1925 British Chess Championship, Stratford-upon-Avon, 17-28 August • 1924« »1926

1925 British Chess Championship		Draw No.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Henry Ernest Atkins	5	Huddersfield	&;	1	½	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	9½
2	Fred Dewhirst Yates	11	Bradford	0	&;	1	1	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	8½
3	Edmund Spencer	3	Liverpool	½	0	&;	½	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	7½
4	Theodore Henry Tylor	12	Birmingham	0	0	½	&;	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	7
5	William Winter	2	London	0	0	0	½	&;	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	6
6	Hubert Ernest Price	1	Birmingham	0	1	½	½	0	&;	½	0	0	1	1	1	5½
7	Herbert Levi Jacobs	10	London	½	½	1	½	½	½	&;	½	0	0	0	1	5
8	William Gooding	6	London	0	0	0	0	1	1	½	&;	0	1	1	½	5
9	Harold Saunders	8	London	½	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	&;	0	1	0	4½
10	Joseph Henry Blake	9	Surbiton	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	½	½	3
11	George Wyville Moses	4	Hemsworth	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	½	&;	1	2½
12	Henry Bernard Uber	7	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	½	0	&;	2

Pairings as per table 1

1925 British Ladies' Chess Championship • 1924« »1926

1925 British Ladies' Championship		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Mrs Agnes Bradley Stevenson (née Lawson)	London	&;	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10½
2	Miss Edith Charlotte Price	London	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	9½
3	Mrs Edith Mary Ann Michell (née Tapsell)	Kingston	½	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
4	Miss Mary Dinorah Gilchrist	Glasgow	0	0	½	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	7
5	Mrs Mary Mills Houlding (née Palmer)	Wallingford	0	0	0	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	6
6	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	Herne Bay	0	0	0	1	0	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	5
7	Miss Alice Elizabeth Hooke	Watford	0	0	0	0	1	1	&;	0	1	0	½	1	4½
8	Miss Florence Hutchison Stirling	Edinburgh	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	&;	0	0	1	1	4
9	Mrs Rosa Annie Banting (née Vines)	London	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	0	1	1	3½
10	Miss Hilda Florence Chater	Penzance	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	&;	0	½	3½
11	Mrs Amabel Nevill Gwyn Sollas (née Jeffreys)	Oxford	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	1	&;	1	3
12	Mrs Jeanie Brockett	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	½

1925 BCF Major Open

1925 BCF Major Open		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	John Arthur James Drewitt	Hastings	&;	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	9½
2	Eugene Znosko-Borovsky	Paris	½	&;	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	9½
3	Charles Reuben Gurnhill	Sheffield	0	0	&;	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	7½
4	Oscar Conrad Muller	London	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	1	6
5	Walter Atkinson	Hull	0	0	1	0	&;	1	½	½	1	0	1	½	5½
6	John Harold Morrison	London	0	1	½	0	0	&;	1	½	1	0	0	1	5
7	John MacAlister	London	½	0	0	0	½	0	&;	½	1	1	0	1	4½
8	William Henry Watts	London	0	0	0	1	½	½	½	&;	0	1	0	1	4½
9	John James O'Hanlon	Portadown	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	1	1	4½
10	J Ellis Parry	Manchester	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	&;	1	0	4
11	Richard Edward Lean	Brighton	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	&;	0	3
12	Frederick Charles Short	Walsall	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	1	1	&;	2½

1925 BCF First Class A

1925 BCF First Class A		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Alfred Dudley Barlow	London	&;	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
2	Sydney Gerard Howell-Smith	Hythe	½	&;	1	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	9
3	Henfrey Austin Turriff	Arbroath	1	0	&;	1	½	½	0	½	1	1	1	1	7½
4	H Parsons	Bristol	½	½	0	&;	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	1	7
5	Lt Col Charles Edward Stuart-Prince	Hyères	0	½	½	½	&;	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	7
6	Maj Sir Richard Whieldon Barnett, MP	London	0	0	½	0	0	&;	1	½	1	1	1	1	6
7	Patrick Charles Littlejohn	Nuneaton	0	0	1	½	½	0	&;	0	½	1	1	1	5½
8	Geoffrey Kendall Nuttall	London	0	0	½	0	½	½	1	&;	0	1	½	1	5
9	George Dickson Hutton	Dunbar	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	1	&;	0	1	1	4
10	Victor Coates	Uppingham	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	&;	½	1	3½
11	James William Ernest Coley	Stroud	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	&;	1	2½
12	A Powell	Birmingham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	0

