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Event: 4th Bognor Regis Congress • 21 games, 10 part-games • Last Edited: Saturday 21 October, 2023 5:59 PM
Venue: Southdean Sports Club, Middleton-on-Sea • Dates: 4-14 April 1956 • Download PGN

1956 Bognor Regis: Stevenson Memorial, Wednesday 4 April - Saturday 14 April • 1955 « »1957

Venue: Southdean Sports Club, Middleton-on-Sea

1956 Stevenson Memorial, Bognor Title Resid. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  Total 
1 Alberic O'Kelly de Galway GM Belgium ♦ 1/18 ◊ ½/23 ♦ 1/9 ◊ ½/2 ♦ ½/6 ♦ 1/14 ◊ 1/7 ◊ 1/5 ♦ 1/8 ♦ ½/4 8
2 Leonard W Barden   London ◊ 1/21 ♦ 1/28 ◊ ½/8 ♦ ½/1 ◊ 1/19 ◊ 0/5 ♦ 1/10 ♦ 0/7 ◊ 1/12 ♦ 1/15 7
3 Dr Stefan Fazekas IM Buckhurst Hill ◊ 1/25 ♦ 1/32 ◊ 1/12 ♦ ½/4 ♦ 0/8 ◊ 0/6 ◊ ½/24 ♦ 1/20 ◊ 1/19 ◊ 1/5 7
4 Harry Golombek (SCCU Champion) IM Chalfont St Giles ◊ 1/14 ♦ 1/17 ♦ 1/24 ◊ ½/3 ◊ 0/7 ♦ ½/12 ◊ ½/6 ◊ 1/16 ♦ 1/13 ◊ ½/1 7
5 Dr Heinz Lehmann   Berlin, Germany ◊ 1/38 ♦ 0/12 ◊ 1/42 ♦ 1/31 ◊ 1/10 ♦ 1/2 ◊ 1/8 ♦ 0/1 ◊ 1/7 ♦ 0/3 7
6 Dragoljub Janosevic   Yugoslavia ◊ ½/10 ♦ 1/25 ◊ 1/22 ♦ ½/19 ◊ ½/1 ♦ 1/3 ♦ ½/4 ◊ ½/13 ◊ ½/15 ♦ 1/8 7
7 Vasja Pirc GM Yugoslavia ◊ 1/20 ♦ 1/15 ◊ 1/31 ♦ ½/10 ♦ 1/4 ♦ ½/8 ♦ 0/1 ◊ 1/2 ♦ 0/5 ◊ 1/16 7
8 Peter Hugh Clarke   Ilford ♦ 1/33 ◊ 1/27 ♦ ½/2 ♦ 1/32 ◊ 1/3 ◊ ½/7 ♦ 0/5 ♦ 1/12 ◊ 0/1 ◊ 0/6 6
9 Alfons Franck   Belgium ◊ 1/29 ♦ ½/22 ◊ 0/1 ♦ 1/21 ◊ ½/15 ♦ 0/10 ◊ 0/25 ♦ 1/32 ◊ 1/20 ♦ 1/19 6
10 Arnold Yorwarth Green   Middlesex ♦ ½/6 ◊ 1/34 ♦ 1/23 ◊ ½/7 ♦ 0/5 ◊ 1/9 ◊ 0/2 ♦ ½/25 ◊ 1/26 ♦ ½/11 6
11 George Harold Foster Tredinnick   Barnes ◊ 0/31 ♦ 1/41 ◊ 1/38 ♦ ½/12 ◊ 0/14 ♦ 1/28 ◊ 1/32 ♦ 0/19 ◊ 1/25 ◊ ½/10 6
