1973 British Chess Championship, Eastbourne, 6-17 August • 1972« »1974

1973 British Chess Championship		Residence	Elo	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Total
1	William R Hartston	Cambridge	2470m	w25+	b23-	w8+	b18=	w16+	w7+	b4=	b2+	w6+	w5+	b3=	8½
2	Michael J Basman	London	2385	w31+	w13+	b24=	w3=	b23+	w4+	b5=	w1-	b10+	b12+	w8+	8½
3	A Howard Williams	Pontyclun	2395	w12+	w9=	b17+	b2=	w5=	w14=	b10=	b16=	w11+	b4+	w1=	7½
4	Andrew J Whiteley	London	2340	w33+	w7+	b23+	w24+	b10+	b2-	w1=	w5+	b14=	w3-	b6-	7
5	Anthony J Miles	Birmingham	2375	b19+	w24-	b27+	w6+	b3=	w23+	w2=	b4-	w16+	b1-	b14+	7
6	Jeff Horner	Bolton		w15+	b21=	w11=	b5-	w8+	b16=	w20+	w14=	b1-	b26+	w4+	7
7	A Jonathan Mestel	Manchester	2270	w30+	b4-	w20+	b11=	w18+	b1-	w13=	b8=	w12=	b16+	w9=	6½
8	Nigel J Holloway	Cambridge		b17=	w28=	b1-	w25+	b6-	w29+	b23+	w7=	b24+	w10+	b2-	6½
9	Jonathan Penrose	London	2450m	w36+	b3=	w21=	w10-	b17=	b11=	w26=	w28+	b13+	w14=	b7=	6½
10	George S Botterill	Aberystwyth	2410	w18+	b11=	w16=	b9+	w4-	b26+	w3=	b13=	w2-	b8-	w25+	6
11	Raymond D Keene	London	2445	b29+	w10=	b6=	w7=	b14-	w9=	b19+	w22+	b3-	w17=	b13=	6
12	Stuart J Hutchings	Cardiff	2280	b3-	w25=	b19=	w28+	b29=	w24+	b14=	w27+	b7=	w2-	w15=	6
13	Richard G Eales	Chester		w32+	b2-	w35+	b16-	w15=	b18+	b7=	w10=	w9-	b20+	w11=	6
14	Craig W Pritchett	Glasgow	2350	w35=	b16-	w32+	b36+	w11+	b3=	w12=	b6=	w4=	b9=	w5-	6
15	Gerald H Bennett	Bournemouth		b6-	w29=	b34+	w17=	b13=	w19=	b22-	w24=	b27+	w21+	b12=	6
16	Roderick M McKay	Glasgow	2330	b26=	w14+	b10=	w13+	b1-	w6=	b17+	w3=	b5-	w7-	b19=	5½
17	Michael J Haygarth	Leeds		w8=	b35+	w3-	b15=	w9=	b21+	w16-	b26=	w20=	b11=	w18=	5½
18	Derek M Wise	Ipswich		b10-	w22+	b28+	w1=	b7-	w13-	b27-	w34+	b19=	w24+	b17=	5½
19	Peter H Clarke	Bude	2360	w5-	b33=	w12=	b20=	w36+	b15=	w11-	b25=	w18=	b22+	w16=	5½
20	Robert G Wade	London	2365m	b28=	w26=	b7-	w19=	b34+	w22=	b6-	w29+	b17=	w13-	b31+	5½
21	Brian R Eley	Rotherham	2350	b34+	w6=	b9=	w23-	b27=	w17-	b24-	w31+	b28+	b15-	w26+	5½
22	Victor W Knox	Cheadle		b24-	b18-	w31=	b30+	w32+	b20=	w15+	b11-	w25=	w19-	b27+	5½
23	Simon Webb	Harlington		b27+	w1+	w4-	b21+	w2-	b5-	w8-	b32+	w26-	b25-	w34+	5
24	David B Pritchard	Godalming		w22+	b5+	w2=	b4-	w26-	b12-	w21+	b15=	w8-	b18-	w36+	5
25	Alan T Ludgate	Manchester		b1-	b12=	w30=	b8-	w33+	w28=	b29=	w19=	b22=	w23+	b10-	5
26	David J Sully	Cardiff		w16=	b20=	b36=	w29=	b24+	w10-	b9=	w17=	b23+	w6-	b21-	5
27	Alan H Perkins	Bingley		w23-	b31+	w5-	b33=	w21=	b30=	w18+	b12-	w15-	b34+	w22-	4½
28	Frank Parr	Ewell		w20=	b8=	w18-	b12-	w35+	b25=	w32+	b9-	w21-	b33=	b30=	4½
29	Jon S Speelman	London		w11-	b15=	w33+	b26=	w12=	b8-	w25=	b20-	b31=	w30=	b35=	4½
30	John M Quinn	Stafford		b7-	w36-	b25=	w22-	b31+	w27=	b34=	b35=	w32=	b29=	w28=	4½
31	Brian J Denman	Hove		b2-	w27-	b22=	b32-	w30-	b35+	w33+	b21-	w29=	b36+	w20-	4
32	Daniel Wright	Harrow		b13-	w34=	b14-	w31+	b22-	w36+	b28-	w23-	b30=	w35=	b33=	4
33	Ronald F A Harman	Waltham Abbey		b4-	w19=	b29-	w27=	b25-	w34=	b31-	w36+	b35=	w28=	w32=	4
34	Richard V M Hall	Whitby		w21-	b32=	w15-	b35+	w20-	b33=	w30=	b18-	b36+	w27-	b23-	3½
35	L Alan Edwards	Leicester		b14=	w17-	b13-	w34-	b28-	w31-	b36+	w30=	w33=	b32=	w29=	3½
36	Anthony R Cullinane	Portsmouth		b9-	b30+	w26=	w14-	b19-	b32-	w35-	b33-	w34-	w31-	b24-	1½

