Yorkshire Chess History

The Annual Meeting of his Association was held in the De Grey Rooms, York, during the week commencing Monday, August 3, 1868. There was not quite so large an attendance as the Committee had hoped to see, several being absent on account of illness of other unavoidable causes – Lord Benholme, Rev. John Owen, Rev. W. Beckett, Rev. R. F. Drew, James Freeman, Esq., Her Schüll, &c. Not withstanding this drawback, the meeting was one of the pleasantest ever held in the provinces; the distant visitors were hospitably entertained during the week, various residents and ladies enlivened the scene, being present from the first day to the last, and in many cases taking part in the contests.

Among the visitors we noticed the Rev. J. Green, Cubley Rectory, Derbyshire; Mrs. John Prest, of York; the Misses Newton, York; Mr. J. Oldfield, Miss Chambers, Mr. Meek (President), Mr. Dodsworth, Captain Proby, Captain Cumberland, Mr. and Mrs. Hargrove, Mr. Newman, York; Miss Laybourne, &c., &c.

There were ten competitors in the first class, and Mr. Thorold, of Bath, won the first prize, value £10. No prize is given in money, and the winner, by desire, received his prize in books. Mr. Thorold won all his games, excepting the one with Mr. Skipworth, which was draw, and the longest, and perhaps the most severely contested, of any played at the meeting, nearly a hundred moves having been made on each side. The end game was a fight between Mr. Thorold’s King, two Rooks, and a Pawn, against Mr. Skipworth’s King, Queen, and four Pawns. The Rev. W. Wayte, of Eton, won the second prize, value £3. The following were competitors in the second class:- Mr. B. W. Fisher, Mr. Thomas Fieldsend, Bradford; Mr. J. H. Finlinson, Huddersfield; Mr. John Newton, York; Mr. W. Park, West Hartlepool; Mr. Thomas Semple, Stockton-on-Tees; Mr. Ball, York. Mr. Fisher won the first prize, value £5, and Mr. Finlinson the second one, a set of the Staunton Chess Men.

In the third class were Mrs. Redperth, Miss Felgate, Miss Robinson, Mr. F. Newton (Grove Lodge), and Miss Leybourne. Mr. F. Newton won the first prize, a set of the Staunton Chess Men, and Miss Felgate the second one.

Among the additional visitors on the Friday we noticed Mr. F. Deacon, London, a well-known and talented amateur; Mr. Doughty, Lincoln; Mr. John Watkinson, Huddersfield; Mr. Myers, Leeds, &c. During the morning Mr. Wayte played five games simultaneously, without sight of board or men, winning against each antagonist. A four tournament was arranged, Mr. Deacon, Mr. Skipworth, Mr. Thorold, and Mr. Walker, Cheltenham. Mr. Deacon, however, preferred not to play any match games, and the contest remained with the other three. Mr. Skipworth won of Mr. Walker, Mr. Thorold won of Mr. Skipworth, and Mr. Walker won of Mr. Thorold; there was not time to play another round, and the result, therefore, was a draw, each party having scored one game. In another tournament there were the Rev. W. L. Newham, Mr. Thomson (Manchester), Mr. Walker, and Mr. Doughty, and Mr. Thomson won. A skirmish took place between Mr. Wayte and Mr. Watkinson, ending in a draw, and two almost immediately after Mr. Deacon’s arrival between Mr. Deacon and Mr. Wayte, both of which were won by Mr. Wayte.

A public luncheon was held on the Friday afternoon, when the toast of the day, “Success to the Yorkshire Chess Association,” was given by Captain Proby, of York, and Mr. Deacon. The Rev. A. B. Skipworth occupied the chair, in the absence of the President, and Mr. Ball was the Vice-Chairman.

All the arrangements of this important and interesting meeting were carried out by Mr. Ball and Mr. Skipworth, and if they were unable to do themselves justice in play, they certainly did not fail in their catering for the visitors and players who were present.

We give below an account of the play in the first class. In each class every competitor played one game with every one else in his class, and the prizes were awarded accordingly to the gross score. A drawn game was scored as half a game to each party. The Society’s £50 cup or prize must be won twice before being claimed. Mr. Thorold has now won it once.