12 Robert Graham Wade IM New Zealand ♦ 1/13 ◊ 1/5 ♦ 0/3 ◊ ½/11 ♦ 1/16 ◊ ½/4 ♦ 1/15 ◊ 0/8 ♦ 0/2 ◊ 1/24 6
13 Baruch H Wood   Sutton Coldfield ◊ 0/12 ♦ 0/16 ◊ 1/37 ♦ 1/41 ◊ 1/31 ♦ 1/32 ◊ 1/19 ♦ ½/6 ◊ 0/4 ♦ ½/17 6
14 Harry Gethin Thorp Matchett   Birmingham ♦ 0/4 ◊ 1/39 ♦ ½/40 ◊ 1/24 ♦ 1/11 ◊ 0/1 ♦ 0/16 ♦ 0/26 ◊ 1/35 ◊ 1/28
15 David John Richards   London ♦ ½/34 ◊ 0/7 ♦ 1/26 ◊ 1/23 ♦ ½/9 ♦ 1/22 ◊ 0/12 ◊ 1/24 ♦ ½/6 ◊ 0/2
16 Arthur R Spiller   California, USA ♦ 0/24 ◊ 1/13 ◊ 1/20 ♦ ½/35 ◊ 0/12 ♦ 1/17 ◊ 1/14 ♦ 0/4 ◊ 1/22 ♦ 0/7
17 Bernard Landon Wilkinson   Chorley ♦ 1/36 ◊ 0/4 ♦ 0/35 ◊ 1/30 ♦ ½/34 ◊ 0/16 ♦ 1/40 ◊ 1/33 ♦ ½/18 ◊ ½/13
18 Bryan J Benjamin   London ◊ 0/1 ♦ 0/20 ◊ ½/25 ♦ ½/29 ◊ 1/38 ♦ 1/27 ◊ ½/31 ♦ ½/28 ◊ ½/17 ♦ ½/26 5
19 Edmund Czapski1   USA ♦ 1/40 ◊ ½/24 ♦ 1/30 ◊ ½/6 ♦ 0/2 ◊ 1/33 ♦ 0/13 ◊ 1/11 ♦ 0/3 ◊ 0/9 5
20 Wilfred Evans   Chorleywood ♦ 0/7 ◊ 1/18 ♦ 0/16 ◊ 0/34 ♦ 1/30 ◊ 1/29 ♦ 1/21 ◊ 0/3 ♦ 0/9 ♦ 1/32 5
21 Derek Geoffrey Horseman   Coventry ♦ 0/1 ◊ 1/26 ♦ ½/34 ◊ 0/9 ♦ 0/24 ◊ 1/23 ◊ 0/20 ♦ 1/37 ◊ ½/28 ♦ 1/35 5
22 Arnolds Mazitis   London ♦ 1/39 ◊ ½/9 ♦ 0/6 ◊ ½/40 ♦ 1/27 ◊ 0/15 ♦ ½/33 ◊ 1/35 ♦ 0/16 ◊ ½/25 5
23 Donald G Mackay   Balham, Surrey ◊ 1/41 ♦ ½/1 ◊ 0/10 ♦ 0/15 ◊ 0/28 ♦ 0/21 ◊ ½/30 ◊ 1/39 ♦ 1/36 ♦ 1/31 5
24 Miroslav Radojcic   Yugoslavia ◊ 1/16 ♦ ½/19 ◊ 0/4 ♦ 0/14 ◊ 1/21 ◊ 1/34 ♦ ½/3 ♦ 0/15 ◊ 1/31 ♦ 0/12 5
25 Jack Dennis Rosse2   London ♦ 0/3 ◊ 0/6 ♦ ½/18 ◊ ½/26 ♦ 1/39 ◊ 1/40 ♦ 1/9 ◊ ½/10 ♦ 0/11 ♦ ½/22 5
26 Keith Donald Sales   Wigan ◊ ½/28 ♦ 0/21 ◊ 0/15 ♦ ½/25 ◊ 1/42 ♦ 1/41 ♦ ½/35 ◊ 1/14 ♦ 0/10 ◊ ½/18 5
