1936 Margate Premier, 15-24 April

1936 Margate Premier		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Salo Flohr	Prague	&;	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	7½
2	José Raúl Capablanca	Cuba	½	&;	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	7
3	Gideon Ståhlberg	Stockholm	½	½	&;	0	½	½	1	½	1	1	5½
4	Erik Lundin	Stockholm	0	½	1	&;	½	½	1	½	0	1	5
5	Theodore Henry Tylor	Oxford	0	½	½	½	&;	1	½	0	½	1	4½
6	Philip Stuart Milner-Barry	Cambridge	0	0	½	½	0	&;	1	1	½	1	4½
7	Vera Menchik	London	½	0	0	0	½	0	&;	½	1	1	3½
8	Sir George Alan Thomas	London	0	0	½	½	1	0	½	&;	½	0	3
9	Edward Guthlac Sergeant	London	0	0	0	1	½	½	0	½	&;	½	3
10	Brian Patrick Reilly	Nice / IRL	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	&;	1½

Capablanca playing Milner-Barry, round 1, 15 April 1936. Photo, The Sphere, 25 April 1936

1936 Margate Premier Reserves A

1936 Margate Premier Reserves A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	George Koltanowski	Antwerp	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	7
2	Adrián García Conde	Mexico	0	&;	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	7
3	Baruch Harold Wood	Birmingham	0	0	&;	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	6½
4	Arthur Eva	Manchester	1	0	0	&;	0	½	0	1	½	1	4
5	Frits van Seters	Antwerp	0	½	0	1	&;	0	1	1	½	0	4
6	Willem Andreas Theodorus Schelfhout	Amsterdam	0	0	0	½	1	&;	1	0	½	1	4
7	Leonard Illingworth	Royston	0	0	½	1	0	0	&;	1	0	1	3½
8	Charles Vincent Podger	London	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	&;	1	½	3½
9	Francis Ernest Appleyard Kitto	Cambridge	0	0	0	½	½	½	1	0	&;	½	3
10	Dr Rafael Domènech Guerrero	Barcelona	0	½	0	0	1	0	0	½	½	&;	2½

1936 Margate Premier Reserves B

1936 Margate Premier Reserves B		Nat'y	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Victor Buerger	London	&;	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	7½
2	Alexander Koblencs	Riga	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	7½
3	Ernst Ludwig Klein	Vienna	½	½	&;	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	7½
4	Francis Herbert Terrill	Birmingham	0	0	0	&;	1	1	½	1	1	½	5
5	Leslie Charles Gwyn Dewing	London	0	0	½	0	&;	1	½	½	1	1	4½
6	Sonja Graf	Munich	½	0	0	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	4
7	Antonie Theodoor Knoppers	Amsterdam	½	0	0	½	½	½	&;	0	1	½	3½
8	Douglas Ian Croker	London	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	&;	0	1	2½
9	Joaquim Calduch Segura	Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	2
10	Francis Noel Jameson	Birmingham	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	&;	1

Sir George Thomas and Sonja Graf. Photo, The Sphere, 25 April 1936

Other Sections

1936 Margate Major

1936 Margate Major		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Salvador Sola Fuset	Barcelona	&;	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	½	½	8
2	Walter James E Yeeles	Chatham	0	&;	1	1	1	0	½	1	1	½	½	1	7½
3	James J Doyle	Dublin	0	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	0	6½
4	E Green	Birmingham	1	0	0	&;	1	½	½	0	1	1	½	1	6½
5	John James O’Hanlon	Dublin	1	0	1	0	&;	0	1	½	0	1	1	1	6½
6	Maurice Ellinger	London	0	1	0	½	1	&;	½	1	0	1	0	1	6
7	Anthony Clifford Steadman	Bristol	0	½	0	½	0	½	&;	½	1	1	1	1	6
8	Theodore Magnus Wechsler	London	0	0	0	1	½	0	½	&;	1	1	0	1	5
9	Ernest Montgomery Jellie	London	0	0	½	0	1	1	0	0	&;	0	1	½	4
10	Edward Willingham Brocklesby	Cambridge University	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1	1	3½
11	Josep Cabestany	Philippines	½	½	0	½	0	1	0	1	0	0	&;	0	3½
12	Capt. Hugh Windsor Fiesch Heneage	Brighton	½	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	1	&;	3

