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played at Harrogate,
on Saturday 15/12/1888,
over 24 boards.
The Tees Side
Chess Association had been formed on 17/10/1883, about six months after the
formation of the Sheffield and District Chess Association. In its early
years it had played matches against Newcastle, Bradford, and Leeds Chess Clubs.
In 1888 it combined with Newcastle Chess Club to play a match against the
West Yorkshire Chess Association over 24 boards, with one game to be played
per board.
Prior to the
formation, on 05/09/1885, of the Yorkshire County Chess Club as the body representing
Yorkshire as a whole, the West Riding Chess Association had only undertaken
organising matches on behalf of Yorkshire, and only against other
counties. Since then, it obviously felt freer to engage in matches
representing West Yorkshire alone.
The Bradford
Observer of 24/11/1888 reported on a committee meeting of the West
Yorkshire Chess Association as follows:
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THE W.Y.C.A. v. TEES-SIDE AND TYNESIDE C.A.- Yesterday evening, at the
Exchange Café, a committee meeting of the West Yorkshire Chess
Association was held, Mr. P. T. Macaulay in the chair, - Mr. A.
Fattorini, hon. secretary, submitted to the meeting a challenge which he
had received last week from the Tees-side Chess Association for a match
over the boards, thirty players a-side, to be played somewhere
half-way. Since receiving the challenge, MR. Fattorini had
corresponded with the Tees-side officials, and intimated to the meeting
that the Northerners would be willing to play the match, thirty players
a-side, at Darlington. – After discussion, the committee decided to
accept the challenge if the match was played, twenty-five players a-side,
at Harrogate, on Saturday, December 15th. – There is every
probability that these terms will be agreed to by the combined
associations. The secretary was authorised to solicit the nominations
of players from the various clubs belonging to the West Yorkshire
Association, and the team will be picked from those nominated at a meeting
to be held at Leeds on Friday next.
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The Tees-side and
Tyneside association accepted West Yorkshire terms.
Harrogate is now
in the modern North Yorkshire, but prior to 1974 it had of course been in the
West Riding of Yorkshire, whereas the Tees Side clubs were in the extreme
north of the North Riding of Yorkshire, or the extreme south of Co. Durham,
while Newcastle, on the north bank of the Tyne, was in Northumberland.
The West Yorkshire team was thus playing “at home”, not on a
neutral venue, if we view the map in terms of Ridings.
The players of
both teams arrived in Harrogate shortly after four o’clock. Play
commenced at five o’clock, amazingly late by today’s standards
for such matches. The first game to finish was that of Bradford’s
L. H. Browne, who scored a win at 5.30. J. Nicholson of Newcastle soon
equalised the running score. The score was still about even when the
players adjourned for tea, at six o’clock.
The Leeds
Mercury of Monday, 17/12/1888, reported:
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After tea,
Mr. Wright (captain of the [West] Yorkshire team), in welcoming the visitors,
expressed the wish that this match might become an annual affair, and,
while apologising for being a player short, he promised that on a future
meeting this would not occur again. Messrs. Vaughan (president of the
Newcastle Club) and Lucas (president of the Tees-side Association) replied
in suitable speeches, and play was at once resumed. The Northern
[team] now took the lead by two games, eventually increasing it to four,
and after the few games left unfinished had been adjudicated upon, the visitors
were declared victorious by 14 wins to 10.
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The Leeds
Mercury’s article then gave a brief outline of the course and
outcome of the separate games, mentioning inter alia that Waight ought
to have been playing much higher. It then concluded the narrative with
the following paragraph, which may be seen partly as sour grapes, and partly
as chastisement of players who had been selected but declined to play:
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It may be
added that the match was very pleasantly contested, and but for the many
absentees on the [West] Yorkshire side, the result might have been
different. Fully half of the originally selected team sent word back,
and in most cases at the last moment, when it became rather difficult to
call in the reserves.
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Board-by-board
results were as follows, based on the Leeds Mercury’s report.
(The West Yorkshire CA minute book contains a similar, undated, article from
the Bradford Observer.) As usual, there was no indication in the
reported results of who moved first. It may be that players tossed
separately on each board for first move.
