1973 (23rd) Paignton Premier, 2-8 September, Oldway Mansion

1973 Paignton Premier		Residence	BCF	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Total
1	Peter Charles Griffiths	Solihull	204	w13+	b4+	w23+	b3+	w2=	b5=	w10+	6
2	Michael F Stean	Kew	230	b34=	w17+	b28+	w6+	b1=	w3+	w4=	5½
3	Raymond J Gamble	Derby	193	w18+	b29+	w19+	w1-	b21+	b2-	w8+	5
4	Geoffrey H James	Brighton	200	w33+	w1-	b29+	b23+	w25+	w12=	b2=	5
5	John K Robinson	Wigston	192	b31+	w6=	b42+	w12=	b10=	w1=	b13+	5
6	Bernard Cafferty	Edgbaston	207	w40+	b5=	w21+	b2-	w11=	b25=	w23+	4½
7	Harry Lamb	Bolton	202	b26-	w41+	b31+	b11=	w19=	b18=	w12+	4½
8	Michael Macdonald-Ross	London	211	b42-	w37+	b26+	w9+	b12=	w17+	b3-	4½
9	Peter Douglas Ralph			b37+	w10=	w11=	b8-	w14+	b19=	w25+	4½
10	Richard L Smith			w20+	b9=	w38+	b25=	w5=	b16+	b1-	4½
11	John W Atkinson	Hull	192	b22+	w28=	b9=	w7=	b6=	w13-	b27+	4
12	Jonathan I Century	London	200	b30+	w42+	w25=	b5=	w8=	b4=	b7-	4
13	Anthony C Dempsey			b1-	w24+	b36+	b19=	w22=	b11+	w5-	4
14	Paul David Hare	Grantham	186	b28-	w22-	b24+	w35+	b9-	w26+	b20+	4
15	Paul R Kemp	Notts	188	w38=	b25-	b35=	w26=	b41+	w27=	b32+	4
16	Andrew P Lefevre	Portsmouth	159	b35=	w27-	b32+	w22=	b29+	w10-	b28+	4
17	Malcolm James Lester			w21=	b2-	w34+	b41+	w20+	b8-	w19=	4
18	David H Powell			b3-	w30+	b22=	w27=	b36=	w7=	b29+	4
19	Geoffrey Neil Stokes			b32+	w36+	b3-	w13=	b7=	w9=	b17=	4
20	J Doyle			b10-	w39+	b27=	w28+	b17-	b22+	w14-	3½
21	Peter W Hempson		196	b17=	w35+	b6-	b38+	w3-	w28-	b30+	3½
22	Anthony Lewarne Hosking	Teignmouth	176	w11-	b14+	w18=	b16=	b13=	w20-	b36+	3½
23	Paul F Timson		201	b39+	w26+	b1-	w4-	b27=	w36+	b6-	3½
24	G W Thomas			b36-	b13-	w14-	b40+	w33+	w30=	b34+	3½
25	Kevin J Wicker	London	196	b27+	w15+	b12=	w10=	b4-	w6=	b9-	3½
26	Percy Baldwin Cook			w7+	b23-	w8-	b15=	w38=	b14-	w39+	3
27	Paul Stephen N Kendall	Newcastle	189	w25-	b16+	w20=	b18=	w23=	b15=	w11-	3
28	Anthony J Stebbings	Waltham Forest	198	w14+	b11=	w2-	b20-	w34=	b21+	w16-	3
29	(Patricia) Anne Sunnucks			b41+	w3-	w4-	b37+	w16-	b38+	w18-	3
30	Arthur C Barton	Southampton	175	w12-	b18-	b41-	bye+	w37+	b24=	w21-	2½
31	Robert Anthony Bowell	Sea Mills	149	w5-	b33+	w7-	w36-	b32-	b40+	w37=	2½
32	John Crowle Cock	Cheltenham	170	w19-	b40=	w16-	b33=	w31+	b34=	w15-	2½
33	Geoffrey Daw	Woolston	170	b4-	w31-	b39=	w32=	b24-	w41+	b35=	2½
34	Dr Paul Dean			w2=	b38-	b17-	w39+	b28=	w32=	w24-	2½
35	John Bertram Goodman	Plymouth	161	w16=	b21-	w15=	b14-	w40=	b39=	w33=	2½
36	James E Pattle			w24+	b19-	w13-	b31+	w18=	b23-	w22-	2½
37	Edward C Sowden	Swindon	157	w9-	b8-	w40+	w29-	b30-	bye+	b31=	2½
38	George W Wheeler	Plymouth	192	b15=	w34+	b10-	w21-	b26=	w29-	w41=	2½
39	Ronald Mackay Bruce	Plymouth	178	w23-	b20-	w33=	b34-	bye+	w35=	b26-	2
40	S M Willey	Portsmouth	157	b6-	w32=	b37-	w24-	b35=	w31-	bye+	2
41	Joseph V A Franks			w29-	b7-	w30+	w17-	w15-	b33-	b38=	1½
42	Robert Andrew Lee	Exeter	185	w8+	b12-	w5-	withdrew				1