27 Michael Edward Ventham   Southampton ◊ 1/37 ♦ 0/8 ◊ 0/32 ♦ 1/42 ◊ 0/22 ◊ 0/18 ♦ 1/39 ♦ 0/31 ◊ 1/38 ♦ 1/30 5
28 Brian J Moore   Birmingham ♦ ½/26 ◊ 0/2 ♦ 0/33 ◊ 1/36 ♦ 1/23 ◊ 0/11 ♦ 1/34 ◊ ½/18 ♦ ½/21 ♦ 0/14
29 J G Radcliffe   Isle of Man ♦ 0/9 ◊ 0/40 ♦ ½/36 ◊ ½/18 ◊ 1/41 ♦ 0/20 ◊ ½/38 ♦ 0/30 ♦ 1/39 ◊ 1/33
30 M Biggs   London ◊ 1/42 ♦ 0/31 ◊ 0/19 ♦ 0/17 ◊ 0/20 ♦ 1/36 ♦ ½/23 ◊ 1/29 ♦ ½/33 ◊ 0/27 4
31 Robert Edmond Borland   Fareham ♦ 1/11 ◊ 1/30 ♦ 0/7 ◊ 0/5 ♦ 0/13 ◊ ½/35 ♦ ½/18 ◊ 1/27 ♦ 0/24 ◊ 0/23 4
32 Paul Dean   London ♦ 1/35 ◊ 0/3 ♦ 1/27 ◊ 0/8 ♦ 1/40 ◊ 0/13 ♦ 0/11 ◊ 0/9 ♦ 1/34 ◊ 0/20 4
33 Stanley Charles Love   Wimbledon ◊ 0/8 ♦ 0/42 ◊ 1/28 ♦ 1/38 ◊ 1/35 ♦ 0/19 ◊ ½/22 ♦ 0/17 ◊ ½/30 ♦ 0/29 4
34 Rodney E James   Banstead ◊ ½/15 ♦ 0/10 ◊ ½/21 ◊ 1/20 ◊ ½/17 ♦ 0/24 ◊ 0/28 ♦ ½/38 ◊ 0/32 ♦ ½/37
35 Peter R Kings   Salisbury ◊ 0/32 ♦ 1/37 ◊ 1/17 ◊ ½/16 ♦ 0/33 ♦ ½/31 ◊ ½/26 ♦ 0/22 ♦ 0/14 ◊ 0/21
36 Leopold Franz Lindheimer   Bognor ◊ 0/17 ♦ 0/38 ◊ ½/29 ♦ 0/28 ♦ 0/37 ◊ 0/30 ◊ 1/42 ♦ 1/40 ◊ 0/23 ◊ 1/41
37 John Crittenden Thompson   Beckenham ♦ 0/27 ◊ 0/35 ♦ 0/13 ◊ 0/39 ◊ 1/36 ♦ 0/38 ◊ 1/41 ◊ 0/21 ♦ 1/42 ◊ ½/34
38 Arthur T Watson   Southwick ♦ 0/5 ◊ 1/36 ♦ 0/11 ◊ 0/33 ♦ 0/18 ◊ 1/37 ♦ ½/29 ◊ ½/34 ♦ 0/27 ◊ ½/39
39 John Alexander Charles Borland   Fareham ◊ 0/22 ♦ 0/14 ◊ 0/41 ♦ 1/37 ◊ 0/25 ♦ 1/42 ◊ 0/27 ♦ 0/23 ◊ 0/29 ♦ ½/38
40 (Harold) Derek Needham3   Ilford ◊ 0/19 ♦ 1/29 ◊ ½/14 ♦ ½/22 ◊ 0/32 ♦ 0/25 ◊ 0/17 ◊ 0/36 ♦ 0/41 ♦ ½/42
41 Charles Reginald Purley   Bognor Regis ♦ 0/23 ◊ 0/11 ♦ 1/39 ◊ 0/13 ♦ 0/29 ◊ 0/26 ♦ 0/37 ◊ ½/42 ◊ 1/40 ♦ 0/36
42 (Edward) Douglas Fawcett   London ♦ 0/30 ◊ 1/33 ♦ 0/5 ◊ 0/27 ♦ 0/26 ◊ 0/39 ♦ 0/36 ♦ ½/41 ◊ 0/37 ◊ ½/40 2