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Opening
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Tyneside & Tees-side
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14‑10
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Yorkshire (as reported)
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Fuller Name
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1. Kt-KB3
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1
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L Zöllner
(Newcastle, capt.)
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1-0
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F H Wright (Wakefield, capt.)
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Frederick Henry Wright
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Centre Gambit
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2
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F Downey
(Newcastle)
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½@½
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Jas. Rayner (Leeds)
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James Rayner
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1. Kt-KB3
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3
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G C Heywood (Newcastle)
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½-½
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T Holliday (Huddersfield)
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Thomas Holliday
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Scotch
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4
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J Birks
(Hartlepol)
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1-0
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A Common (Halifax)
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Arthur Welsh Common
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French
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5
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F W Griffin
(Middlesorough)
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0-1
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T Y Stokoe (Leeds)
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Thomas
Young Stokoe
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Queen’s Gambit
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6
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R Ormond
(Newcastle)
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½-½
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T A Guy (Bradford)
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Thomas Arnaud Guy
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1. P-KB4
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7
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E Kersey
(Newcastle)
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½@½
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F Spedding (Leeds)
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Frederick Eglin Spedding
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Guioco Piano
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8
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A Lucas
(Darlington)
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½-½
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J A Guy (Bradford)
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John Anthony Guy
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Irregular
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9
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J S Watson (Stockton)
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0-1
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H Waight (Halifax)
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Henry Hoyer Waight
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Centre Gambit
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10
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J Nicholson
(Newscastle)
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1-0
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T Smith (Leeds)
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1. P-KB4
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11
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W J Greenwell
(Newcastle)
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½-½
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T Spencer (Bradford)
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Thomas Spencer
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Centre Gambit
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12
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C Bell
(Newcastle)
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1-0
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J Craven (Leeds)
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John Craven
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1. P-KB4
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13
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R E Allen
(Newcastle)
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1-0
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J Musgrove (Leeds)
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John Musgrove
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Guioco Piano
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14
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J Abrahams
(Hartlepool)
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½-½
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J Sutcliffe (Halifax)
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Joshua Sutcliffe
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Guioco Piano
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15
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Harold Wright
(Stockton)
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½-½
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E B Hussey (Leeds)
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Edward Bishop Hussey
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Guioco Piano
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16
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R Appleton
(Stockton0
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1-0
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J Gorell (Bradford)
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John Gorell
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Q P Opening
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17
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J C Goodall
(Newcastle)
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0-1
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L H Browne (Bradford)
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Lionel Henry Browne
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Ruy Lopez
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18
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M Hooter ***
(Newcastle)
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½-½
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C Quarkowsky (Bradford)
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Charles Quarkowsky
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Trench [sic*]
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19
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W S Vaughan
(Newcastle)
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0-1
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W Rea (Wakefield)
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William Rea
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Ruy Lopez
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20
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E Birks
(Hartlepool)
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1-0
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I M Brown (Leeds)
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Isaac McIntyre Brown
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Guioco Piano
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21
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J W Cray
(Newcastle)
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½-½
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A H Fox (Leeds)
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Abraham H Fox
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Guioco Piano
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22
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J F Smith
(Stockton)
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1-0
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G W Beaumont (Leeds)
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George William Beaumont
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Q P Opening
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23
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R C Newton
(Newcastle)
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1-0
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J Thomas ** (Bradford)
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James Coulson
Thomas
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Q P Opening
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24
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H E Faulkener
(Newcastle)
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0-1
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J W Stringer (Leeds)
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John William Stringer
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@ indicates result by adjudication of unfinished game.
* “Trench” presumably meant
“French”.
** “J. C. Thomas” in the Bradford Observer.
*** “M. Hoerter” in the Bradford Observer.
The “Fuller
Name” column contains the present writer’s understanding of the
identities of the Yorkshire players involved.
The Leeds
Mercury report concluded with a tabular analysis of number of players
from the various localities, and the totals of wins losses and draws returned
by each locality.
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