Crosstable compiled from results given in The Times

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1973 Paignton Challengers A

Rank	1973 Paignton Challengers A	Total
1	Leslie Paul Collard (Hereford)	5½/7
2-3	Gerald Homer (West Bromwich), Jack Horrocks	5
4-10	Maj. William Ernest Bruges (Salisbury), Ian D Hunnable, Rodney E James (Banstead), Victor John A Russ (Harrogate), Joseph M Soesan, Brian H Turner (Truro), Roy A Wagstaff	4½
11-15	Mrs Rowena M Bruce (Plymouth), Eric Stanley Colley, Charles Ambrose Scott Damant (Teignmouth), D M Hill (Thornbury, Exeter), Ronald G Rusha	4
16-21	Sydney Ross Capsey, Robert John Hirons (Taunton), Graham Ian Ladds, K F Sucksmith, Peter Roger Vivian, Mrs Dinah Margaret Wright [Norman]	3½
22-29	J Bruce, G H Green, William Grenville Irvine-Fortescue, Stephen D Lefevre (Leigh Park, Portsmouth), J Meadows, J Parker (Lynton), J Richards, R Summersell	3
30-32	John M Gorton, Miss Gillian A Moore, D J Towers	2½
33-34	R[alph Herbert Thomas?] Newman (Lynton), A Pimblett	2
35-	William A Frost (Teignmouth)	3
36	Jack Stanley Midgley (Paignton)	1

1973 Paignton Challengers B

Rank	1973 Paignton Challengers B	Total
1-2	Michael A Stevenson (Birmingham), Daryl C Taylor	5½/7
3	G Hutchinson	5
4-9	D K Butler (Plymouth), Joseph Andrew Flood (Torquay), R Franklin, Alan D Gravett, Michael J Reddie, Keith M Southern	4½
10-15	Charles B Hatch (Exeter Univ), Robin J Pearce (Truro, Camb Univ), David Charles Randall, (Edward) Barry Sandercock (Gerrards Cross), R Willey (Salisbury), Peter C Wood	4
16-21	A J Cooper (Totnes), D M Humphries, R Liggitt (Paignton), John W Walker (Teignmouth), P Whitehead (Plymouth), M W Wood (Exeter)	3½
22-27	Wilfred Evans (Bucks), E H Jones (Barnstaple), Mitko E Mitev, Gilbert Leslie Pritchard (Southampton), Peter R Rawcliffe, R Whateley	3
28-31	R P Fry (Liskeard), F Grumbley, Fridolin Jaeck, Percival Ernest Monkhouse	2½
32-35	John Richard C Cotterell, David Gleave (withdrew after 6 rounds), Dr Erwin Bernard Kraus (withdrew after 4 rounds), M Nevin	2
36	M Sommer	1

Premier Reserves A: (1-4) K Morrison (1), J Rowley (2), C Richards, R J Thompson 4; (5-7) Roy Heppenstall, R A Macbrayne, A Pickering 3½; (8) T White 0.

Premier Reserves B: (1) H G Crews (Guildford) 5; (2) Philip Walden (Paignton) 4½; (3) R G Daniels 4; (4-5) R Dickinson, D E Hardcastle 3½; (6-8) G Beattie, P L Cook, J J Lauder 2½.

Premier Reserves C: (1-2) Mrs Olive Chataway (Harrow), L Guard (Plymouth) 5½/7; (3) Alex Schofield 4½; (4) J W Thornley 4; (5) L Holloway 3½; (6) R W Morris 3; (7-8) M Lewis, W Pethybridge 1 .

Premier Reserves D: (1) Christopher J V Bellers (Tavistock) 5/7; (2) P J Martin 4½; (3-5) M Horne, J C Loose, G C Walker 4; (6-7) David Terence Fairbank, J Macgregor 3; (8) D J Meadows ½ .

Major A: (1) Steadman Louis Russell (Winchester) 5/6; (2-4) N Brat, C M Oliver, Rev. Kenneth Stuart Procter (Teignmouth) 3½; (5) W W Tatum 3; (6) R M Cherry 2½; (7) W Latey 0

Major B: (1) E Chambers 5/7; (2-3) A J L Wade, F V Wallace 4½; (4) Wilfred G Oliver 3½; (5-6) S Gladstone, E G Potter 3; (7) K W Thorp 2½; (8) W E J Sharp 1½.

