1937 British Chess Championship, Blackpool, 5-16 July • 1936« »1938

1937 British Chess Championship		Draw no	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	William Albert Fairhurst	11	Glasgow	&;	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	9
2	Sir George Alan Thomas	9	London	½	&;	½	½	1	1	1	1	0	1	½	1	8
3	Harry Golombek	8	London	½	½	&;	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	6
4	Theodore Henry Tylor	2	Oxford	0	½	½	&;	½	½	½	1	1	0	1	½	6
5	Henry Ernest Atkins	7	Huddersfield	0	0	½	½	&;	1	1	1	0	½	1	½	6
6	Frank Parr	10	London	½	0	½	½	0	&;	½	0	1	1	½	1	5½
7	Reginald Pryce Michell	1	Kingston Sy	0	0	½	½	0	½	&;	0	1	1	1	1	5½
8	Ronald Blow	3	Birmingham	0	0	½	0	0	1	1	&;	1	0	1	½	5
9	Alfred Lenton	4	Leicester	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	&;	1	1	½	4½
10	Herbert Gibson Rhodes	5	Preston	0	0	½	1	½	0	0	1	0	&;	½	½	4
11	(William) Ritson Morry	6	Sutton Coldfield	½	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	&;	1	3½
12	James Marston Craddock	12	Woking	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	&;	3

Prizes: Championship trophy and £20, £15, £10, £5 and consolation prizes

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1937 British Ladies Championship, Blackpool, 5-16 July • 1936« »1938

1937 British Ladies Championship		Draw no.	Resid.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Miss Rowena Mary Dew	11	Plymouth	&;	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	10
2	Mrs Florence Frankland Thomson (née Wilson)	12	Glasgow	0	&;	1	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	8½
3	Mrs Edith Mary Ann Michell (née Tapsell)	9	Kingston-upon-Thames	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	8
4	Miss Audrey Bourne Poupard	4	Wanstead	1	0	0	&;	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	7½
5	Miss Mary Ann Eliza Andrews	6	London	0	½	0	½	&;	0	1	0	1	½	1	1	5½
6	Mrs Esme Hewetson Budge (née Benson)	2	Kilmacolm	0	0	0	½	1	&;	½	½	0	1	1	1	5½
7	Mrs Elsie Margaret Lenton (née Reid)	5	Leicester	0	1	0	0	0	½	&;	1	1	1	0	1	5½
8	Mrs Edith St John (née Fraser)	7	Manchester	0	0	1	0	1	½	0	&;	½	½	1	1	5½
9	Miss Katharine Tate Austin	10	London	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	½	&;	0	1	1	3½
10	Miss Margaret Eleanor Lander	1	Dorset	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	½	1	&;	0	1	3½
11	Miss E Neilson	3	Glasgow	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	&;	0	2
12	Miss Emily Eliza Abraham	8	Deal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	&;	1

Prizes: Championship Trophy, Gold Medal and £10, £8, £6 and £4

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1937 BCF Major Open

1937 BCF Major Open		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Harold Vincent Mallison	Exeter	&;	½	½	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	8½
2	Alfred William Bowen	Wolverhampton	½	&;	0	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	8
3	Alfred Joseph Butcher	Wolverhampton	½	1	&;	0	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	1	7½
4	Henry Holwell Cole	London	½	½	1	&;	0	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	7½
5	Harold Israel	London	0	0	½	1	&;	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	7
6	Alfred Eva	Manchester	0	0	0	½	½	&;	1	1	½	½	1	1	6
7	John Francis O'Donovan	Cambridge	0	½	½	½	0	0	&;	½	1	1	1	1	6
8	Barbato Nicola Rometti	Nice, France	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	&;	½	1	1	1	5
9	Arthur Emerson Mercer	London	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	½	&;	0	½	1	3½
10	(Arthur) John Peters	Oxford	0	0	½	0	1	½	0	0	1	&;	0	½	3½
11	Arthur T Watson	Brighton	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	1	&;	½	2½
12	Harold John Snowden	Putney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	&;	1

Prizes £16, £12, £8, £4 and consolation prizes

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1937 BCF First-Class A

1937 BCF First-Class A		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	(Alexander) Aird Thomson	Glasgow	&;	1	1	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	1	½	9
2	Laurence Mullen	London	0	&;	1	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	8
3	John Keeble	Norwich	0	0	&;	1	1	1	1	1	½	0	1	1	7½
4	Patrick Humphrey Sullivan	Dartford	½	0	0	&;	0	1	1	½	½	1	½	1	6
5	George James Craddock	Woking	0	½	0	1	&;	½	0	1	0	1	0	1	5
6	John Stanley Giles	Timperley	0	0	0	0	½	&;	1	0	1	1	1	½	5
7	A L Gordon	London	½	½	0	0	1	0	&;	1	½	0	½	1	5
8	Cecil Hunter Reid	London	½	0	0	½	0	1	0	&;	0	1	1	1	5
9	B G Wilson	Walthamstow	0	½	½	½	1	0	½	1	&;	0	½	½	5
10	Charles Henry Taylor	Wells	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	½	1	4½
11	Olga Menchik	London	0	½	0	½	1	0	½	0	½	½	&;	½	4
12	Hugh Windsor Fiesch Heneage	Brighton	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	&;	2

"Thomson is the son of the runner-up in the Ladies’ championship, and has been the Scottish boy champion. The continued success of John Keeble, at 82, is remarkable."

