3rd West of England Congress, Weston-super-Mare, 3-9 April 1926

1926 West of England Major Open

1926 West of England Major Open		Residence	1	2	3	4	6	5	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Max Euwe	Netherlands	&;	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	8
2	Edgar Colle	Belgium	½	&;	0	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	6½
3	Maurice Edward Goldstein	London	0	1	&;	½	0	1	1	½	0	1	5
4	Sir George Alan Thomas	London	0	½	½	&;	1	½	0	1	1	0	4½
5	Capt. Percivale David Bolland, M.C.	Weston-super-Mare	0	½	1	0	&;	0	½	½	1	½	4
6	Edmund Spencer	Liverpool	½	0	0	½	1	&;	0	½	1	½	4
7	Joseph Henry Blake	London	0	0	0	1	½	1	&;	½	0	½	3½
8	John Arthur James Drewitt	Hastings	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	&;	½	1	3½
9	Hubert Ernest Price	Birmingham	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	½	&;	1	3½
10	Theodore Henry Tylor	Birmingham	0	0	0	1	½	½	½	0	0	&;	2½

[BCM, May 1926, p 205 ff]

The third biennial West of England Chess Congress was opened by Councillor E. S. Stradling, chairman of the Urban District Council, in the Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare, on Saturday morning, April 3rd.

It will be recollected that the first congress, held in 1922, resulted in a brilliant victory for the veteran, J. H. Blake, against masters of international renown; and the second, in 1924, was won by the young Dutch champion, Max Euwe, with a margin of half a point from Sir G. A. Thomas.

After a few words of welcome from the Chairman, play in all seven tournaments commenced punctually at 9-30 a.m.

The Major Open included six of those who had competed in 1924, the newcomers being the Belgian champion, Edgar Colle, who is well-known as a strong and resourceful player; the ingenious Midlander, T. H. Tylor, who secured fourth prize in the B.C.F. Championship at Stratford last year; his fellow club-member, H. E. Price, who has often shown to advantage in strong tournaments; and the Hampstead player, M. E. Goldstein, who has held the championship of Middlesex for the past two seasons.

[... p220]

The winner, Dr. Max Euwe, undoubtedly played the soundest chess and thoroughly deserved his success. He did not often display his great combinative talents, and was content to give his opponents many chances to beat themselves, which they seized with avidity; but he won many a fine positional struggle and his style is more mature and “correct” than when he was last in England.

The second prize winner, E. Colle, after a bad start played some fine end-games and is undoubtedly a very ingenious player who, with a little more steadiness, should do well in international tournaments He enjoyed much better health at Weston than at Hastings last Christmas, and attributes his success largely to this factor.

The success of the third prize winner, Goldstein, was as unexpected to himself as to the other players. He had some good fortune and was not happy until he had secured a lost opening (which happened in his first five games!). He distinguished himself by the uniform regularity with which he ran short of time in every hour of every game, without, however, making any grave blunders.

Thomas played far below his real form, and made more blunders in one tournament than he is accustomed to make in a full year’s chess. He was undoubtedly suffering from want of practice, having played no serious chess since the Marienbad tournament of May, 1925, owing to his Badminton tour in Canada during the autumn, which deprived him of the chance of gaining practice in the annual City of London Chess Club Championship. When he once obtained an advantage, however, he pressed it home in his usual style.

Bolland once more played some hard games and thoroughly earned his place. He was never easy to beat, and shows continuous improvement with every tournament in which he competes.

Spencer plays the opening and middle game in first-class style, and had he played his end-games with the same care and accuracy which distinguish his conduct of the other branches of the game, he would have been a prize-winner.

Blake felt the strain of two rounds a day was too much, and there was a marked difference in the quality of his morning and evening games on the three double-round days. He had no luck, missing draws against Colle and Goldstein and probable wins against Bolland and Drewitt.

Drewitt probably played the soundest chess of the English players, but could only win a single game.

Price had three good wins to solace him, but his score was marred by a couple of losses in the last two rounds.

Tylor is a very ingenious player who gave the impression of trying for too much. He laid claim to “playing the world’s worst chess” during the Congress, but some of the other competitors might legitimately have aspired to this dubious distinction! With a sounder style he would have greatly improved upon his score, for he gave all the players except Price an exceedingly hard fight.

We had been under the impression that this tournament was unique in the large number of blunders made during the week, but we find that the same claim has been made for the previous congress at Weston!