1925 BCF First Class B

1925 BCF First Class B		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Henry James MacThomas Thoms	Dundee	&;	0	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	8½
2	Miss Vera Menchik	Hastings	1	&;	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	0	1	8
3	W A Hooper1	Ipswich	0	0	&;	1	1	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	7
4	Dr Vickerman Henzell Rutherford	London	½	½	0	&;	1	0	½	1	½	½	1	1	6½
5	Rev William Rawson Greenhalgh	London	0	½	0	0	&;	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	6
6	Rev Arthur Percival Lacy-Hulbert	Birmingham	1	0	½	1	0	&;	1	0	½	½	0	1	5½
7	Mrs Edith Martha Holloway	Bromley	0	½	½	½	½	0	&;	1	0	1	1	0	5
8	Friedrich Salmony	London	0	½	1	0	½	1	0	&;	1	0	½	½	5
9	Lt. Leslie Edward Vine	Bridgwater	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	0	&;	0	1	1	4½
10	Bernard John Barton-Eckett2	Durham	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	1	&;	0	1	4
11	Frederick Wilkinson	Kingston-upon-Thames	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	½	0	1	&;	0	3½
12	Dr E H Smith3	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	0	0	1	&;	2½

¹ W A Hooper was British Correspondence Chess Champion in 1923. His forenames may have been William Arthur.
² BCM and newspapers give 'E Barton-Eckett' in 1925 but chess reports and newspapers for other years give 'B Barton-Eckett' as a chess competitor, which tallies with the name of the then Durham county librarian who was born in 1893 and died in Kenya in 1974. No record can be found for an E Barton-Eckert.
³ Unsurprisingly I've not been able to discover the forenames of Dr E H Smith of London! EDIT (24 December 2021): I think he may have been Edward Hickson Smith, born 13 July 1867 (Ontario, Canada), died 27 February 1946 (Bournemouth), qualified doctor/surgeon (M.R.C.S.) and son of another Canadian surgeon, William Robert Smith (b 1829). But not 100% certain.

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1925 BCF Second Class A

1925 BCF Second Class A		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Prof Robert William Genese	Tunbridge Wells	&;	0	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	9
2	George W Powell	Stroud	1	&;	½	1	½	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	8
3	Stephen Poulson Lees	Merton	½	½	&;	0	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	7½
4	Willington Lucette Wakefield	Coventry	0	0	1	&;	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	7
5	Rev William Thomas Mackenzie Hooppell	Stoke-on-Trent	½	½	½	½	&;	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	6
6	Henry Stanley Shelton1	Teddington	0	1	½	0	1	&;	0	½	0	1	1	1	6
7	George Breese	Wimbledon	0	1	0	1	0	1	&;	0	0	½	1	1	5½
8	Arthur Frank Anderton	Coventry	0	0	½	½	0	½	1	&;	1	½	0	1	5
9	Henry David Osborn2	Gosport	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	&;	0	1	0	4
10	Miss Charlotte Helena Minchin Cotton	London	0	0	0	0	1	0	½	½	1	&;	0	1	4
11	Miss Mary Ann Eliza Andrews3	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	1	3
12	John E Coleman	Grays	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	&;	1

¹ Henry Stanley Shelton (1876-1956), teacher and co-author of a book about evolution.
² Henry David Osborn (1864-1928) - "Mr H. D. Osborn, of Gosport, who passed away at the end of August [1928], was a strong Hampshire county player, and a keen supporter of the B.C.F., of which he was the local secretary at the Southsea congress of 1923." (BCM, October 1928, p375)
³ BCM, August 1923, p281-282, reported that Miss M Andrews was "sister to the well-known Sussex amateur." He was William Richard Andrews, who played for Christ Church, Brighton, and won the Sussex championship. I am grateful to Richard James for discovering the full names of the siblings, reported in this article on British Chess News.