Prizes £40, £25, £10, £5

1 Edmund/Edmond Czapski (1917-1971), Detroit Champion 1937, 1938, 1939. New Mexico State Champion 1949, 1950. B-47 navigator in the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. [source]
2 Jack Dennis Rosse (1900, Lithuania - 1989). Changed his name from Jacob Rosselson in 1949. He was a violinist.

3 Derek Needham (1934-2018) was originally from Leicester. Worked for Plessey in various parts of the country before settling in Poole where he was an official for Poole CC and Dorset CCA, and latterly part of a chessplaying group at Wimborne. I remember playing him in club games at High Wycombe CC while he was briefly (1969-1971) in the area. JS


1956 Bognor Regis Chess Congress group photo E Douglas Fawcett Charles R Purley Jack Dennis Rosse Stanley Charles Love J G Radcliffe John C Thompson Donald G Mackay Leopold Franz Lindheimer Peter R Kings Peter M Shaw (controller) Stephen Wilkinson Rodney James Derek G Horseman Wilfred Evans Bryan Benjamin John Borland Michael Ventham Edmond Czapski Arthur Spiller Harry G T Matchett Robert E Borland Baruch H Wood Brian J Moore Arthur T Watson GM Vasja Pirc Harry Golombek Heinz Lehmann GM Alberic O'Kelly de Galway Dr Stefan Fazekas Alphons Franck Peter H Clarke Robert G Wade Arnold Y Green Keith Donald Sales Paul Dean George Tredinnick Arnolds Mazitis M Biggs David J Richards
COMPETITORS IN THE STEVENSON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Standing, left to right: E Douglas Fawcett, Charles R Purley, Jack Dennis Rosse, Stanley Charles Love, J G Radcliffe, John C Thompson, Donald G Mackay, Leopold Franz Lindheimer, Peter R Kings, Peter M Shaw (controller), Stephen Wilkinson, Rodney James, Derek G Horseman, Wilfred Evans, Bryan Benjamin, John Borland, Michael Ventham, Edmond Czapski, Arthur Spiller, Harry G T Matchett, Robert E Borland, Baruch H Wood, Brian J Moore.
Back row, seated: Arthur T Watson, GM Vasja Pirc, Harry Golombek, Heinz Lehmann, GM Alberic O'Kelly de Galway, Dr Stefan Fazekas, Alphons Franck, Peter H Clarke, Robert G Wade.
Front row: Arnold Y Green, Keith Donald Sales, Paul Dean, George Tredinnick, Arnolds Mazitis, M Biggs, David J Richards
(Missing: Radoicic, Janosevic, Needham, Barden.)
For an easier way to identify faces (on a full-sized screen), hover with the mouse pointer over a face and the name will appear (don't click!)

BCM, May 1956, ppn 125-129

BOGNOR CONGRESS—April 4th to April 14th

By H. Golombek

The fourth annual Bognor Congress, held under the auspices of the Southern Counties Chess Union, was the best of its series both as regards strength of entry and numbers. For this the energetic and enthusiastic congress director, Mr. Lomax, is responsible and the chess world owes him a large debt of thanks. Starting off with some forty-odd entries in the first year the numbers have grown to the formidable total of 283.

In the main event, the Stevenson Memorial Tournament, the quality of the home entry was higher than ever before and the foreign competitors consisted of two from Belgium—O’Kelly de Galway and Franck—three Yugoslavs—the grandmaster Pirc, Janosevic, and Radoicic—a West German—Dr. Lehmann—and two Americans—Czapski and Spiller.

The first week’s play, from the Wednesday to the Saturday, witnessed hardly any clashes between leaders or potential leaders owing to the chance of the draw. By Saturday, Pirc, Clarke, Dr. Fazekas, and myself were sharing the lead with 3½ points. Pirc had met nobody of note until Round 4, when he was well held by the London player, Green, to a draw. In this round I had a very narrow escape against Dr. Fazekas and, in fact, the most impressive of the four leaders had been the 1955 S.C.C.U. Champion, Clarke, who played and continued to play throughout the congress in real masterly style. Last year’s winner, O’Kelly, had started somewhat uncertainly and may be deemed to have been lucky to emerge with a draw against Mackay in Round 2. However, both he and Barden (another home player in excellent form) were well placed with 3 points.

Lehmann had had an early set-back in Round 2 when Wade beat him in fine style. Still, not to be deterred, he commenced a series of victories in the next round that was to end only in the eighth against the eventual winner of the competition. Wade suffered a severe defeat at Dr. Fazekas’s hands in Round 3 and thereafter was never a serious challenger for a leading place, though he did achieve a small recovery in the middle of the tournament.

On the Monday leaders met and things really began to happen. I, afflicted by a heavy and feverish cold, lost badly to Pirc (admittedly this might well happen to me at any time, cold or no cold; but all the week I was, in fact, faced by two opponents, the one over-the-board and the cold in my head and in consequence my play was not always as logical as it might have been).