1936 Margate First Class A

1936 Margate First Class A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
1	Frederick William Flear	Welwyn Garden City	&;	1	0	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7½
2	Francis Avery Sisley	Chelmsford	0	&;	1	0	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	7
3	Mrs Edith Martha Holloway	Hampstead	1	0	&;	½	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	6½
4	W B Henderson	London	½	1	½	&;	½	1	1	0	½	½	1	6½
5	Miss M Andrews	London	0	0	½	½	&;	1	½	1	½	½	1	5½
6	Francesc Cardona	Barcelona	1	½	0	0	0	&;	1	1	½	½	½	5
7	John Keeble	Norwich	0	0	1	0	½	0	&;	1	½	½	1	4½
8	Mrs Amy Eleanor Wheelwright	Watford	0	½	½	1	0	0	0	&;	0	1	1	4
9	Miss Agnes Margaret Crum	Hastings	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	1	&;	½	½	4
10	(Senyorita) Glòria Velat i Badia	Barcelona	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	0	½	&;	½	3
11	Dr Marcus Wechsler	London	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	&;	1½

1936 Margate First Class B

First Class B: 1 John Francis O’Donovan 9½/11; 2 H. A. Melvin 7½; 3-4 Charles Henry Taylor, Edward Buddel Puckridge 7; 5-6 A. Francis, G. Booth, 6; 7 W. Barker 4½; 8 (Sydney) Hugh Brocklesby 3; 9-10 (Senyora) Ruíz, (Senyorita) Montserrat Puigcercós (Catalunya) 2; 12 Miss Emily Eliza Abraham ½.

1936 Margate First Class B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
1	John Francis O’Donovan	Hampstead	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	1	9½
2	Herbert Arthur Melvin	Southend	0	&;	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	7½
3	Charles Henry Taylor	Wells	0	0	&;	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
4	Edward Buddel Puckridge	Bromley	0	½	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	7
5	G Booth	Westcliff	0	0	1	½	&;	0	½	1	1	1	1	6
6	A Frances/Francis	Sevenoaks	0	1	0	0	1	&;	0	1	1	1	1	6
7	W Barker	Wolverhampton	0	0	0	0	½	1	&;	½	1	½	1	4½
8	(Sydney) Hugh Brocklesby	London	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1	½	1	3
9	(Senyora) Ruíz	Barcelona	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	&;	1	1	2
10	(Senyorita) Montserrat Puigcercós	Barcelona	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	&;	½	2
11	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	Deal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	½

Second Class A: (1) Philip Charles Hoad (London) 9½/11; (2) J Mackenzie (Exmouth) 8; (3) Frank Percival Pounce (Wolverhampton) 7; (4) Miss Audrey Bourne Poupard (Leyton) 6½; (5-6) Robert M Fleming (Ramsgate), M Pearse 5½; (7-8) W G Evans (Norwich), Miss Lillie Eveling (Chislehurst) 5; (9-10) Frank Miles Argrave (Whitstable), Miss Neilson (Glasgow) 4; (11) John E Coleman (Grays) 3½; (12) Douglas C Stedman (Broadstairs) 2½.

Second Class B: (1) J Francis (Hastings) 9½/10; (2) Mrs Helen Muriel Cobbold (née Blagg) (Hampstead) 8; (3-4) Arnold William Gunstone (Ramsgate), Frederick George Boyce (Margate) 7; (5) Mrs Melita Ida Elizabeth Seyd (née Krohn) (Brighton) 5; (6-7) Miss Adelaide Mary Bishop (East Grinstead), Stanley Lewis Whitby (Ramsgate) 4½; (8) Mrs Clara Margaret MacVean (née Sanders) (Bournemouth) 3; (9) Rev. (Francis Vivian Friend) Glynn Grylls (Exmouth) 3½; (10-11) Miss Edith Maud Eleanor John Goodacre (Cheltenham), John T Wolstenholme (Margate) 2.

