Yorkshire Chess History

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Sheffield v Leeds, Woodhouse Cup, 1886

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Played on Saturday, 27th February 1886, at the Maunche Hotel, Sheffield.

The match was played over the maximum twenty boards. The James White’s report in the Leeds paper, while not denying Sheffield’s victory was honourable, nevertheless devoted much space to an explanation of how unfortunate Leeds were to have lost, and an angst-ridden analysis of where things had gone wrong and how things were to be remedied. There was no mention of any adjudications at the close of play, but the traumatised White was way beyond reporting such mundane details of the match! On four boards there was time only for a single game.

Sheffield & DCA	19½		16½	Leeds
Rev. EJ Huntsman *	1‑0	1	0‑1	J Rayner *
G A Askham	1‑0	2	0‑1	T Y Stokoe
F E Foster	½-½	3	0‑1	F Toothill
Henry Davy	½-½	4	0‑1	J White
Arthur Davy	0‑1	5	0‑1	T Smith
J Crossland	0‑1	6		E B Hussey
Dr. [A. C. J.] Wilson	½@½	7		J Shephard
J[ohn] Roe	1‑0	8	½@½	J Musgrove
F Lamb	0‑1	9	1‑0	C G Bennett
Edward Barlow	1‑0	10	1‑0	J W Stringer
Harold Davy	1‑0	11	1‑0	F C Howell
H A Rossell	1‑0	12	0‑1	S R Meredith
E[dwin] Barraclough	0‑1	13	½-½	T W Tate
W H Camm	0‑1	14	1‑0	J Craven
J Reoch	1‑0	15	½-½	R Taylor
Henry Mercer	1‑0	16	0‑1	J[ames] Moorhouse
J Barton/Barlow	0‑1	17	1‑0	W Heaton
S B Slack	1‑0	18		J Tannett
W Tiptaft	1‑0	19	1‑0	F Pflaum
M[arriott] Oakes	½-½	20		S Taylor

* = captain

a = adjudicated unfinished game

From a Sheffield chess historian’s point of view this match interestingly sees the Sheffield Davy family’s chess-players all appearing in the same match, with brothers Henry and Arthur joined by Henry’s son Harold (all fully named in the report). The three are seen again in the later match against Bradford.

Some of the S&DCA players came from outside Sheffield itself. These “District” players were indicated in the Sheffield & Rotherham Independent as Rev. E. J. Huntsman of Tickhill, Dr. Wilson of Penistone, J Roe of Barnsley, and W Tiptaft of Swinton near Rotherham. The latter’s name was erroneously reported as Tipstaff.

The Sheffield captain, the Rev. Edmund John Huntsman, was vicar of Harworth, Notts, though had connections with Tickhill, Yorks. He was a great-grandson of Benjamin Huntsman who invented the “crucible” technique for the manufacture of steel.

The two games on top board were printed in the Sheffield & Rotherham Independent, Rayner-Huntsman on 06/03/1886, and Huntsman-Rayner on 13/03/1886:

Woodhouse Cup, Sheffield, 27/02/1886

White: Rayner, James (Leeds),

Black: Huntsman, Rev Edmund John (Sheffield)

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. f4 a6 8. Nf3 c5 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. Be2 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Kh1 b5 13. Nd1 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Qc5 16. c3 Qxd4 17. cxd4 Rc8 18. Ne3 g6 19. a4 bxa4 20. Rxa4 Rc6 21. Rb4 Rb6 22. Rxb6 Nxb6 23. Ra1 Ke7 24. h3 h5 25. Ra3 Rc8 26. Bxa6 Bxa6 27. Rxa6 Nc4 28. Nxc4 Rxc4 29. Ra7+ Kf8 30. Ra8+ Kg7 31. Rb8 Rxd4 32. g3 Rd2 33. b4 Rb2 34. b5 d4 35. Kg1 d3 36. Kf1? Rb1+ White resigned.

Woodhouse Cup, Sheffield, 27/02/1886

White: Huntsman, Rev Edmund John (Sheffield),

Black: Rayner, James (Leeds)

1. c4 e6 2. e3 d5 3. d4 c5 4. Nc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Nf6 6. b3 cxd4 7. exd4 Bb4 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Bd3 Ne4 10. Qc2 Nxc3 11. Bxc3 Bxc3+ 12. Qxc3 e5 13. Nxe5 dxc4 14. Bxc4 Qxd4 15. Qxd4 Nxd4 16. O-O Be6 17. Rad1 Rad8 18. f4 f6 19. Bxe6+ Nxe6 20. f5 Nd4 21. Nc4 Rd7 22. Rde1 Rd8 23. Re4 Kf7 24. g4 b5 25. Nd2 Nxf5 26. Rxf5 Rxd2 27. a4 bxa4 28. Rxa4 Rd1+ 29. Rf1 Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 Rd7 31. Kf2 Ke6 32. Ke3 Rc7 33. Re4+ Kd6 34. Rd4+ Kc5 35. Rc4+ Kb6 36. Rxc7 Kxc7 37. Ke4 Kc6 38. Kf5 Kb5 39. h4 a5 40. Ke6 Kb4 41. h5 Kxb3 42. Kf7 a4 43. Kxg7 a3 44. Kxh7 a2 45. Kg8 a1=Q 46. h6 Qg1 47. h7 Qxg4+ 48. Kh8 Qh4 49. Kg7 Qxh7+ White resigned.

[Undated, unattributed newspaper cutting, clearly from the Leeds Mercury.]

[Sheffield & Rotherham Independent, 06/03/1886, page 5, & 13/03/1886, page 5.]

Created

09/07/2012

Last Updated

20/08/2014