In this round Clarke beat Dr. Fazekas very nicely and so he and Pirc led with 4½ points. These two drew with each other in Round 6 and Lehmann joined them in the lead with 5 points by a win over Barden. Clarke succumbed to Lehmann in the next round and thus the German master was in the lead with 6 points. Another game in this round which perhaps had the most important bearing on the first prize was a long-drawn-out affair between O’Kelly and Pirc that was eventually won by the Belgian despite the presence of Bishops of opposite colour in the ending.

In Round 8 O’Kelly played Lehmann and here the issue was hardly ever in doubt. O’Kelly won a drastic victory and assumed a lead from which he was never to be displaced.

By the time the last round was reached three players were in a position to gain or share first prize, O’Kelly who had 7½ points, Lehmann 7, and myself 6½. The pairings were: Golombek-O’Kelly and Dr. Fazekas-Lehmann. I experimented with an innovation in the English Opening and obtained some advantage out of this inasmuch as O’Kelly was saddled with an isolated Queen’s pawn but his development was quite satisfactory and a draw was the natural outcome. Meanwhile, Dr. Fazekas was clearly in the toils against Lehmann and the general anticipation was that the German master would share first prize with O’Kelly. This was the general opinion, which, however, was not shared by Dr. Fazekas. Taking immediate advantage of an incorrect pawn recapture by his opponent he embarked on a King’s-side onslaught that ended only when the German was mated.

Thus O’Kelly won first prize for the third year in succession—a wonderful record that testifies to the supreme competence of this first-class master.

That there was a sextuple tie for the remaining three prizes shows that ten rounds are not enough for a Swiss System tournament of forty-two players. A number of the leaders never met—except in the hotel lounge, where they could be heard animadverting on the number of leaders rival players had not played. It seems it would have required two more rounds to deal satisfactorily with forty-two players and I would suggest that the congress committee give serious consideration next year either to the possibility of lengthening the event or else to the alternative course of limiting the players to thirty.

This tournament also decides the Southern Counties Union Championship and the regulations lay down that any tie should be resolved by the application of the Sonneborn-Berger count. As I scored 41½ to Barden’s 39 and Dr. Fazekas’s 38 the title was mine. However, this rough-and-ready method of deciding a championship, which can be reckoned as only slightly superior to tossing for it, does not appear satisfactory and again there seems room for improvement in tournament procedure; perhaps it might be possible to arrange a play-off after a tie on a parallel with the course usually taken in the British Championship.

The results in the other sections were as follows—

SCCU Girls’ (Under-18) Championship.—(1) Margaret Wood (Bicester) 6½; (2) Susan Smith (London) 6; (3) Yvonne Guthrie 5; (4) June Beckett 4½; (5-6) E Bentley, D Pratley 2½; (7) H Murphy 1; (8) M Barnes 0.

SCCU Junior Girls’ (Under-15?) Championship.—(1-2) Suzanne G M Sutton (Brighton, born 1941, later Marshall), Jennifer Taylor (Welling) 4; (3-4) S. Frost, Verina Horsnell 3; (5) Marianne Allwright 1; (6) M. Fishlock 0.

SCCU Boys’ (Under 18) Championship.—(1) William Stanley Deeth (London) 6; (2) W. Turner (Lewes) 5½; (3) A. Downham 5; (4-7) Barry James Norman Blight (Plymouth), I. H. Day, P. J. Jiggins, Stewart Reuben 4; (8-10) M. N. Forster, Robert L Grasty, R. Keen 3½; (11-14) R. J. Fairchild, H. Hocking, Michael H Litchfield (Kettering), R. R. Mansfield 3; (15-16) E Auckland, G. J. Weller 2½; (17-18) J. Leighton, R. J. Mansfield 1½.

SCCU Junior Boys’ (Under-15?) Championship.—(1) A McDonald (London) 5½; (2-3) G Wilmers (Oxford), D Wood (Lancing) 5; (4) D. Hadshead (Fareham) 4½; (5-8) W. D. Bracher, R. Cooter, J. Crowle, B. J. Doggett 4; (9-12) J. Kumar, D. Parfit, S. Poulter, S. P. Sayers 3½; (13) P. Wheadon 3; (14) A. Dixon 2½; (15-17) B. Fishlock, John P T Grove, J. Sales 2; (18) R. Heseltine 1½.


Major.—(1-2) A. Archer, Patrick Humphrey Sullivan 6½; (3) K. O. Ballard 5½; (4-5) A. S. Lalond, George A Peck 5; (6-8) W. J. C. H. Burges, G. Booth, E. G. Exell 4; (9) D. J. Cornes 2; (10) John Spedan Lewis 1.