n.b. the usual sequence of rounds in the British Championship (namely, rounds 1-6, from Monday to Saturday, and then rounds 7-11 on the following Monday-Friday) was not used at the 1973 British Championship because there was a darts match (!) held on the first Friday at the Eastbourne Town Hall. Thus the sequence in 1973 was rounds 1-4 from Monday 6 August to Thursday 9 August, then Friday 10 August was a rest day, then rounds 5-11 were played from Saturday 11 August to Friday 17 August, with play on the middle Sunday for the first time.

Play-off for the 1973 British Championship title (London, 28 January - 3 February 1974)

1	William R Hartston	2470m	011½11	4½
2	Michael J Basman	2385	100½00	1½

1973 British Ladies' Chess Championship, Brighton • 1972« »1974

1973 British Ladies Championship		Elo	Residence	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
1	Jana Hartston (» Bellin)	2210wm	Cambridge	&;	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	11
2	Elaine Pritchard	wm	Godalming	0	&;	0	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	7
3	(Patricia) Anne Sunnucks	wm	Crowthorne	0	1	&;	½	0	1	0	1	½	1	1	1d	7
4	Dinah M Wright (» Norman)	2065	Harrow	0	½	½	&;	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	7
5	Susan L Caldwell		Uffington	0	½	1	½	&;	0	½	½	1	½	1	1	6½
6	Olive Cecily Chataway		Harrow	0	½	0	½	1	&;	½	1	0	1	1	1	6½
7	Sheila A Jackson		Liverpool	0	0	1	½	½	½	&;	½	0	1	1	1	6
8	Margaret Eileen E Clarke		Bude	0	½	0	½	½	0	½	&;	1	1	0	1	5
9	Jean P M Rogers		London	0	0	½	0	0	1	1	0	&;	0	1	0	3½
10	Rae Galtsmith-Clarke		London	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	&;	0	1	2½
11	Zbyzska Southall		Machen, Mon.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	0	2
12	Mrs S L Allcock		Bristol	0	0	0d	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	&;	2

Other Sections:

1973 BCF MAJOR OPEN

Rank	1973 BCF Major Open	Total
1	John D M Nunn (London)	10/11
2	John D L Ball (Birmingham)	8½
3-5	Paul V Byway (Royston), David Parr (Newbury), Louis de Veauce (Manchester)	7½
6-9	Graham P Burton (London), Adrian Picton Rossiter Lewis (Brighton), Alan G Trangmar (Beckenham), Bernard Kernan (Ireland)	7
10-15	Terence B Bennett (Staines), Raymond J Gamble (Derby), Martin H Hawley (London), Robert S McFarland (Coventry), Geoffrey James Nicholas (Hove), R Alan Barton	6½
16-23	Leslie S Blackstock (Twickenham), Julian T Farrand (Stockport), Paul F Habershon (Bedford), J R Holland (Buntingford), Richard John Fairfax Sams (Sanderstead), Graham Speed (London), F Verhoef (Utrecht), George Szaszvari (London)	6
24-32	Mike J Conroy (Burnley), R E Evans (Chester), Paul S N Kendall (Newcastle), Edwin George Lea (Peacehaven), M J Meakin (Northwich), J G D van Kleef, T D Welsh (London), R Willey (Stockbridge), Roland E Graf (Liverpool)	5½
33-39	John M Bennett (London), Roger Hardy (Bridlington), J G Herbert (Leamington Spa), Alan Keene (Carshalton), James R Nicolson (Manchester), L W Prescott (Huntingdon), D M Taylor (Birmingham)	5
40-48	P Allen (Warlingham), D Michael Denison (Wakefield), Keith L Escott (Hornchurch), Arthur Hall (Pinner), Lewis Johnstone Mills (Reading), A Philip Primett (Haywards Heath), David A Tidmarsh (Tonbridge), F B Ings (Hereford), L A Treloar	4½
49-51	Godfrey V Brangham (Cwmbran), F[Percy?] B Cook (London), M Goll (Spilsby)	4
52-54	Robin F G Kneebone (Truro), Colin D Leach (Stockbridge), Stanley Charles Love (Polegate)	3½
55	P B Scott (Swansea)	2½
56	D E Smith (Zambia)	2

Special prizes A. P. R. Lewis and T. B. Bennett.

1973 BRITISH UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Laurence D Marks (Croydon) 9/11; (2) Terence P D Chapman (London) 8½; (3-4) Glenn Edwin J Lambert (Portsmouth), John G Nicholson (London) 8; (5-7) Nigel E Povah (London), Sunil P R Weeramantry (Southampton), Kevin J Wicker (London) 7; (8-9) Andrew J Morley (Leicester), Stephen J Taylor (Bedford) 6½; (10-17) Chris M Cooley (Swindon), Neill S Cooper (Maidenhead), Alan E Hanreck (London), David W Murphy (St. Pauls Cray), Maurice J Staples (Bridgwater), William J Stirling (London), Hilary C Thomas (London), D. Watson (Bournemouth) 6; (18-21) Peter R Kitson (Harlow), Malcolm R Major (Leicester), Robin Jonathan Pearce (Cambridge), Alan W Potts (Cookham Dean) 5½; (22-28) Colin S Crouch (Harrow Weald), Mark I Hassall (Leicester), Anthony L Hosking (London), Chris Jones (London), Ian McAllan (High Wycombe), Moss McCarthy (Swansea), M Rubin (Hove) 5; (29-33) P. Barnard (Ascot), Kenneth G Coates (Bebington), J N Harvey (Bournemouth), P M Pugh (Ascot), Alan Reid (Prestwick) 4½; (34) S V Graham (Leicester) 4; (35-36) Paul W Chittock (E. Dereham), Lawrence J Glazier (Salford) 3½; (37) David A Tarbuck (Lichfield) 3. Special prizes: David W Murphy and Kevin J Wicker.