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1926 West of England (Minor) Open

1926 West of England Minor Open		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Comins Mansfield	Bristol	&;	1	1	0	½	½	½	½	1	1	6
2	Richard Edward Lean	Brighton	0	&;	1	0	½	1	1	1	0	1	5½
3	John James O'Hanlon	Ireland	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	½	0	1	5½
4	Francis Herbert Terrill	Birmingham	1	1	0	&;	0	½	½	½	1	1	5½
5	Patrick Charles Littlejohn	Nuneaton	½	½	0	1	&;	½	½	1	½	½	5
6	Herbert Parsons	Bristol	½	0	0	½	½	&;	½	1	1	1	5
7	Percival John Lawrence	Reading	½	0	0	½	½	½	&;	½	½	1	4
8	Ronald Melville Norman	Weston-super-Mare	½	0	½	½	0	0	½	&;	1	1	4
9	Mrs Edith Martha Holloway (née Crittenden)	Bromley	0	1	1	0	½	0	½	0	&;	½	3½
10	George Wright	York	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	&;	1

Lean started off as if he was going to put the Open Tournament in his pocket, but in the sixth round, with his score 4½ out of 5, he lost to Mrs. Holloway and a further loss to Terrill in the eighth round brought him back to the field.

Littlejohn actually drew his first six games, and as he lost in the next round he was out of the running. Terrill had a good chance but he lost two adjourned games in which he was a Pawn down.

After the eighth round the issue was still very open, there being only two points between first and ninth. The scores were: Lean 5½, Mansfield 5, O’Hanlon, Parsons and Terrill 4½ each, Littlejohn and Norman 4, and Mrs. Holloway and Lawrence 3½ each. In the final round Mansfield, the well-known problemist, engaged in a brilliant attack against Lean, which he concluded in first-rate style. Terrill beat Mrs. Holloway; O'Hanlon easily beat Wright, and he accordingly shared 2nd and 3rd prize with Lean. Mrs. Holloway had the consolation of defeating two of the prize-winners.

1926 West of England First Class A

1926 West of England First Class A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Samuel Waterman Viveash	Bristol	&;	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	8
2	Leslie Edward Vine	Bridgwater	0	&;	0	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	6½
3	Philip Ashby Ursell	Birmingham	0	1	&;	½	½	1	½	0	½	1	5
4	George Clifford Brown	Worcester	½	½	½	&;	0	½	1	½	0	1	4½
5	Sydney Meymott	London	0	0	½	1	&;	0	½	½	1	1	4½
6	Alfred Dudley Barlow	London	0	0	0	½	1	&;	½	1	1	0	4
7	Edward Buddel Puckridge	Bromley	0	0	½	0	½	½	&;	1	½	1	4
8	Francis Frederick Finch	Bristol	0	0	1	½	½	0	0	&;	½	1	3½
9	Ernest George Rodway	Weston-super-Mare	½	0	½	1	0	0	½	½	&;	½	3½
10	Alan Hamilton Crothers	Oxford	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	½	&;	1½

In the First Class “ A ” the local player, Viveash, made hacks of the field. Ursell lost his last two games, but just came into the prize list. The form of the Oxonian, Crothers, was far too bad to be true.

1926 West of England First Class B

1926 West of England First Class B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Commander Robert Douglas Graham1	Bridgwater	&;	1	½	1	1	1	0	0	1	½	6
2	H Ward	Croydon	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	½	½	6
3	Ernest Fowler Fardon	Birmingham	½	0	&;	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	5½
4	George W Powell	Stroud	0	1	½	&;	0	1	1	0	½	1	5
5	Mrs Amabel Nevill Gwyn Sollas (née Moseley)	Oxford	0	0	½	1	&;	½	½	1	1	½	5
6	Samuel John Holloway	Bromley	0	0	½	0	½	&;	1	½	1	1	4½
7	Albert Henry Hart	Teignmouth	1	0	0	0	½	0	&;	1	½	1	4
8	H H Elliott	London	1	0	0	1	0	½	0	&;	0	1	3½
9	Charles Henry Taylor	London	0	½	0	½	0	0	½	1	&;	½	3
10	Patrick Humphrey Sullivan2	Dartford	½	½	½	0	½	0	0	0	½	&;	2½

¹ Robert Douglas Graham born 1887, died 1957: accomplished a singlehanded crossing of the Atlantic, 1934, and wrote a book of his adventure, Rough Crossing
² the Western Daily Press for 5 April 1926 reported that Henry Powell substituted for PH Sullivan who was not able to attend. It is not clear whether this was for the second round game vs GW Powell only or for the entire tournament, nor whether Henry Powell was a relative of the player (George W Powell) who beat him.

