Cardiff	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	&;	½	1	1	1	4½
9	Guy Ralph Hardcastle	Thornton Heath	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1d	4
10	G M Stewart		0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	0	2
11	Samuel John Holloway1	Bromley	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	2
12	Frederick John Hingley	Nottingham	0	0d	½	0	0d	0d	0d	0	0d	1	0	&;	1½

¹ The crosstable for this tournament is a little unclear: Holloway's losses to Camm, Jesty, Thomas, Smith, Chambers and Hardcastle may also have been by default.

Second Class: 1-2 Andrew Rowland Benedick Thomas, William Penberthy 9/11; 3 M. Maung (Burma) 8½; 4-5 Rev. William Ernest Evill, E. W. Carmichael 8; 6 George Dickson Hutton 5; 7 W. H. Jones 4; 8-11 George Arthur Youngman (Maidstone), Alfred Dudley Barlow, H. Ransom and H. T. Twomey 3½; 12 Miss Gertrude Emma Sanders (Edinburgh) 1. [n.b. there is a mistake here, taken from Chess Devon, as the numbers don't tally - can anyone proof-read?]

This was ARB (Andrew Rowland Benedick) Thomas's debut at a BCF Congress. Click here to read more about him at Chess Devon.

Third Class: 1 A E Hopkins 12½; 2-3 C H Taylor, Dr E H Smith 12; 4-5 Charles George Spicer (Maidstone), John Macmillan 10½; 6 M H Clarke (Tonbridge) 8½; 7 Miss M Gibb 8; 8 William Henry Greenhalgh 7½; 9 Henry Edward Doran (Coventry) 7; 10 Mrs Jeanie Brockett (Glasgow) 6½; 11 Mrs McChiery 4; 12 Mrs Rose 3; 13 F Murray 2.

1st Special Lightning Tournament: 1 I Gunsberg; 2 W Gibson; 3 Sir George Thomas; 4 Edith Price; 5 Miss Ellison Scotland Gibb; 6 Miss Abraham

2nd Special Lightning Tournament: 1 G E Wainwright; 2 J H Blake; 3 E E Middleton; 4 H D Osborn; 5 Miss Stirling; 6 Miss Forbes.

---

BCM, September 1920, p266: "CONGRESS AT EDINBURGH.

The Lord Provost, whose name is, appropriately, Chesser, the Magistrates and Council of Edinburgh invited the participants at the Congress and their friends to a reception at the City Council Chambers on Monday, August 9, where Bailie Robertson, in the unavoidable absence of the Lord Provost, welcomed the visitors in an amusing speech, making them free of the various rooms of the buildings, which include a museum in which are many things of great historical interest. Truly Scottish hospitality was dispensed in the Banqueting Hall. Canon Gordon Ross, the Chairman of the Federation, returned thanks, and soon after 5 p.m. the chessplayers departed for the McEwan Hall, and precisely to time Canon Gordon Ross declared the Congress open. The McEwan Hall is a magnificent hall, with seats in three tiers round, and is used chiefly for such functions as conferring degrees, and occasionally for concerts. The floor of the hall easily accommodated the ninety chessplayers, and any number of spectators. The lighting arrangements left-something to be desired, but these were overcome by a rearrangement of the tables.

"It would, of course, be impossible to devote space to a concise record of each day’s play. But after half way it will probably interest our readers if we sum up the various impressions gathered so far. In the first place, the announcement that H. E. Atkins had withdrawn under doctor’s advice, as was the case at Hastings last year was a great disappointment (he was replaced by Dr. S. F. Smith – JS). In consequence, Sir George Thomas was generally expected to win the British Championship, and such expectation seems likely to be borne out, seeing that he is the only one who has not yet lost a game, and leads by half a point, with a score of five."