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1925 BCF Second Class B

1925 BCF Second Class B		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Samuel James Osborn	London	&;	1	1	0	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	8½
2	Ralph William Rushton1	Leagrave	0	&;	0	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7½
3	M White	Cardiff	0	1	&;	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	7
4	A C (or A T) Faulkner	Wallington	1	1	0	&;	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	7
5	Alfred Thomas Cannell	Norwich	½	½	1	1	&;	0	½	1	½	0	1	1	7
6	H Hinchcliffe2	Huddersfield	0	0	1	½	1	&;	1	1	0	0	1	1	6½
7	George Arthur Youngman	Maidstone	0	0	1	½	½	0	&;	0	1	1	1	½	5½
8	W Barker	Wolverhampton	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	½	1	1	1	5½
9	G M Rowson	London	0	0	0	½	½	1	0	½	&;	1	1	1	5½
10	Albert Henry Hart	Teignmouth	0	0	0	½	1	1	0	0	0	&;	1	1	4½
11	Miss Stella Violet Aline Malcolm	Edinburgh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1
12	Mrs A Chase3	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	&;	½

¹ Ralph William Rushton (1892-?) was the older brother of Robin Humphries Rushton who was a well-known player and chess administrator in Bedfordshire (he took part in the 1923 BCF Congress). It's just possible that 'RW Rushton' as given in BCM and newspaper accounts of this 1925 event is a misprint for 'RH Rushton' and that Ralph W Rushton wasn't a competition player at all but it seems reasonable to assume that he was - JS
² This might be the Charles Henry Hinchcliffe (1895-1987) documented at the Yorkshire Chess History website.
³ name given as Mrs J F Chase in some sources - husband's initials?

1925 BCF Third Class A

1925 BCF Third Class A		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Roger Oswald Platt	Gloucester	&;	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1d	1	1d	9½
2	Hon. Arthur James Beresford Lowther	London	½	&;	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	1d	1	1d	9
3	W E Jones	Condover	1	0	&;	0	1	1	½	1	1	1	1d	1d	8½
4	W A Aston	Birmingham	0	0	1	&;	0	1	1	1	1	½	1	1	7½
5	G W Bedford1	London	0	½	0	1	&;	0	1	1	1	1d	1d	1d	7½
6	J J Ellison	Shrewsbury	0	1	0	0	1	&;	0	½	1	1d	1	1d	6½
7	Miss Ella Margaret Beddall2	Bexhill	0	0	½	0	0	1	&;	1	1	0	1d	1	5½
8	Miss Kate Eyre	Prestbury	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	&;	1	1d	1d	1d	4½
9	Miss Evelyn de Veer Pickop	Colwyn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1d	1d	1d	3
10	Thomas Ernest Dodds	Birmingham	0d	0d	0	½	0d	0d	1	0d	0d	&;	0	1d	2½
11	William H Reynolds	Rugby	0	0	0d	0	0d	0	0d	0d	0d	1	&;	1	2
12	P W Darbyshire	Poynton	0d	0d	0d	0	0d	0d	0	0d	0d	0d	0	&;	0

¹ BCM in 1926: "The old Hampstead player, G. W. Bedford, won Division 1 of the Third Class in superior style with 9½ out of 10. This is his first first-prize in an open tournament, and the youthful octogenarian is hoping for fresh worlds to conquer next year." A clue to his identity (must have been born in 1846 or earlier), but I have so far not been able to find out any more about him. JS
² married the chess problemist Brian Harley (1883-1955) in 1926. Born in 1892, died in 1968.

1925 BCF Third Class B

1925 BCF Third Class B		Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	M L Adler	London	&;	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10
2	Miss Lillie Eveling	Margate	0	&;	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	8½
3	Victor James R Soanes	Loughton	½	1	&;	½	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	8
4	(Lady) Muriel Ivy Scobell Mackereth	Buxton	0	0	½	&;	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7
5	Anthony Clifford Steadman	Bristol	½	0	0	½	&;	½	½	1	0	1	1	1	6
6	Mrs M Healey	Mossley	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	0	1	1	5½
7	Miss Olga Menchik	Hastings	0	½	0	1	½	0	&;	0	½	1	1	½	5
8	Miss C/E Pannell	London	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	&;	1	0	1	1	5
9	Mrs Lizzie Vine1 (née Goring)	Bridgwater	0	0	1	0	1	0	½	0	&;	½	1	1	5
10	Mrs Florence Jane Fish	Worthing	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	½	&;	0	1	3½
11	Mrs E S Ross2	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	2
12	Mrs Clara Margaret MacVean	Bournemouth	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	&;	½

¹ Lizzie Vine (née Goring) (1867-?) married Herbert Edward Vine in 1891. Their son Leslie Edward Vine (1892-1978) was a competition player who learnt the game from his mother and played in the First Class B section (see above).
² initials could be those of her husband

