Yorkshire Chess History

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1930: BCF Congress, Scarborough

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Sheffield Sub-Site

held at the Pavilion Hotel, Westborough, Scarborough,

from Saturday 23/06/1930, to Saturday 07/07/1930.

In the early years of the British Chess Federation’s existence, each of the constituent units of the Federation took turns to have the annual BCF congress within its territory, though that cycle was periodically interrupted by diversions to Scotland or Wales.  In 1930 it was the turn of the Northern Counties Chess Union whose AGM offered the option to host the event to Yorkshire, the previous NCCU-hosted BCF Congress having been in Southport, Lancashire.  The result was that the 1930 British Chess Federation congress took place in Scarborough.  Whether this decision was made with knowledge of whether the Scarborough Whit Congress had been intended to be held in 1930 isn’t clear, though in the event the series of Scarborough Whit Congresses ceased after 1929.

For some reason, from time to time the BCF Congress did not include a British Championship contest, and one such was that of 1930.  The Premier section of the 1930 BCF Congress was more in the nature of an international tournament:

	Player		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
			C	M	R	S	A	G	T	M	Y	M	W	S
1	Edgar Colle	(Belgium)	X	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	8½
2	Geza Maroczy	(Hungary)	½	X	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	1	7½
3	Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein	(Poland)	½	½	X	1	0	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	7
4	Mir Sultan Khan	(India)	0	0	0	X	1	½	1	1	1	1	0	1	6½
5	Carl Oscar Ahues,	(Germany)	½	½	1	0	X	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	6½
6	Ernst Gruenfeld	(Austria)	½	½	½	½	½	X	½	½	½	½	1	½	6
7	Sir George Alan Thomas	(Godalming)	½	½	½	0	½	½	X	½	½	½	½	1	5½
8	Reginald Pryce Michell	(London?)	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	X	1	½	1	½	4½
9	Fred Dewhirst Yates	(Birstall, London)	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	X	1	1	1	4½
10	Miss Vera Frantsevna Menchik	(Hastings)	0	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	0	X	½	½	4
11	William Winter	(London?)	0	½	0	1	0	0	½	0	0	½	X	½	3
12	Edward Guthlac Sergeant	(London)	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	X	2½

Though this was not an official British Championship, the reigning British Champion, Mir Sultan Khan, in effect unofficially successfully defended his title, being the highest-placed player eligible for the British title.  The winner, Colle, was the reigning champion of Belgium.  William Winter was unable to replicate his performance at the 1928 Scarborough Whit Congress, where he’d finished first, ahead of five of those who in this 1930 event finished above him (Colle, Michell, Yates, Thomas and Menchik).

Created 08/04/2015

Stephen John Mann

Last Updated 08/04/2015