1973 BRITISH BOYS’ UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Jonathan Kinlay (Orpington) 9½/11; (2) David S C Goodman (London) 9; (3-4) Vaughan Wynne Griffiths (Northampton), John H Hodgson (Maidenhead) 8; (5-8) Peter M Broad (Carshalton), Michael P Hubbard (London), Michael K Jones (West Wickham), David L Massie (London) 6½; (9-15) Nicholas P Alexander (London), Stuart Fancy (London), Peter J Lee (Southsea), Amit Mozoomdar (London), Roger Charles Newman (Brighton), Michael J Pitt (Birmingham), P Rooney (Bradford) 6; (16-19) J Fletcher (Oldham), Robin W Haldane (London), L Kirk (Darvel), R J Walsh (Lytham St. Annes) 5½; (20-26) R J Brown (London), K S Jones (Ilford), Marcus Ormerod (Abingdon), Martyn J Perryman (Penn), Malcolm Roberts (Brighton), M E Ruxton (Hove), Michael C Truran (Bath) 5; (27) Paul T Renar (Northampton) 4½; (28-29) P Adams (Ilford), John S Collins (Coventry) 4; (30) Paul Matthew John Norris (Lichfield) 3/9; (31) Kenneth Getty (Belfast) 1; (32) R Scott 0/4. Special prizes: Stuart Fancy and Michael P Hubbard.

1973 BRITISH BOYS’ UNDER-16 CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Russell C Picot (Thornton Heath) 8½/11; (2-4) David A Curnow (Epsom), Graham D Hillyard (Billericay), John C Pigott (Kerley) 8; (5-7) Chris J Burrows (Maidenhead), T. Howdle (London), Shaun M Taulbut (Marlborough) 7½; (8-11) N. Davey (Cheltenham), Gary Kenworthy (Bradford), J. G. Murrell (Barking), Emmanuel Rayner (Manchester) 7; (12-15) Chris W Baker (Coventry), M. A. Lee (Chester), R. L. Povey (London), S. Threfall (Purley) 6½; (16-24) A. Argile (Preston), P. A. Aston (Dorchester), Richard Britton (Hull), M. W. Davies (Hereford), D. Johnson (Ivor), D. Kerr (Epsom), A. Lacy (Lisburn), A. Shah (London), M. Spencer (Grimsby) 6; (25-36) K. S. Ashman (Northwich), J. Boswell (Liverpool), C. Brown (Ilford), R. Campbell (Cheltenham), M. Cox (Crewe), P. J. Dolan (Manchester), James J Essinger (Leicester), J. Hudson (London), C. C. Longthorpe (Pocklington), D. G. Reece (Twickenham), C. Snaith (Spalding), T. R. Holt (Bolton) 5½; (37-43) L. Carter (Crowborough), P. van Geene (Portslade), P. D. Marley (Abington), C. C. I. Okike (London), S. N. Sandberg (Leeds), A. Wilkinson (Preston), M. P. Wood (Hove) 5; (44-47) A. Macdonald, D. Ratcliffe (Scarborough), G. D. N. Reason (Coventry), Simon Spivack (London) 4½; (48-53) J. Anderson (Redditch), Nicholas W H Bryans (Northampton), C. Button (Holmbury St. Mary’s), S. C. D. Carpenter (Beaminster), A. Feinstein (Cambridge), N. Mitas (Southsea) 4; (54-56) J. Bott (Leicester), P. Brown (London), J. Dolamore (Ilford) 3½; (57) R. Jacobs (London) 2½; (58) M. Poznanski (London) 0/3. Special prizes S. Taulbut and T. Howdle.