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1936 Margate Short First Class A (15-18 April)

1936 Margate Short First Class A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total
1	Christopher Barclay Heath	London	&;	1	1	1	1	1	5
2	Alfred Joseph Butcher	Wolverhampton	0	&;	1	1	1	1	4
3	Austin de Burca	Cork	0	0	&;	1	½	½	2
4	Rev. H C James	Coventry	0	0	0	&;	1	½	1½
5	Dr (Robert) Lloyd Storr-Best	London	0	0	½	0	&;	1	1½
6	J Stuart Hodgson	London	0	0	½	½	0	&;	1

First Class Short Tourney B: (1-2) Herbert William Edward Voss (Catford), William Thomas Hurley (Rochester) 3½; (3-4) Alfred J Peck (Broadstairs), E Marchant (Canterbury) 3; (5) Russell France Bavington Jones (Dover) 2; (6) Ashley Cyril Vernieux (Welwyn Garden City) 0.

Second Class Short Tourney A: (1) Leo/Leiser Schächter (London) 4/5; (2) John Edward Holt (Beckenham) 3½; (3) Reginald J S Potter (London) 3; (4) Miss Kate Eleanor Hirst (Leicester) 2; (5) J E Barry-Brown (Belfast) 1½; (6) Mrs Lucy Storr-Best 1.

Second Class Short Tourney B: (1) E Benton (Burton) 4/5; (2-3) F W Daniel (St Albans), Miss Mary Araluen Henniker-Heaton (London) 3; (4) Miss Kate Denne (Canterbury) 2½; (5) Miss Marjorie Colville Strachey (London) 2; (6) H W France ½.

N.b. quite a number of the players in this tournament also took part in the July 1935 Mollet tournament in Catalunya. The page to which I have linked has a number of photos of players who took part in both events and was a great help in discovering the names of the Catalan players in Margate. Another link. Mollet Chess Club on Wikipedia (Catalan).

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Junior Under 18: (1) Ronald Desmond Fleming¹ (Chatham House School, Ramsgate) 6; (2-3) A L Gordon (London), Percy Vincent Charles Taylor 5; 4 P Vicary 4½; 5 H G Jones 4; 6 John Alfred Ollis 3½; 7 P Tanner 1.

Junior Under 15: (1) Elaine Saunders (aged 10) 11½/13; (2-3) Keith M Fleming¹ (aged 11, Ramsgate), Owen Barry Hodgman (Ramsgate) 11; (4-5) Thomas Alfred Cave, John G Leach-Lewis 9; (6) G Jeffreys 8½; (7) H J Hards 7; (8-9) D E Harris, C Richardson 6½; (10-11) D S Fagg, D J Young 3½; (12) Peter D Murton 3; (13) B Harman 1; (14) Newton Keith St Clare-Tregilgas 0.

¹ The two Flemings, Ronald and Keith, were brothers, and sons of the SCCU Hon.Sec. Robert M Fleming (1889-1960). Ronald's d.o.b. was 5 November 1919, while Keith's was 4 April 1925.

 

(Doré) Elaine (Zelia) Saunders, later Pritchard (7 January 1926 – 7 January 2012)
Photo, Daily Mirror - Friday 17 April 1936

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CHESS, May 1936 ppn 326-328

Once again Capablanca finished second at Margate. He does not get enough tournament practice; his attitude towards finance has raised the prestige of chess-masterdom but it has kept his tournament appearances down to the minimum. Only a superman could play in three tourneys every two years and win them, from a batch of first-class players in constant training, each time.

