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Sheffield
Sub-Site
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Played at the Royal Hotel, Wood Street, Wakefield,
on 14/12/1862,
over 9 boards, 2 games per board
The Leeds
Mercury of 21/12/1861 reported on this match as follows:
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CHESS PLAYING
AT WAKEFIELD.-Last
Saturday a friendly trial of skill between the Wakefield and Huddersfield
Chess Clubs, took place at the Royal Hotel. Play commenced at about
half-past three o’clock, and was continued, with a pleasant
interruption for refreshment, until eight, when the Huddersfield players
had to leave by train. The match was not concluded, but the following
in the state of the score. We understand the match will been terminated
at Huddersfield early next year: -
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(There followed the Mercury’s version of the
results.)
The Chess
Player’s Chronicle, 1862, p. 18, printed a fuller report based,
seemingly, on that published in the Huddersfield press. (The phrase
“will be played out in this town” betrays the source of the text,
addressed to a Huddersfield audience, possibly by John Watkinson.)
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MATCH BETWEEN HUDDERSFIELD AND WAKEFIELD.
THIS important match came off, according to
agreement, on Saturday Dec. 14, 1861, at the Royal Hotel, Wood Street,
Wakefield. The conditions of the match were that nine players should
represent each club; that two games should be played by each couple of
competitors, to be paired according to relative strength, so far as this
could be ascertained; and that the stakes be a £2 2s. set of Staunton
chess-men.
Play
commenced at half-past three o’clock and proceeded with great spirit
until six, when a truce was cried, and the opposing forces adjourned to a
most substantial tea, provided, with their accustomed liberality, by the
Wakefield club. Immediately after this, hostilities were recommenced
with renewed vigour, and continued until about eight, when the Huddersfield
gentlemen were obliged to hasten to the train. All this time the greatest
excitement prevailed, as, one after another, the different players
succumbed to the vigorous onslaughts of their opponents. The cry of
“check” was occasionally heard, and still more seldom, the
ominous sound of “mate.” At the termination of the day’s
lay, the total score gave to Huddersfield, nine games, and t Wakefield
four, five games being undecided.
Messrs.
Parratt and Tomlinson were both unable to be present. Mr.
Watkinson’s second game, in which he had a decided advantage, was
adjourned, and Messrs. Robinson and Oswald were unable to finish their
first game. These games will be played out in this town
[Huddersfield] early next year, but there is little doubt as to the final
result of the encounter, as the Wakefield club have to win the whole of the
undecided games to enable them even to draw the match. The
following is the present aspect of the score:
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(There followed the Chronicle’s version of the
results.)
The results which follow
reflect the names and scores as given in both the above reports, except for
the omission of the Chronicle’s “Mr.” for all except
the Lieutenant-Colonel. The board order is that of the Chronicle; the
Mercury had boards two and three the other way round. Neither report
analysed the unfinished games as either adjourned or unstarted.
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Wakefield
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4‑9
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Huddersfield
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Adjourned
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Unstarted
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1
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W W Hunter
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0-1
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J. Watkinson
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1
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2
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W H B Tomlinson
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W Parratt
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2
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3
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J W Young
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1-1
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G Brook, Jun
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4
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Lieut‑Col Holdsworth
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2-0
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D Marsden
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5
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C S Bennett
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0-2
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J Eastwood
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6
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R Oswald
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J R Robinson
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1
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1
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7
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J Atter
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1-1
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E W Tarn
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8
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W Ash
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0-2
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A Campbell
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9
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A Fawcett
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0-2
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J P Roberton
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The plan to finish
the 2 adjourned games and to play the 3 unstarted games never came to
fruition. The Chess Player’s Chronicle, 1862, p. 102, reported
that Wakefield had resigned the match, and that Huddersfield had consequently
won the chess-set.
The identities of
the players involved are for the most part clear enough, seemingly being as
follows:
At the time of
this match, John Watkinson was engaged in a match with Edmund Thorold, then of Sheffield,
and Watkinson’s opponent in the above match, William Wilks Hunter, had
earlier expressed a desire the play the winner of the Watkinson-Thorold match
for the effective (unofficial) championship of Yorkshire. The following
is the Watkinson-Hunter game from the above match was given by the Chess
Player’s Chronicle, 1862, p. 18:
Wakefield v
Huddersfield, 14/12/1861
White: Watkinson,
John (Huddersfield), Black: Hunter, WW (Wakefield)
1. e4 c5 2. d4
cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nb5 a6 6. Nd6+ Bxd6 7. Qxd6 Ne7 8. Bd3 O-O 9.
O-O f5 10. Nc3 f4 11. Bxf4 Ng6 12. Be3 Qe7 13. Bc5 Qxd6 14. Bxd6 Rf7 15. Na4
Ne7 16. Nb6 Ra7 17. Bc5 and Black resigned, 1-0
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