In the First Class “ B ” Graham lost his last game to Hart through adopting the Budapest Defence, and Ward was able to tie with him for first prize. The longest game of the Congress was played between S. J. Holloway and C. H. Taylor, running to 116 moves before Holloway with R, 2 Bishops and 2 Pawns against a lone Q, forced Taylor’s capitulation.

1926 West of England Second Class A

1926 West of England Second Class A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	John Keeble	Norwich	&;	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	8
2	F W Trent	Worcester	1	&;	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7
3	Edward Lupton May	Gloucester	0	1	&;	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	6½
4	Henry Ashwell Cadman1	Leeds	0	0	1	&;	1	½	1	½	1	1	6
5	S J Osborn	London	0	1	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	6
6	Miss Hilda Florence Chater	London	0	0	½	½	0	&;	1	1	1	1	5
7	Herbert John Salter	Bromley	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	3
8	William Edgar Gough	Shifnal	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	&;	1	1	2½
9	John Theobald Dillon Halford	Colchester	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	½	½
10	Mrs Lizzie Vine (née Goring)	Bridgwater	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	½

¹ Cadman played under his usual pseudonym of "C A Mann" - see Steve Mann's detailed biography at the Yorkshire Chess History website.

Lupton May drew an ending a Pawn down against Miss Chater in the final round, and thus gained undivided 3rd prize in the Second Class “ A.” This was the last game concluded of the whole Congress.

1926 West of England Second Class B

1926 West of England Second Class B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Miss M Andrews	London	&;	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	0	1	6½
2	Anthony Clifford Steadman	Bristol	1	&;	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	6½
3	W Barker	Wolverhampton	0	½	&;	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	6
4	Noel Rhys	Bromley	½	½	½	&;	½	0	1	½	½	1	5
5	Willington Lucette Wakefield	Coventry	0	½	0	½	&;	½	1	1	½	1	5
6	Alfred Herman Reeve	Great Missenden	0	0	½	1	½	&;	½	½	½	1	4½
7	John E Coleman	Essex	0	½	0	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	4
8	Hon. Arthur James Beresford Lowther	London	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	&;	1	1	3½
9	Roger Oswald Platt	Gloucester	1	½	0	½	½	½	0	0	&;	0	3
10	Miss Lillie Eveling	Margate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1

Miss Andrews had the distinction of being the only lady prize winner of the Congress in 2nd Class “ B.” Had Rhys won his last game instead of losing it, he would have shared third prize.

1926 West of England Third Class

1926 West of England Third Class		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	F J Lusty	Whitchurch	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
2	W H Eyles	Birmingham	1	&;	1	0	½	1	1	1	0	1	6½
3	Oscar J Smith	Bristol	1	0	&;	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	6
4	Herbert Shorney	Weston-super-Mare	0	1	1	&;	½	0	1	0	1	1	5½
5	Herbert William Tidball	Birmingham	0	½	0	½	&;	1	1	½	1	½	5
6	George Percival Leslie Hudson	Stroud	0	0	0	1	0	&;	1	1	0	1	4
7	Kenneth Ian McCrea	Gloucester	0	0	1	0	0	0	&;	1	1	1	4
8	Mrs M Healey	South Croydon	0	0	0	1	½	0	0	&;	1	1	3½
9	Mrs Millicent Louise Battrum (née White)	Malvern	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	&;	½	2½
10	R Gould	Weston-super-Mare	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	&;	1

Among the side shows was a simultaneous display by Euwe on Tuesday evening, April 6th, in which the master made the fine score of 27 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses (to A. D. Barlow and F. H. Terrill) out of 32 games.

There was also a quick-play tournament at odds, the Major Open players having to give the Open players Pawn and move, and similarly for the other classes. This was also won by Euwe.

The prizes were given away by Mr. Sidney Robinson on Saturday April 10th, and presentations were made to Messrs. Howell and Kemble for the admirable way in which they had conducted the Congress. In proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Robinson, Mr. S. T Holloway made an appeal for more chess players to enrol as life members of the B.C.F., in order to build up a substantial fund. Mr van der Woerd, of the Dutch Press, in seconding a vote of thanks remarked that the Belgian and Dutch champions had asked him to express their best thanks to the English chess world for the hospitable way in which they had been received, and in conclusion quoted some lines of Wordsworth, which he assumed were familiar to all his audience but we have our doubts!

 

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File updated

Date	Notes
3 March 2022	Initial upload.
9 March 2022	The game Goldstein-Thomas (Rd 9) had a couple of score errors which I have now repaired. Thanks to Andy Ansel for reporting these.
3 January 2024	Added the game A.Steadman 1-0 Miss M.Andrews (Second Class B).