Flohr had gained an appreciable lead by the end of the fourth round, for Capablanca drew three of his first four games, against Lundin, Tylor and Flohr, whilst Flohr registered wins against Reilly, Sir George Thomas and Lundin. A curious incident marked the first round play, the position in a game between Miss Menchik and Sergeant being set up wrongly on the resumption after adjournment so that Miss Menchik had an extra pawn. This recalls a similar incident in the Yarmouth congress of last year, noted in the first number of CHESS. The position had not been complicated this time, though, by post-play analysis and the game was replayed from the correct adjournment position, Miss Menchik winning it (for the second time). [see viewer/download for the score of Sergeant-Menchik - there is no record of where the spurious extra pawn was placed or on which move the game was resumed]

The game between Flohr and Capablanca was a wash-out. If two players travel several thousand miles to play each other one hardly expects them to go looking for the draw on the twentieth move. But that is what occurred—the game just went to the agreed minimum limit and was then agreed drawn. The Times quoted some sort of remark from Capablanca to the effect that “every time he moved a piece Flohr exchanged it off... what could I do under these circumstances?” This is very unjust to Flohr. It was Capablanca who proposed the draw, not once, but repeatedly.

[Flohr-Capablanca - see viewer/download]

Round 5 was remarkable for a game in which Lundin beat his fellow-countryman Stahlberg well. The game itself depended on the initiative throughout: on perhaps a dozen occasions with White to move, had Black had the move instead, he could have gained an immediate advantage. Instead, Lundin, by judicious threats, was able to force greater and greater weaknesses in his opponent’s game.

[Lundin-Stahlberg - see viewer/download]

After Round 6 Capablanca and Flohr were level. Capablanca had beaten Miss Menchik and Sergeant well, whereas Flohr drew with Stahlberg under the impression that he could win an adjourned game against Miss Menchik—and then, playing below his best form, only drew that too!

The last two rounds were full of incident. Capablanca got into difficulties against Stahlberg but the latter ran short of time and decided to accept one of Capablanca’s offers to draw. Under the rule which stated that no game should be agreed drawn before thirty moves had been played by each side, the two contestants had to play on a further few moves before handing in their score-sheets. The play now became amusing, both players unconsciously relaxing; first Stahlberg made a slip which would have lost a piece and then Capablanca similarly made a move which allowed the possible gain of a pawn. Naturally these mistakes were not exploited since the agreement to draw had been reached. Readers may amuse themselves by looking for them.

[Stahlberg-Capablanca - see viewer/download]

Tylor v. Flohr went to 108 moves. Just before the adjournment Tylor missed a win and even at the adjournment he still had a draw but Flohr slowly went ahead and the game finally came down to an ending, queen and four pawns against queen and two pawns. The many possibilities of perpetual check made this ending very difficult to win. After eleven hours’ play, however, and at an hour approaching midnight, there came Tylor’s resignation. The game appears, with some remarks by Mr. Tylor, on a subsequent page.

It was in this round that Sergeant won excellently against Lundin, dooming the Swedish player to an ultimate fourth place instead of third, and Reilly scored his only win, over Thomas.

In the last round, Capablanca won quickly and well; but his game against Sergeant was touch and go for Flohr.

In the diagrammed position, reached with Black to move, Sergeant has a definite advantage. By 1. . . B—Kt4 he could have prevented the advance of White’s KBP for good; and there was the possibility of P— KKt4 to follow. Instead, he moved 1. . . . K—Q6 probably thinking that, after 2. Kt x B, P x Kt (which Flohr at once played) White’s only line of play was K—K2, B3, B4 picking up Black’s kings’ side pawns with the king ; a procedure altogether too slow. However, there came 3. K—Q1 ! ! after which it is extremely difficult for Black to draw the game—if it is possible at all. White’s pawns advance on their own account and if 3. . . . K—B6 ; 4. P—B3, K x P ; 5. P—Kt4 ! ! wins outright.

[Flohr-Sergeant - part-game given in viewer/download, with annotations]

Actually, Sergeant became so absorbed in the position that he completely forgot his clock, and lost on the time limit, Flohr thus gaining the game and first place.