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1925 British Boys' [Under 18] Chess Championship, 20-25 April 1925, Hastings

From BCM, May 1925, ppn 214-216 [with some reformatting and adding of forenames and schools where known]

1925 British Boys Chess Championship Final		School	Age	1	2	3	4	Total
1	Wilfred Henry Pratten	Esplanade High School, Southsea	16	&;	1	½	1	2½
2	Harold Talbot Reeve	St. Paul’s, London	16	0	&;	1	½	1½
3	Clement Frederick Bruning	Ealing Priory	13	½	0	&;	½	1
4	Hubert Charles Lewis	Taunton School, Southampton	17	0	½	½	&;	1

For the third year in succession the Hastings Chess Club held a championship meeting for boys, and again the affair was very pleasant and successful. On this occasion play took place at the Club, not, as last year, at the Town Hall; and, instead of the main tournament starting on Easter Monday, it began on the Monday following, April 20th, so that it did not clash with any other chess gathering.

There were less competitors this year than last—24 against 36—so that the club room was able to accommodate them comfortably, and spectators could get a good view of all the boards. The 24 players were divided into four preliminary sections of six each, of which the results were:

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Preliminary Section 1: (1) Clement Frederick Bruning (Ealing Priory) 4½/5; (2-3) Victor James R Soanes (Chigwell School), F L Taylor 3; (4-5) Geoffrey Harold Rowson, Donald Arthur Charles Gibbs (St Leonards Collegiate School) 2; (6) Ronald Crouch (Hastings Grammar School) ½.

Preliminary Section 2: (1) Hubert Charles Lewis (Taunton School, Southampton) 3½/5; (2) Alfred Mortlock (University School, Hastings) 3; (3-4) Eric Sigmund Bensinger (St Paul's, London), Alfred Felix Behmber (resid. Hornsey) 2½; (5) (Alfred) Rupert Neale Cross (Worcester College for the Blind) 2; (6) Bernard Banister (St Leonards Collegiate School) 1½.

Preliminary Section 3: (1) Wilfred Henry Pratten (Esplanade High School, Southsea, holder) 5/5; (2-3) (Arthur) Eric Smith, James Dengate¹ (St Leonards Collegiate School) 3; Anthony Clifford Steadman 2; (5-6) Cecil Allison Bircham (Rye Grammar School), R F George 1. ¹ there was also a John Dengate who played junior chess around then but he was born in 1916 compared to his elder brother's 1911.

Preliminary Section 4: (1) Harold Talbot Reeve (St. Paul's, London) 4/5; (2-3) Isidore Haym Wechsler (resid. Bromley area), Ronald Walter Dodds (Gresham School, Norwich) 3½; (4-5) Eric Henry K Beecher (Hastings Grammar School), Wilfred Lionel Starling (Midhurst Grammar School) 2; (6) R S Hunter 0.

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The championship proper began on the evening of April 23rd, continued next evening, and was concluded on the morning of April 25th, the contestants, with schools, and ages (in brackets) being :—

W. H. Pratten, Esplanade High School, Southsea (16)
H. T. Reeve, St. Paul’s (16)
H. C. Lewis, Taunton School, Southampton (17)
C. Bruning, Ealing Priory (13)

In the first round Lewis played a Ruy Lopez against the holder and got him into difficulties in the opening. Pratten recovered, however, and gaining the Exchange, was able to force a winning ending. Bruning, in a Queen’s Gambit Declined against Reeve, lost a Pawn, and later got a Knight shut off, which he sacrificed for two Pawns. Reeve then brought off a combination by which he won another piece and the game.

In Round 2 Reeve v. Pratten and Bruning v. Lewis were both, in effect, Queen’s Gambits Declined. Pratten built up a very superior position, though material was level, and Reeve suddenly collapsed, resigning on the 26th move. The other game was a not very eventful draw.

In the last round Pratten very nearly had a shock. Opening with a Ponziani, which turned into a kind of Ruy Lopez after Bruning had played 3...d6, he got a strong-looking game; but Bruning defended so well that the situation changed entirely to the holder s disadvantage, and at last a sacrifice was obviously Black’s policy—Bruning saw this, but unfortunately sacrificed the wrong piece, and Pratten, by giving up his Queen, for adequate compensation, was able to extricate himself, and a draw resulted. [game included in download]

Lewis v. Reeve was a very heavy Lopez, in which all 16 Pawns were still on after 20 moves. Ten moves later a legitimate draw was agreed.