1973 BRITISH BOYS’ UNDER-14 CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Jonathan C Benjamin (Richmond) 10½/11; (2-3) Mark A Spindler (Swindon), S. Williams (Plymouth) 8½; (4) Carl A Plasa (Surbiton) 8; (5-7) P. A. Bancroft (London), H. M. Carter (Haslemere), P. G. Smith (Redbridge) 7; (8-11) A. J. Chapman (Haywards Heath), Paul Hadden (Belfast), Clive E Hill (N. Harrow), David Okike (London) 6½; (12-20) Nicholas R Benjamin (Richmond), Richard A Betts (Colwyn Bay), M. Coogan (London), Alastair M Dunleavy (Carshalton), David G Hackett (Oxford), John Paul Hannan (Sidcup), S. P. Jackson (Manchester), Owen Phillips (Mitcham), P. Wilson (Spilsby) 6; (21-23) Nigel A Lazonby (Grimsby), A. McGregor (Scarborough), J. L. Whiteman (Brighton) 5½; (24-32) J. C. Barron (Prescot), N. Blackstone (Crowborough), G. Boot (Huddersfield), H. A. Carter (Hounslow), P. Carter (Crowborough), Julian M Hodgson (London), P. McDonald (Liverpool), A. C. McGregor (Scarborough), C. D. McGregor (Scarborough) 5; (33-34) P. J. Grant (Crowborough), M. F. Rusk (Belfast) 4½; (35-36) G. N. Crockart (Perth), T. Dye (Crowborough) 4; (37-38) A. Barron (Prescot), Gavin Charles Wells Park (Crowborough) 3½; (39-40) Simon D Hannan (Sidcup), E. Milford (Reading) 3; (41) S. G. Foulds (Lichfield) 2½; (42) Tom Farrand (Stockport) ½. Special prizes Nicholas R Benjamin and Clive E Hill.

1973 BRITISH GIRLS’ UNDER-18 CHAMPIONSHIP

(1-3) Susan A Hutchinson¹ (Brigg), Mary A Hutchinson (Brigg), Elizabeth M Sadler (Guildford) 3½/6; (4) Wanda Pritchard 1½.

¹ Married name Susan Selley - in 2023 she won the English Senior 65+ Women's Championship.

1973 BRITISH GIRLS’ UNDER-14 CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Julia F W Park (Crowborough) 9½/10; (2) Shirley J Wilson (Irby) 8; (3-4) Jane Anson (Plymouth), Jane F Seymour (Portsmouth) 4; (5) B. J. Harris (Crowborough) 2½; (6) S. Prince 2.

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1973 BCF OVER-50 TOURNAMENT

(1) Gerald Simon Katz (London) 9/11; (2) Wilfred Henry Pratten (Fareham) 8½; (3) (Nicholas) Anthony Perkins (London) 8; (4) John Bertram Goodman (Plymouth) 7½; (5-7) Charles Ambrose Scott Damant (Ilfracombe), William Austin Dixon (York), Paul Ian Wyndham (Hastings) 6½; (8-10) Peter Doig (Wormit, Fife), Alfred Milner (Manchester), Ronald Ernest Rushbrook (London) 6; (11) Wilfred Evans (Wokingham) 5½; (12-15) E Chambers (St. Leonards), H D Miller (Godalming), Ronald Hugh S Phillips (Mitcham), Leopold Winter (Hove) 5; (16) Wilfred G Oliver (Cheltenham) 4; (17) Percy Maurice Craker (Polegate; father of Jean P M Rogers née Craker) 3½; (18) A Terrett (Oakley, Bucks.) 3; (19) Cyril Ernest Albert Henstock (London) 2; (20) Frank Richardson (St. Annes) 1½. Special prize: William Austin Dixon.

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1973 BRITISH BLIND CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

(1) Jack A Horrocks (Welling) 5½/6; (2) Reginald Walter Bonham (Worcester) 4½; (3) Geoffrey Carlin (Leicester) 4; (4-5) J E Williams (Sheffield), Hans H Cohn (London) 3½; (6) Ernest R Fisher (Coventry) 3; (7) E Mitchell (Hastings) 2; (8) B G Barton (Buckhurst Hill) 1; (9) D G Milsom (Birmingham) 0.