Koltanowski played unevenly in the Premier Reserves "A" section, being beaten by [Arthur] Eva in a fine game, and losing to Podger in the very next round through a slip. He had to beat [García] Conde then to keep in the running but succeeded. So that ultimately these two players shared first and second places. Conde played very steady chess throughout.

In the "B” section, Buerger showed that temporary retirement had not done his chess much harm by sharing the first prize with a fine score of 7½. It was rather amusing to hear him say quite sincerely that he was disgusted with his games and had had more or less of a losing position at some time or other in every one!

Elaine Saunders, aged 10 years, played remarkably fine chess to win the tournament for juveniles under fifteen. The British Girl Champion seems destined for some wonderful performances in the tourneys of the future.

Thanks to the indefatigable exertions of the organisers and especially of the officials and members of the Margate chess club, the Margate Easter Congress can now be said to be definitely on the chess calendar. Admirably planned and faultlessly organised, it cannot fail to redound, in the years to come, to the benefit of Margate and British chess and it is worthy of the extended support of every real enthusiast.

The following game, played in the tournament for boys under eighteen years of age at Margate, was remarkable for the length of time it took. Clocks were not provided and the two contestants took full advantage of the latitude thus allowed them, so that over nineteen moves they occupied no less a time than four and a half hours !

[A. L. Gordon - R. D. Fleming - see viewer/download]

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BCM, June 1936, p262

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS AT MARGATE.

(Second Notice.) n.b. I don't have the May 1936 BCM - can anyone supply scans of its Margate material? - JS

The social side of the meeting was always well in evidence. In particular a contract bridge contest attracted sixteen pairs and was carried through successfully by Messrs. Matchett and Ellinger. The winners were Mrs. Wheelwright and Miss Menchik. The first "lightning tournament" was won by G. Koltanowski, and its success induced a second one to be organised. The winners in order were N. A. Koblenz, D. I. Croker, B. H. Wood and W. G. Evans.

Flohr gave an exhibition of simultaneous play and in 2¾ hours got through 32 games, with 28 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss, to P. C. Hoad, London. By way of encouragement of boys’ chess E. H. Church (Cambridge) played 10 of the junior competitors and presented chess books for the best game won against him (A. G. Gordon) and for the best lost game (B. Harman). Four players from upper sections joined in and Mr. Church scored 6 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses in about 11 hours.

It appears we rather over-emphasized the part of the Kent County C.A. in our general account last month. Though held in connection with the county association, whose officials give all the help they can, the enterprise is "Margate’s own," and the work is done by members of the Margate C.C. The borough authorities give every encouragement. The able and efficient "Controller," H. G. T. [Harry Gethin Thorp] Matchett has, after two years in office, left Margate for an indefinite period, but the work will be carried on by E. D. Makepeace, who was secretary to the congress just concluded. He will be ably supported by W. Minter, the veteran treasurer and a strong local committee including H. F. Read and A. J. Vicary. Among them there is no doubt the international reputation of the Margate meeting will be maintained and strengthened.

One may suppose that even a game of 107 moves, won by Flohr, will "pass." Such a game is in place in a chess magazine even only providing there is a good reason, and this may be taken to be the. case here since the rarely-occurring ending of Queen and four Pawns against Queen and two Pawns requires a certain technique against a good defence. This was probably improvised for the occasion by Flohr, and if a little over-drawn out, is worth examination.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
4 July 2022	First uploaded. 33 of 45 Premier games, plus 33 subsidiary games.
13 July 2022	Three games added: (1) R.Domenech 0-1 G.Koltanowski (Premier Reserves A, rd 1); (2) D.Croker 0-1 S.Graf (Premier Reserves B, rd 4); (3) S.Sola Fuset 1-0 J.Doyle (Major, rd 2 - replaces the part-game already on file). Many thanks to Ulrich Tamm.
27 February 2023	Added one part-game: G.Koltanowski 1-0 L.Illingworth (Premier Reserves A, rd 9). Many thanks to Ulrich Tamm.