Minor.—(1) (Rex) Frank T Wood 8; (2) Harry Starbuck Littlechild 7½; (3-4) W H Mabbs, Gregory Owen J Melitus 6; (5) Miss E Elliott 5; (6-7) P. Ramsay, Miss E. Renwick 4; (8) Miss E. Whyte 3; (9) Mrs. Wood 1; (10) L. W. Grumbley ½.

Premier.—(1) Stephen Wilkinson (Loughton) 5½; (2) J. T. Sifton (Tiverton) 5; (3-4) F. E. Tinworth, M. J. Smith 4; (5) W. Turner 3½; (6-7) A. E. Nield, H. D. Wells 3; (8) S. Clegg 0.

Major (Morning Play).—(1) P. B. Sarson (London) 7; (2) Frank Wood (Bicester) 5; (3) G. W. Henlen 4; (4-5) E. I. Boyden, W. T. Sugg 3; (6) E. L. Bowring 2; (7-8) C. D. Balding, Robert Love Lamming (Isle of Man) 1½.

Major (Afternoon Play).—(1) D. C. Humphrey (Ilford) 6; (2) Joseph John Lauder (Wimbledon) 5½; (3) J Peryer 4; (4-6) F C Shorter, Miss Margaret Wood (Bicester), Miss Margaret Eileen Elizabeth (Peggy) Wood (Sutton Coldfield) 3; (7) Frederick W Appleby 2½; (8) Edward Paice 1.

First Class (Morning Play).—(1) Christopher B Wood (Sutton Coldfield) 7; (2) W. Woodhead (Liverpool) 5; (3) G. H. Green 4½; (4-5) Colin Sidney Collen-Smith (Worthing), Arthur Curling Cubey (London) 3; (6) F. Sifton 2½; (7) J. Crowle 2; (8) J. W. Godfrey 1.

First Class (Afternoon Play).—(1) P Merrett (East Grinstead) 5½; (2-3) R Boxall, F. Curtis (Rustington) 4½; (4) Harold Edgar Druce 3½; (5-6) H. Clacy, H. W. S. Nichols 3; (7-8) Henry R Hovard, E. Michaels 2.

Second Class.—(1-2) D Adshead (Fareham), Miss Cicely Grace Snead (Wallington) 6; (3) Mrs. Grant 4½; (4) Miss Coulson 4; (5) Mrs. Laura Ethel Amelia Start (née Whitehouse, Finchley) 3½; (6) R. E. Serve 2; (7) J. Henlen 1½; (8) B. Fishlock ½.

Premier (Five-day event).—(1) Alan Edgar Nield (Hastings) 5; (2) L. Perry (London) 4; (3-4) R. G. Ellison, F. Wood 2½; (5) S. Clegg 1; (6) Ernest A Dubois 0.

Major (Morning Play).—(1) F. W. Appleby (Chichester) 3½; (2-3) E. Fishlock, Miss Margaret Eileen Elizabeth (Peggy) Wood (Sutton Coldfield) 2; (4) D. M. Polley 1½; (5) E. Newham 1.

Major (Afternoon Play).—(1) P. Merrett (East Grinstead) 4½; (2) Henry R Hovard 3½; (3-4) Miss Gammans, F. C. Shorter 2½; (5) E. Michaeis 1½; (6) P. Ramsay ½.

Major (Afternoon Play).—(1) Robert Love Lamming (Isle of Man) 4½; (2) J. W. Aves 4; (3) Edward Paice 2½; (4) E. Newham 2; (5-6) F. Curtis, C. Gammans 1.


CHESS, May 1956, Vol.1 no.267-8, p242

Notes on Bognor 1956

That the annual Bognor Regis chess congress has expanded by almost exactly forty entries each year since it started in 1953, speaks eloquently for its attractions. No other congress can match its unique community life in a settled venue. Our visit to Butlin’s at Skegness came near, of course. What a venue, though! A sports hotel with tennis, table tennis, music, T.V., billiards, swimming, fives, etc. And we have not mentioned the social evenings with dancing and cabaret—or even the sixpence-in-the-slot mechanical football, which seems to rouse A. Y. Green to more excitement than even the chess.