BCF FIRST CLASS

1st Geoffrey M Brown (Folkestone) 8½/11; eq. 2nd W. J. A. Vellekoop (Den Haag), Roy Woodcock (Nuneaton), R. Cherubim (Aachen) 8; eq. 5th C. M. Read (Scunthorpe), Melvyn J Young (London) 7½; eq. 7th Alexander Schofield (Pontefract), John Philip Scragg (Stockport), P. Watson (Hove), S. Welbourne (New Marske) 7; eq. 11th R. J. Baker (Coventry), D. R. Brown (Solihull), N. W. Dennis (Henley), A. Pinkerton (Belfast) 6½; eq. 15th G Alec M Boswell (Liverpool), R. J. Dixon (Crewe), P. Griffiths (Holmrook), J. H. Hasselt (Bracknell), J. Heath (Redditch), M. Horne (Southampton), D. McGregor (Scarborough), L. Mouillaux (France), 6; eq. 23rd D. A. Burrows (St. Helens), A. J. Doherty (York), Peter Hannan (Sidcup), P. M. Humphries (Gravesend), P. McEvoy (London), R. McGinnis (Leeds), E. J. West (London) 5½; eq. 30th A. J. Boyce (Doncaster) (9 rounds), H. J. Draisey (Bristol), L. Fainlight (Hove), W. D. Johnson (Nottingham), David Turner (Burnham, Bucks.), F. A. Winter (London), T. Goldrick (Hadderton) 5; eq. 37th T. V. Parrott (N. Harrow), G. Shearing (Newcastle), Jack A Speigel (London), B. H. Thompson (Bebington), Gregory Owen J Melitus (London), M. L. Patrick (London) 4½; eq. 43rd H. Bobinski (Manchester), J. Druce Powell (London), Richard James (Twickenham) 4; eq. 46th Gerald N Reason (Coventry), C Ellery Williams (Purley) 3½; 48th John C Calvert (Nottingham) 2½; 49th William Edward Busbridge (St. Leonards) 2; 50th A. Weatherby (Chelmsford) (6 rounds) ½ pt. Special prizes: Melvyn J Young and C. M. Read.

FIRST WEEK ‘A’

(1-3) H Trevor Jones (Tunbridge Wells), John N Walker (Oxford), Norman R Oliver (Lewisham) 4/5; 4th D. E. A. Riley (Maidenhead) 3½; eq. 5th Richard J Haddrell (Tunbridge Wells), P. D. Smith (USA) 3; eq. 7th Jacob (Jack) Alster (Iver Heath), R. E. Spurgeon (London), Dr. Eric N Bramley (Windsor), R. A. E. Shaw (Blandford), C. H. Watson (St. Albans) 2½; 12th D. Woolrich (Newcastle) 2; eq. 13th Peter Cloudsdale (Carlisle), J. Munday (Brighton) 1½; 15th N. M. Stewart (Abingdon) 1 pt.; 16th T. J. Spurgeon (London) 0. Special prize: Richard J Haddrell.

FIRST WEEK ‘B’

1st W. M. Davies (Wrexham) 4½/5; 2nd C. L. R. Bainham (Crowborough) 4; eq. 3rd G. V. Glover (Carlisle), Ronald Herbert Saunders (Worthing) 3½; eq. 5th E. A. Church (Truro), D. G. Novakovick (Scunthorpe), G. Towlson (Lichfield) 2½; 8th C. Cheetham (Carlisle), Mrs. P. Jackson (Hindhead), G. Burnett (Worcester), T. Chandler (Edinburgh), C. Purdon (Hampden Park) 2; 13th Mrs. F. Emms (Guildford) 1½; 14th L. Kettlewell (High Barnet) ½ pt.

SECOND WEEK ‘A’

1st Norman R Oliver (Lewisham) 4½/5; eq. 2nd R. J. Haddrell (Tunbridge Wells), A. D. Gravett (Oxford), R. E. A. Shaw (Blandford) 3½; eq. 5th B. J. Benjamin (London), R. D. W. Marsh (Marlow), D. K. Openshaw (London), P. D. Smith (U.S.A.), C. H. Watson (St. Albans) 3; eq. 10th R. N. Coles (W. Glandon), J. N. Walker (Oxford) 2½; eq. 12th J. Dixon (Crewe), R. G. W. Elwell (London) 2; eq. 14th C. L. R. Bainham (Crowborough), P. Cloudsdale (Carlisle), H. T. Jones (Tunbridge Wells), L. A. Trangmar (Beckenham) 1½; A. K. L. Smith (Bexhill) 0. Special prize P. D. Smith.