Westminster Papers, September 1868, carried a slightly cut version, and rather amusingly added the phrase “in the most ungallant fashion” to the report of the Class III winner with:

“Mr. F. Newton, in the most ungallant fashion, won the first prize, a set of the Staunton Chess Men, and Miss Felgate the second.”

There followed a cross-table of which the following is a rearrangement and expansion. (The original placed Skipworth between Cutler and Ball, and gave no total for any of those three, just the note below the chart. Also it used W, L and D for win, loss and draw respectively.)

First Class			1	2	3	4	5	9	6	7	8	10	Total	Place		Prize
Edmund Thorold	Bath	1	X	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.5	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	8.5	1		£10 in books
Rev. William Wayte	Eton	2	0.0	X	0.5	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	6.5	2		£3 value
Maximilian Edward Werner	Bradford	3	0.0	0.5	X	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	5.5	3-4
Walter Grimshaw	Whitby	4	0.0	1.0	1.0	X	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0	1.0	5.5	3-4
Thomson	Manchester	5	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	X	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	5.0	5
Rev. Arthur Bolland Skipworth	Bilsdale	9	0.5	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.0	X	0.0	1.0	1.0	-	4.5	6	*
E. Walker		6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0	X	0.5	1.0	1.0	4.0	7
W. L. Newham		7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	X	1.0	1.0	3.5	8
George Octavius Cutler	Sheffield	8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	X	1.0	1.0	9	*
Dr. Alfred Ball	York	10	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	-	0.0	0.0	0.0	X	0.0	10	*

* Mr. Cutler, being unwell, was compelled to leave and resign many of his games. Mr. Skipworth and Mr. Ball did not play their game,
and some games were forfeited by Mr. Ball, on account of the business arrangements of the meeting.

The note doesn’t mention that Mr. Ball was competing both in the first class (to make up numbers?) and the second class. The text nowhere indicates which games were conceded without being played.

No tables were given for the Second and Third Classes. Those below may get filled with whatever results materialise in due course.

Second Class

Total

Place

Prize

Bernard William Fisher

Great Malvern

£5 value

Joseph Henry Scott Finlinson

Huddersfield

Staunton Chessmen

Bradford

York

West Hartlepool

Stockton‑on‑Tees

York

Third Class			1	2	3	4	5	Total	Place	Prize
Mr. F. Newton	Grove Lodge	1	X						1	Staunton Chessmen
Miss Felgate	York	2		X					1	second
Miss Leybourne		3			X				?
Mrs. Redperth		4				X			?
Miss Robinson		5					X		?

Tabular representation of the three-way all-play-all between three visitors:

			1	2	3	Total	Place
Arthur Bolland Skipworth	Bilsdale	1	X	0	1	1	1-3
Edmund Thorold	Bath	2	1	X	0	1	1-3
E. Walker	Cheltenham	3	0	1	X	1	1-3

Chess World, Vol. IV, page 229, carry the following précis of the account:

THE YORKSHIRE CHESS MEETING.- This meeting was held in the De Grey Rooms during the week beginning August 3rd, and, though not so numerously attended as the promoters of it expected, attracted several good players, and passed off pleasantly enough. Ten competitors entered the lists for the chief tourney, the first prize of which was gallantly won by Mr. E. Thorold, of Bath, one of the finest players of the day. The Rev. W. Wayte, of Eton, carried off the second prize. In the second class tourney Mr. B. W. Fisher gained the first prize, and Mr. Finlinson, of Huddersfield, the second prize. The combatants in the third class tournament were many of them ladies, and of these, Miss Felgate, bore off the second prize. These three prize tourneys were, of course, the main objects of attention; but there were many other contests which were regarded with great interest, more particularly five games played simultaneously by Mr. Wayte without sight of a chess-board, the whole of which he won. All the arrangements of the meeting were made and carried out by Mr. Ball and Mr. Skipworth, two of the most enthusiastic chess amateurs in Yorkshire, and appeared to give very general satisfaction.

(Click here for details of the preparatory build-up, on a separate page.)

< 1867: 3rd North Yorkshire & Durham CA Meeting < : > 1869: 2nd Yorkshire Chess Association Meeting >

Created

12/01/2013

Last Updated

12/01/2013