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1937 BCF First-Class B

1937 BCF First-Class B		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Total
1	Irving John ("Jack") Good	London	&;	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	1	½	6½
2	Ian Hamilton	Edinburgh	0	&;	1	½	½	1	0	½	1	1d	5½
3	C North	Sheffield	1	0	&;	0	½	1	½	1	1	½	5½
4	George Arthur Peck	Nottingham	0	½	1	&;	½	½	1	0	1	1d	5½
5	Ernest J Randall	London	0	½	½	½	&;	½	1	½	1	1d	5½
6	S Feldman	London	0	0	0	½	½	&;	½	1	1	1	4½
7	Charles William Roberts	Brighouse	1	1	½	0	0	½	&;	0	½	1d	4½
8	Ernest Montgomery Jellie	London	0	½	0	1	½	0	1	&;	0	1d	4
9	Austen Lacey Homer	Stourbridge	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	1	&;	1	2½
10	J M Nichol	Chorley	½	0d	½	0d	0d	0	0d	0d	0	&;	1

1937 BCF First-Class C

1937 BCF First-Class C		Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	William Henderson	London	&;	0	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1d	8
2	Rev. Arthur Percival Lacy-Hulbert	Ludlow	1	&;	1	0	½	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	7½
3	Leiser Schaechter	London	½	0	&;	1	½	1	½	1	0	1	1	1d	7½
4	Frederick William Flear	Welwyn Garden City	1	1	0	&;	0	½	½	1	1	0	1	1	7
5	Herbert Arthur Melvin	Essex	0	½	½	1	&;	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	7
6	Alfred Milner	Manchester	½	½	0	½	1	&;	0	1	1	0	1	1d	6½
7	A L Davies	Belfast	0	½	½	½	1	1	&;	0	½	½	½	½	5½
8	Ronald William Hornbrook	Plymouth	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	&;	0	1	1	1d	5
9	Dr. Charles Llewellyn Lander	Dorset	0	0	1	0	0	0	½	1	&;	1	1	½	5
10	E A Jones	Flint	0	0	0	1	0	1	½	0	0	&;	1	1d	4½
11	John Stanley Richardson	Sheffield	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	&;	1	1½
12	William Courtenay Dawes Cruttenden	St Leonards	0d	0	0d	0	0	0d	½	0d	½	0d	0	&;	1

"In another close finish W. Henderson, a regular figure at all the tournaments, scored one of his most notable successes.
Prizes in each first-class section : £10, £8, and £6."

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Other events (as per BCM, August 1937, pps412-414)

Second Class (11 players). Prizewinners: G. Hadfield Liverpool) 8½, A. G. Burnett (Edinburgh) 8, and H. D. Mather (Blackpool) 7. Other scores : J. Butterworth (London) 6, C. H. Goldman (London) 5½, W. A. Aston (Wolverhampton) and Dr. F. Kolisch (Prague) 5, Hugh Wright Histon (Nottingham) 4, Mrs. Helen Muriel Cobbold (London) 3, Miss L. Eveling (Chislehurst) 2½, and W. M. Batten (Welwyn Garden City) ½. Prizes : £6, £4 and £2. Hadfield [aged 12 - JS] was the shining light among a small group of young competitors from a Liverpool school, who had been trained by their master, Mr. Pennell. Burnett too was well on the young side.

Third Class. Division 1 (10 players)—Prizewinners: F. Matthews (Nottingham) and E. S. Bird (Newcastle) 8½ each, and P. J. Morris (Birmingham) Other scores : Samuel Reginald Tomkinson (Liverpool) 5½, W. Chandler and J. A. Mulligan (Manchester) 5 each, J. E. Coleman (Grays) and Miss E. Hodges ( Derby) 3½ each, Miss Redhead (Blackpool) 3, A. Trimnell (London) and W. H. Reynolds (Rugby) 2½ each. Division 2 (11 players)—Prizewinners: F. J. Pilkington (St. Annes) 9½, T. Rawlinson (Liverpool) 7½, D. E. Budge (Kilmacolm) and R. S. Hustler (Blackpool) 7 each. Other scores: Mrs. M. Dew (Plymouth) 5½, Mrs. G. L. Mallison and J. Francis (St. Leonards) 5 each, A. Cowell (Blackpool) 4½, Mrs. C. M. MacVean (Bournemouth) 3, Miss E. Goodacre (Cheltenham) 1, and Miss E. M. Rowley (Manchester) 0. Prizes: £4, £2, £1, in each section.