SECOND WEEK ‘B’

1st David Pardoe (Stafford) 4½/5; 2nd R. W. Fisher (Huddersfield) 4; 3rd Miss Susan A Hutchinson (Brigg) 3½; eq. 4th A. J. Dyte (Leicester), Miss Mary A. Hutchinson (Brigg), Miss W. Pritchard (Godalming), Miss E. A. Sadler (Guildford) 3; eq. 8th C. Cheetham (Carlisle), A. Danic (Scunthorpe), G. V. Glover (Carlisle), J. Weston (Guildford), C. Purdon (Hampden Park) 2½; eq. 13th P. Boghurst (Tunbridge Wells), G. Towlson (Lichfield) 2; eq. 15th E. A. Church (Truro), G. S. Gray (Stevenage) 1½; 17th P. Alexander (Worcester) 1 pt.; 18th L. Kettlewell (High Barnet) ½ pt. Special prize Miss Mary A Hutchinson.

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REPORT on the CUTTY SARK CONGRESS, The 60th BRITISH CHESS FEDERATION CONGRESS held at EASTBOURNE, 6th-18th AUGUST, 1973. [1973/74 Year Book of Chess, pages 111-113]

This Congress, the first B.C.F. Congress to be sponsored, was held at three venues in Eastbourne. The Congress was welcomed to Eastbourne by the Mayor, Alderman Sir Sydney Caffyn, C.B.E. The B.C.F. President, Mr. J. [James] Rushton, and Mr. Ross Taylor, of Cutty Sark, also spoke. Special mention was made of the two Press Association reporters, Mr. S. Cole and Mr. A. M. Garman, who were reporting their 25th B.C.F. Congress.

Play in the morning sessions took place in the Winter Garden Pavilion in crowded conditions. The hot weather prevailing made for pleasant relaxation after the game, but was sometimes unpleasant during play, with three boards to a table and every board in use. Because it was impossible to provide the space necessary for the British Championship and Ladies’ Championship at the Pavilion without allowing no room at all for spectators, the latter events were accommodated in the Town Hall where ample space was available and conditions were very good, apart from an occasional need to choose between a hot room with windows closed and a draughty one with them open. A third venue in an hotel was used for the Blind Championship and, on one evening, for adjournments.

Unfortunately the Pavilion was unsuitable for evening play on account of other events being held; the Town Hall was available only in the afternoon and evening, and then not on the first Friday. This necessitated Sunday play in the British and Ladies’ Championships, and treks from the Pavilion to the Town Hall to play adjournments from the afternoon session there (and on the first Friday to an hotel). This splitting created difficulties in organisation, but there were no serious hitches.

In the British Championship Andrew Whiteley started in fine style with five consecutive wins to lead by a whole point, but then found, as have others, that the early leader in a Swiss tournament becomes a hunted man. In Round 8 his lead had been reduced to half a point over Bill Hartston, with Michael Basman half a point behind him. By Round 10 Basman and Hartston had passed Whiteley. In the last round Hartston took a quick draw, leaving Basman the task of winning to equal him. For some time it appeared that Basman had over reached himself, but after an exciting game with Holloway he won to share the lead and leave the title to be decided by a tie-match which, it is expected, will take place in November. The first 10 rounds of this event were full of fighting chess. Out of 180 games, only seven lasted less than 20 moves, and two of those were wins. It appeared that the era of the grandmaster draw was over, with most games lasting until near the end of the session. But in the last round the habit re-appeared with a number of games over in about an hour. In three the moves did not even reach double figures, and one “game” lasted only six moves. One can sympathise with weary players and admit the right of a competitor to get himself into the prize list, but it seems not worth the trouble of pairing the last round or providing a board for such absurdities. It might also be argued that competitors have a duty to try to win for the sake of other players in the running. The more credit therefore to those competitors who, with nothing but honour left to play for, still provided a game worth watching.

In the Ladies’ Championship the retiring Champion, Mrs. J. Hartston, was sure of at least equal first after eight rounds, with a clean score. Interest then centred on second place and whether Mrs. Hartston could achieve 11 wins, which she finally did, creating a record of four consecutive wins and joining the small group of players to win an important event with a 100% score. The new young players amply justified their entry. A generous donation from Mr. L. Fainlight enabled the prizes to be increased above those advertised.