Pratten thus won his second victory in the event, and has now gone through two of these contests without losing a game. Though the opposition this year was not so strong as last (Pape, the only other eligible one of last year’s finalists, being unable to come to Hastings this time), he showed that his game has improved by his practice at the Southampton C.C., where he has won second prize in the club tournament. He still plays rather too quickly and confidently, but we shall be surprised if he does not develop into a fine player by the time he ceases to be "boy champion." He has still another year, and may do the hat-trick.

Reeve is a player somewhat after the style of his former schoolmate, Eric John Scrimgeour, working very hard at the game and generally consuming all his time. He produced some good games ; as also did Lewis, whom some, on his form in his preliminary section, considered to have a chance of the championship. Bruning is extremely good at his age—13 years and 9 months—and most assuredly, if he continues to progress, get his name on the boys’ championship roll before he reaches the age-limit. Of those who did not qualify for the top section Smith (Brighton) and Wechsler (St. Paul’s) confirmed the good impression they made last year.

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The prize-winners in the lower sections of the final were:—

[four-player sections with players who finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth from the four preliminary sections - JS]

[Consolation Section] 1: (1-2) Isidore H Wechsler, (Arthur) Eric Smith 2/3 each, tied, Wechsler winning the play-off at "lightning" chess, after two draws, one at ordinary pace and one at lightning. [also in this section, A Mortlock and V Soanes]

[Consolation Section] 2: F L Taylor 2½/3; R W Dodds 1½, with a game to finish [other players, Bensinger, Dengate]

[Consolation Section] 3: (1-2) A C Steadman, G H Rowson 2½/3, tied, Steadman winning the play-off.

[Consolation Section] 4: (1-2) Rupert Cross, W L Starling 2/3 tied.

[Consolation Section] 5: (1) R S Hunter 3/3; (2) R F George 2.

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The inclusion in the prize-list of Rupert Cross, the young blind boy from Worcester, gave great satisfaction to everybody.

Viscountess [Sybil] Brassey [née de Vere, 1858-1934] very kindly consented to present the prizes at the Club on Saturday afternoon, April 25th, and so the congress came to its end. Very great credit is due to F[rancis] A[lbert] Riley, the congress hon. secretary, and H[erbert] E[dward] Dobell, president, and other members of the Hastings C.C., who by their presence and work helped to achieve such a success.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
13 March 2016	Original upload. 54 of the 66 games played in the 1925 British Chess Championship, played in Stratford-upon-Avon. I have input complete games from rounds 2-8 from the Tinsley notebooks, kindly lent by Tony Gillam, and a number of these won't have seen the light of day until now. Others sourced from newspapers and elsewhere, with the assistance of Gerard Killoran. There are also 13 games from the subsidiary tournaments, plus three crosstables and results of lower sections.
14 March 2016	One extra game, plus tidied up references to games from the Tinsley notebooks, etc.
15 March 2016	Five more games contributed by Gerard Killoran - one from the Major Open (Morrison-Znosko-Borovsky), one from the Women's Championship (Houlding-Gilchrist) and three from lower sections. Many thanks, Gerard.
30 March 2016	Three further Major Open games (Lean-Watts, Rd 5; Znosko-Borovsky-Atkinson, Rd 10; Short-Drewitt, Rd 11), for which many thanks to Gerard Killoran.
12 April 2016	Added one championship game (Spencer-Saunders, Rd 9) and three games from the Major Open, all of which were in BCM. I have also tightened up some of the source references (as I did for the 1924 file).
26 April 2016	Roger Watson has unearthed Winter-Yates (Rd 11) from a Czech newspaper. Many thanks, Roger.
4 January 2023	Added two games from subsidiary sections: (1) W.Watts 1-0 F.Short (Major Open, rd 7); (2) W.Hooper 1-0 F.Wilkinson (First Class B). Many thanks to Gerard Killoran who submitted them via the English Chess Forum.
21 July 2025	Added 13 games from the 1925 British Boys' (Under-18) Championship, held at Hastings over Easter. The additional games are most those played by (Arthur) Eric Smith, which have been collected by Brian Denman, for which many thanks. I have also added results and crosstables relating to the boys' competition.