One Week Tournaments. A novelty at this Congress were special tournaments of one week each, but they were not particularly successful. Those in the first week resulted: Section A (double round) : J. G. Lomax (Blackburn) 4½, A. C. Vernieux (Welwyn Garden City) and G. G. Homan (Rochester) 3 each, Rev. H. C. de Barathy (Blackburn) 1½. Section B : W. G. Coast (Torquay) 4, H, G. Pearce (London) 3½, Owen Dixson (Welling) 2½, T. A. Carling (Sheffield) 2, J. Barry (Dewsbury) and Rev. D. Russell Mitchell 1½ each. Second week: Section A (double round) : R. M. Bruce (Plymouth) 4½, A. W. Guest (Manchester) 3½, J. R. Greenop (London) 3, and G. G. Homan (Rochester) 1. Section B : S. Roberts (Liverpool) 4½, D. Ll. Jones (Barry) 3½, J. Tracey (Chatham) 2½, G. A. Whitby (Bristol) 2, and T. Hobson (Nottingham) 1½. There were two prizes of 30/- and 20/- in each of the one-week sections.

The Close of the Congress. The final meeting brought a large gathering into the transformed ball-room and was presided over by the Controller. The B.C.F. president, Canon A. G. Gordon Ross, gave away the trophies and prizes. He thanked the Mayor and Corporation of Blackpool for their support and referred to the fact that some of the well-tried old-timers were as yet far from being ousted by younger aspirants.

Mr. Atkins, now in the middle sixties, had played some remarkably fine games. Special bursts of cheering greeted the new champion and runner-up, H. E. Atkins, the veteran John Keeble, still able to win tournament prizes at 82, F. W. Flear (76) who just missed the prize list, and the successful youngsters Hadfield and Burnett. On G. F. Hawkins’ proposition, seconded by A. Martindale, a vote of thanks was passed to the principal workers, in especial Mr. Calvert and Mr. Boyd. The management by R. H. S. Stevenson and his efficient second E. W. Osler was praised. Reference was made to the usual thorough work of preparation behind the scenes carried through by L. P. Rees, the B.C.F. hon. secretary. The services of Mr. Frazer, the manager of the Imperial Hotel, who had placed all the resources of the extensive building and staff at the disposal of the management, were not forgotten. H. G. Felce moved a vote of thanks to the press, Mr. Tinsley (The Times) responding for the South, Mr. Mackenzie (Birmingham Post) for the Midlands, and G. H. Midgley (Manchester Guardian) for the North.

The B.B.C. arranged for the day’s results to be put on the 10-0 o’clock news bulletin (Lon. Reg.) every night, and great satisfaction was expressed all round at this step, which should be of immense service to the spread of the game.

Next year’s congress falls to the turn of the London League, and will possibly be played at the Bishopsgate Institute. This was abandoned some years ago in favour of Whiteley’s, where the celebrated “Road Drill Tournament” took place.

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File Updates

Date	Notes
10 February 2016	Three games added - St.John-Thomson, Thomson-Budge, Thomson-Austin, all from the Ladies' Championship (contributed by Gerard Killoran)
24 March 2016	One Major Open game (Watson-Cole) added. Many thanks to Brian Denman. Later the same day, two Fairhurst games added (vs Golombek (rd 6) and Michell (rd 10). Many thanks to Alan McGowan.
18 April 2016	Added the missing Fairhurst game (Rd 4 v Ritson Morry). Thanks to Alan McGowan.
28 February 2019	One game added: Peters-Mallison, Major Open, Rd 5. Many thanks to Brian Denman.
29 November 2021	Three games added: (1) K.Austin 0-1 A.Poupard, rd 1, Ladies Ch; (2) A.Poupard 1-0 R.Dew, rd 2, Ladies Ch; (3) L.Mullen 1-0 C.H.Taylor, First Class A. My thanks to Gerard Killoran for sending the games.
27 April 2022	Three games added: (1) H Mallison 1-0 J O'Donovan (Major Open, rd 11); (2) J S Richardson 0-1 Lacy-Hulbert (First Class C, rd 2); (3) Lacy-Hulbert 1-0 L Schaechter (First Class). Contributed by Gerard Killoran via the English Chess Forum, for which many thanks.
3 December 2024	Two games added, both from First Class C: (1) EA Jones 0-1 A Lacy-Hulbert (rd 7); (2) W Henderson 0-1 A Lacy-Hulbert. Contributed by Gerard Killoran via the English Chess Forum, for which many thanks.
8 December 2024	Added the game Rowena Dew (Bruce) 1-0 Edith St John, rd 5, Women's Championship. Contributed by Gerard Killoran via the English Chess Forum, 6 December 2024, for which many thanks.