J. D. M. Nunn, who had entered the Boys’ Under-18 Championship, requested a transfer to the Major Open, a request amply justified by his winning the latter event with 10 out of 11.

The Under-21 Championship was a battle between T. Chapman and L. D. Marks, who were level right to the last round, when the former drew and the latter won. Another runaway event was the Boys’ Under-14 Championship, which went to J. C. Benjamin who spoiled a clean score only by a draw in Round 8. In the Boys’ Under-16 R. C. Picot nosed ahead in Round 10, then drew, while his nearest rival lost. The Girls’ Under-18 Championship resulted in a tie among three of the four competitors, while Miss J. F. W. Park won the Girls’ Under-14 Championship.

The Blind Championship, conducted by Mr. E. Norris, was handicapped by having nine players, but only seven rounds available, thereby making satisfactory pairings impossible. Mr. J. Horrocks won for the first time.

The First Class event attracted a number of entrants from overseas. Dr. Cherubim led for nine rounds, but then faltered and was overtaken by M. Young. The Over-50 event was popular, and many of the competitors would have been eligible for an Over-60, Over-70 or even Over-80 event. Mr. G. Katz won. The Five-day events attracted a large number of late entries, and in each week two sections were arranged, the A section being very strong.

Unfortunately the epidemic of extremely short games hit some of the above events too. In one case a player, himself unable to finish in the prize list, agreed a quick draw that not only gave first place to his opponent but deprived a third player of any chance of tieing for first place. One begins to think that some time it will be necessary to apply Article 17a(3) of the Laws of Chess, giving a double loss for contravention of the moral principles of the game.

In all, 410 players took part in the Congress, some in two one-week events. Mr. P. J. Ezra provided, with the assistance of sponsors, six sessions of lightning chess, both plain and unorthodox. These were much appreciated by players.

Special prizes were awarded to those scoring most wins but not finishing in the prize list. In some cases these could not be awarded owing to lack of information for splitting ties.

The “three-ring circus” threw a very heavy burden on the Control Team, and the absence of George Simmons, on account of illness in his household, was regretted by players and officials. Nevertheless the very strong team coped with the difficulties. Special thanks are due to Ken Champion who came at short notice to control for one week, and returned to help clear up, and to Victor Soanes, who came for the second week.

During the Congress a visit was paid by Mr. A. Ruhi, Cultural Attaché to the Jordanian Embassy.

The closing ceremony was addressed by Mr. R. Owen, President of the S.C.C.U., who thanked the Corporation of Eastbourne for their generous help, by the Deputy Mayor, Alderman P. G. Wood, who replied, by Mr. R. S. McFarland on behalf of the players, and by the Chief Controller. The Deputy Mayoress, Mrs. P. G. Wood, then presented the prizes before a large attendance of competitors, after which Mr. Owen declared the Congress closed.

[written by] R. SHILTON Chief Controller

Controllers: J Harry Baines, Richard Edward Boxall, K. Champion, P. J. Ezra, G. P. Lawrence, J. B. W. Robertson, V. J. Soanes, A. K. Swift, Anthony G Togwell, David Welch.

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"Even more strange is the fact that proceedings in the British Championship should have been interrupted through the necessity of vacating the Town Hall for a darts match. It meant that, instead of the natural break in the week on Sunday, players had to take their break earlier and thus undergo the exhausting experience of playing seven rounds in succession without a break. If they cannot play chess let them play darts, as Marie Antoinette might have said. This interruption was apparently an enforced variation owing to the necessity of dividing the British Chess Federation Congress into two parts. Originally, the only venue booked was the Winter Gardens some years ago. At the time it was not realized that the Pavilion would not furnish sufficient accommodation for the whole congress. The Town Hall, half a mile away, was an afterthought." (Harry Golombek, The Times (London, England), Saturday, 18 August 1973, pg. 11.

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File Updated

Date	Notes
17 September 2017	First uploaded
16 November 2023	Added the game P.Habershon 0-1 R.Gamble, Major Open, Rd 5.