Yorkshire Post, 10 August 1920: "The Congress of the British Chess Federation opened at Edinburgh yesterday. This year's meeting will be particularly noteworthy, as, for the first time since 1914, there will be a competition for the Chess Championship of Great Britain. Prior to the commencement of play, the Edinburgh Corporation gave a reception to the players at the Council Chamber. The entries for the various tournaments were as follows: British Championship—E. E. Middleton (London), W. Gibson (Glasgow), Dr. S. F. Smith (Bournemouth), R. P. Michell. J. H. Blake, E. G. Sergeant, R. H. V. Scott, Sir George A. Thomas, Herbert Jacobs (London), A. J. Mackenzie (Birmingham), P. Wenman (Edinburgh), and G. E. Wainwright. British Ladies' Championship— Mrs. Sollas, Mrs. Ritchie, Mrs. Roe. Mrs. Anderson, Mrs. Stevenson, Mrs. Michell, Miss Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Miss [E.] Gibb (Glasgow), Miss Hutchison-Sterling (Edinburgh), Miss Abraham, and Miss Forbes (Edinburgh). Major Open Tournament— Messrs. O. A. Speyer, P. Van['t, T.] Veer (Holland), Wardhaugh (Glasgow), Sparkes (Sheffield), Price (Birmingham), Heath (Dundee), Gooding, Bigelow, Macalister, O'Hanlon, and Dr. Dunstan, [Dr. G.C.A./T.C. Oskam of Holland]. First-Class Players, Section A—Messrs. Dutt, Howell, Smith, Berryman, Crum, Bolland, Osborn, Thomson, Burton, L. C. G. Dewing (Maidstone), Professor John Cox (Bromley), Rev. Cunninghame Craig, and Mrs. S. J. Holloway (Bromley). First-Class, Section B—Messrs. W. R. Thomas, Edmund Tom Jesty, G. E. Smith, G. R. Hardcastle, F. J. Camm, J. D. Chambers, S. J. Holloway (Bromley), F. J. Hingley, G. W. Moses, Heastie, Steward, and Griffiths. Second-Class—Rev. W. E. Evill (late of Hythe), Messrs. E. W. Carmichael, G. A. Youngman (Maidstone), W. Penberthy, Miss [Gertrude Emma] Sanders, H. Ransom (Maidstone), W. H. Jones, A. D. Barlow, A. R. B. Thomas, G. D. Hutton, H. T. Twomey, and M. Maung, a Burmese gentleman. Third-Class Tourney—Mrs. Young, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Brockett, Mrs. McChiery, Miss Gibb, Miss Heard, Messrs. Doran, Greenhalgh, C. G. Spicer (Maidstone), Smith, Murray, Macmillan, M. H. Clarke (Tonbridge), and Hopkins, [E. H. Taylor].

---

File updated

Date	Notes
26 February 2016	First upload. 27 of the 66 games of the 1920 British Championship, held in Edinburgh. Also included are 5 games from the Major Open (won by Abraham Speyer), 6 from the Ladies' Championship (won after a play-off by Agnes Stevenson) and 9 more from subsidiary sections. Many thanks to Gerard Killoran for his help in assembling these.
9 March 2016	Updated with a few more games in each category.
25 March 2016	Another game from the subsidiary sections (Holloway-Osborn).
31 March 2016	Minor update to a player's name: Frederick John Hingley (not Frank as previously given), b abt Oct 1867 (Nottingham), d 19 Oct 1947 (Basford, Nottinghamshire) left a £50 bequest to the BCF (source: Nottingham Evening Post - Friday 03 September 1948, page 1) and also to the Nottinghamshire Chess Association.
4 April 2016	Added two championship games: Middleton-Gibson (Rd 1) and Blake-Mackenzie (Rd 2). Contributed by Brian Denman, for which many thanks.
5 April 2018	John D Chambers' middle name corrected to 'Dibbin' following an update to the biographical page at Chess Scotland.
27 February 2020	Now has 30 of 66 British Championship games. Three added: Mackenzie-Wenman (Rd 5), S.Smith-Wenman (Rd 9) and Wenman-Michell (Rd 10). Thanks to Brian Denman.
7 December 2021	One game added: Professor J.Cox 1-0 C.Dutt, First Class A. Kindly contributed by Gerard Killoran who adds some interesting biographical information about the two players at the English Chess Forum.
3 April 2022	One game added: W.Gibson 1-0 J.Blake (rd 5), found by 'Tabanus' of chessgames.com, for which many thanks.
19 April 2022	Added nine more games, all from the Major Open: (1) Oskam 1-0 Wardhaugh (rd 1); Dunstan ½-½ Oskam (rd 4); (3) Speijer ½-½ Van't Veer (rd 4); (4) Oskam 1-0 Heath (rd 5); (5) Oskam 0-1 Speijer (rd 7); (6) Van't Veer ½-½ Oskam (rd 8); (7) Wardhaugh 0-1 Van't Veer (rd 9); (8) Speijer 1-0 Price (rd 10); (9) Oskam 1-0 O'Hanlon (rd 11). Many thanks to Ulrich Tamm, who collected these games from Dutch sources.
13 July 2022	Added one game: C.Bolland 0-1 S.Howell-Smith (First Class A), contributed by Gerard Killoran via the English Chess Forum. Many thanks, Gerard.
4 August 2022	Added four games: three from the Championship - H.Jacobs 1-0 Dr S.Smith (rd 1); G.Wainwright 0-1 W.Gibson (rd 2); J.Blake 1-0 Dr. S.Smith. And one from First Class B - G.Stewart 0-1 W.Thomas. Many thanks to Brian Denman for sending the games.
13 October 2022	Added a game from the Championship proper: Dr. S.F.Smith 0-1 E.G.Sergeant (rd 7). Contributed by Gerard Killoran via the English Chess Forum, 12 October 2022, for which many thanks.
15 January 2024	J.O'Hanlon 0-1 A.Speijer (Major Open, rd 3), which was previously a part-game, is now a complete score, thanks to Eduardo Bauza.