Sir Clarence Sadd, opening the congress, recalled that Queen Elizabeth I had been a chess player, keen enough to appoint certain courtiers “Chess Keepers”.

Our present Queen, he remarked, was reported when visiting St Pancras Working Men’s Club recently, to have found two men at play. "Do you play chess, Your Majesty?" the chairman asked her. "Yes," she replied "but I am always losing. I have learnt my chess the hard way."

Sir Clarence wondered whether Her Majesty might some day appoint a Minister of Chess.

A Chess Master Laureate sounds a slightly more feasible idea!

Mr. Lomax organised more extra events than usual. A. Y. Green defeated D. Janosevic well in the final of an unusually well contested lightning tournament.

Janosevic offered to play fifteen opponents blindfold but at such a forbidding fee that there were no takers. Kriegspiel and ordinary "simuls” went well.

No description of Bognor 1956 could omit mention of P. M. Shaw’s work as controller. He did the job perfectly. He was always on the spot and he was always in control. The pressmen there were especially grateful for the marvellous handouts he prepared for them each round: sheets listing the players, openings, number of moves and result of each game. Such a service eases the reporters' work immeasurably and in doing so benefits the tournament by enabling them to provide it with more publicity. One procedure of Mr. Shaw’s we found unusual: that the game-score had to be handed in by White. More unusual is to place the onus on the winner—it is a more congenial job to copy out a game won than a game lost! But there, copying was virtually eliminated by the provision of double score-sheets with carbon paper by which the player automatically produced two scores at a time instead of one.

The luck of the draw kept the leading players apart during the first week of the Stevenson Memorial tournament. A rather exciting last round resulted. It started with O’Kelly 7½, Lehmann 7, Golombek 6½. O’Kelly had a cautious draw with Golombek; Lehmann, who had greatly improved on his previous year’s showing, got Dr. Fazekas into a horrid mess, only to go astray and succumb to a vicious king’s side attack. So O'Kelly finished with eight points with no fewer than six players bunched on seven.

Another last round game Matchett v Moore decided whether Golombek or Barden should be Southern Counties’ Champion. Golombek had met Matchett (and won) but not Moore; Barden had met and beaten Moore but not Matchett. If Matchett won or drew he totalled enough final points to raise Barden’s Sonneborn-Berger figure above Golombek’s. If Moore had won however, he would have not only proved himself a better player than Matchett but also (on the system adopted) have proved Barden a better player than Golombek. It all makes one wonder—is tie-splitting becoming hair-splitting? That Matchett and Moore should battle away to decide whether Golombek and Barden (watching their game) should become S.C.C.U. champion certainly seems queer. Golombek of course won the title.

Edward Douglas Fawcett, enthusiastic competitor in several “Stevensons”, celebrated his ninetieth birthday during the event. He has been playing chess for eighty years. In his young days, he was a keen mountaineer. At 68 he learnt to fly after which he mountaineered by aeroplane, writing an interesting book about this new pastime. He is a brother of Lt.-Col. Percy Fawcett the explorer who disappeared into the Brazilian jungle in 1925.


File Updated

Date Notes
29 August 2022 First upload: 17 games, 6 part-games, crosstable, reports, results and some photos.
30 August 2022 Four more games and four part-games added. Andy Ansel drew my attention to Wade 1-0 Lehmann (rd 2) in BCM and I then noticed that a considerable portion of O'Kelly 1-0 Lehmann (rd 8) was to be found in the notes of that game as given in BCM. Ulrich Tamm contributed the following: (1) Borland 0-1 Mazitis (rd 1); (2) Janosevic ½-½ O'Kelly (rd 5); (3) O'Kelly 1-0 Pirc (rd 7), and also the part-games Benjamin 0-1 O'Kelly (rd 1), Borland 0-1 Lehmann (rd 4) and Evans 1-0 Radcliffe (rd 6). Many thanks to Andy Ansel and Ulrich Tamm.
31 August 2022 Gert Ligterink points out that, in the game Clarke 0-1 Janosevic (rd 10), 30...Qd6 must be wrong and that the only sensible alternative is 30...Qc6. The file has been amended. Thanks, Gert.
21 October 2023 The part-game Mazitis-Richards, round 6, remains a part-game but Harley Patara has volunteered a possible reconstruction for the opening phase of the game. My thanks to Harley Patara.