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Yorkshire Chess History |
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1925 to 29: Scarborough Whit Congresses |
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In the 1920s, all-play-all tournaments lasting roughly one or two weeks, located in seaside resorts, were becoming more numerous. The years 1922, 1923 and 1924 saw such seaside events taking place at Hastings, Portsmouth/Southsea, Hastings, Margate, Weston-super-Mare and Southport. However, apart from Southport, none of these was at a more northerly latitude than London! However, if an event (in this case the British Championships) could be held at Southport, Lancashire (but now Merseyside), in 1924, then why couldn’t an international tournament be held at Scarborough in the North Riding of Yorkshire? The 1909 British Chess Federation’s congress of had in fact been run in Scarborough.
That was probably the reasoning of Gerald Mutrie Reid, honorary secretary of Scarborough Chess Club. He was the architect of a series of roughly week-long congresses run in Scarborough in the name of Scarborough Chess Club, with three or so sections, the top section, at least, including a number of notable foreign players, so justifying the epithet “international”.
The venue for the congresses was the Pavilion Hotel, Westborough, Scarborough, near the railway station, and near the top of the hill which continues down to the sea first as Newborough, then as Eastborough.
In 1925 and 1926, the Premier tournament consisted of two sections whose winners engaged in a play-off to determine ultimate placings. The winners of the two sections played off for 1st and 2nd places, while those placed second in their respective sections played off for 3rd and 4th places. This system was not entirely satisfactory as regards the accuracy of how 2nd to 3rd places were determined. Thereafter, the top section was run as a simple all-play-all.
For the 1925 Scarborough Whit Congress, the local council funded the advertising, and in following years the extent of council funding may possibly have been increased. However, after the 1927 event, the council withdrew financial support. The Yorkshire Telegraph & Star commented that the organiser might well have been expected not to proceed with the event in 1928, yet he did, and then again in 1929.
After that, the 1930 British Chess Federation congress visited Scarborough, and there was no Whit congress run in 1930 by Scarborough Chess Club. Whether there had originally been plans to resume the Scarborough Whit congresses in 1931 is unclear. In the event, the 1929 congress proved to have been the last of the series. The BCF congress re-visited Scarborough, many years later, in 1999, 2001 and 2004. The present series of weekend Scarborough Congresses, now established as a major event on weekend congress circuit, commenced in 1977.
It seems Gerald Mutrie Ried may have sustained personal financial loss through the congresses, as in January 1934 he filed a petition for him to be declared bankrupt. There seems no more likely reason for his evident financial difficulties.
The full list of participants in the top section and the years in which they played is as follows:
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Created 23/03/2015 |
Stephen John Mann |
Last Updated 23/03/2015 |