Major C: (1-2) S Hamblin, Jonathan Hutchings (Plymouth) 5/6; (3) L H Plunkett 4; (4) F Robinson 3½; (5) J C Hamer 1½; (6-7) A E Baker, A J Story 1.

Special Swiss: (1) R E Hopkins 6/7; (2-3) R J Johnson, Timothy Parker (Lynton) 5½; (4) G Westnacott 5; (5-7) A Conroy, D Evans, G Slinger 4½; (8-10) Antony Doust, P G Partridge, P Rooke 4; (11-17) J Bartlett, J W Bryan, M P Foss, Mrs P Jackson, N A Johnson, S Pitney (Barnstaple), A Tyrrel! 3½; (18-22) Miss A Livesey, J T Hopkins, N W Roberts, R J Smith, J H Vasey 3; (23-25) Miss A Bendy, Mrs E Crowe, Lady Gwendoyn Harriet Herbert 2½; (26) M Latey 2; (27) Mrs R Lewis 1; (28) Mrs D J Gorton (withdrew through illness after 2 rounds) 0.

Special grading prizes were awarded in the Premier Tournament to P D Ralph (under 180) and in the Challengers sections to R E James and D K Butler (under 160).

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BCM, October 1973, ppn 416-418

Paignton 1973 by William Ritson Morry

Such is the place that Paignton holds in the hearts of its devotees that even fierce competition from the Atkins Memorial Congress in Leicester and the new Enfield Congress did not prevent the establishment of a new record entry when 196 competitors assembled for the opening on Sunday, September 2nd. That Paignton is geared for possible expansion was left in little doubt, for the Mayor of Torbay, who was present at both the opening and closing ceremonies, made it clear that if more accommodation should be needed to cope with increasing numbers steps would be taken to find it. This year the weather was, if anything, even better than last year's, and the beautiful ballroom looking out over the bay is the ideal setting for those who play chess for pleasure as well as the acme of comfort for those who play it for blood.

The Premier Tournament with its £200 prize list, attracted an entry of 42, and, although one might have wished to see more of our leading national players participating, some very bright chess was seen and enjoyed by the spectators.

Naturally, the favourite for top honours was Michael Stean, and, had the bookmakers been laying the odds on the terrace, they would doubtless have opened him at 2-1 and closed at 5-4 or even money by the 'off. Nevertheless, P. Dean of Sutton put up a
stout resistance in the first round and, despite loss of a pawn, was able to hold the position until the adjournment when a draw was agreed. Meanwhile Peter Griffiths, the former Midland Open Champion, was repeating his performance of last year, and at the end of round three he was sharing the lead with R. J. Gamble whom he beat in round four. Stean was, by this time, in second place with 3½, having beaten M. J. Lester, A. J. Stebbings and Bernard Cafferty.

In round five Griffiths started well in the all important game with Stean and it looked as though he might virtually settle the question of first prize by winning, but Stean managed to hold on grimly and escape with a valuable half-point, although this enabled Gamble and G. H. James to draw level with Stean.

The sixth round brought a set-back for Griffiths. He established a clear advantage over J. K. Robinson but just as everybody had written the game off as a foregone conclusion he made a serious error and had to be thankful for a draw. Stean, who dealt severely with Gamble, was now sharing the lead with Griffiths, as James had been held to a draw by J. Century.

Round seven began on Saturday morning with Stean playing James and Griffiths opposed by Richard Smith, a former Welsh boy champion. No adjournment was permitted and the spectators assembled with the scent of an exciting battle in their nostrils. They were not disappointed for once.

Smith, who had not lost a game in the first six rounds, gave up the exchange for two pawns against Griffiths and most onlookers decided that the Midlander could not possibly win and that the bookies might still take a hiding since Stean had gained an advantage and even his opponent expected him to win. As play continued, Griffiths succeeded, by some nice finessing in the ending, in extracting the maximum from his position and by the time Smith resigned Stean's chances had largely evaporated. Nevertheless, the prize-giving was over and Griffiths was on the train for Birmingham before the draw was at last agreed.

The Challengers' Tournament was divided into two sections, each of 36 players, and this gave the Swiss System a much better chance to work properly than last year's entry of over 70 did. The 'A' Section was won outright by L. P. Collard who came from behind in the last round by beating the leader, Gerald Homer; but the 'B' Section was a tie between M. A. Stevenson and D. C. Taylor.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
16 January 2026	First upload. 20 games from the Premier, 7 from Challengers A