BRIGHTON CHESS
A HISTORY OF CHESS IN BRIGHTON
1841-1993
Chapter 10
1964-1972
TOWN AND GOWN
By the mid-1960s the Brighton Chess Club found that it had an important new rival in the local chess arena. The arrival earlier in the decade of the University of Sussex on the northern outskirts of the town resulted in a number of intelligent young men forming a strong chess team and increased competition in local and county tournaments. Local experts soon found that the top university players were worthy opponents. There was also little to choose between the strongest teams that the university and the Brighton Chess Club could field. Both teams did well in the National Club Championship, and to gain even greater strength a joint team was entered in the 1970-1 competition. All in all there was an interesting balance of power and neither side could gain an ascendancy for very long.
The Fourth Brighton Chess Club, 1964 to 1972
The Brighton Chess Club was probably most successful during the second part of this period. By October 1964 the membership had fallen to 69, whereas the Worthing Chess Club only about 10 miles to the west had about 100 members. It has to be said that there had not been any obvious change in the Brighton Chess Club's organisation, but Worthing had come to benefit from a local chess column written by Leslie Head, which had started in 1962. Worthing's success in recruiting new members proved to be only temporary, for in 1966 its membership had declined to 44. Brighton on the other hand appears to have gradually attracted more players, for by September 1971 the membership was reported to be beyond the 100 mark. It is also likely that the publicity arising from the World Championship match between Fischer and Spassky in 1972 would have increased the figure further.
Important changes in the rules of the McArthur Cup during the 1960s helped the Brighton Chess Club. In the 1963-4 and 1964-5 seasons Brighton and Hastings were allowed to field two first class players in their teams in this competition. This helped Brighton to win the 1964 and 1965 finals, in which they defeated Eastbourne and Horsham respectively. In September 1965, at the AGM of the Sussex Chess Association, it was decided to go one stage further and abolish all restrictions in the McArthur Cup. It might have been expected that this would lead to domination of the competition by Brighton and Hastings, but in the short term this did not happen. Brighton in fact had to wait until 1971 for its next victory. In that year the Brighton second team surprisingly defeated the first team and went on to beat Chichester Chess Club in the final by 4 points to 1.
1967 was the last year of the Sexton Cup. In the following year the first Sussex Lightning Championship was held in Brighton. There is little doubt that the new competition inspired greater enthusiasm for lightning chess and in 1969 the Brighton Chess Club entered the National Club Lightning Championship, which was held at Slough. The team of Julian Simpole, Ben Thomas, Geoffrey James, Doug Shallcross and Geoffrey Nicholas was led by enthusiastic non-playing match captain Frank Green. Remarkably, Brighton won the competition. An Individual Championship was also held on these occasions, which Julian Simpole and John Henshaw came close to winning in 1971. In the event they were awarded joint second place by a controversial committee decision, which is described in more detail in the section on Julian Simpole below.
In 1968 Leopold Winter, the Hon Secretary of the Brighton Club, received the Sportsman of the Year award which was presented annually by the Worthing Gazette and its chess columnist Leslie Head. Not long after this declining eyesight forced him to give up the important post which he had occupied for thirteen years. Throughout this period he had been a tower of strength to the club, and the enthusiasm that he had brought to the administration was greatly missed, though he still paid regular visits to 4 Pavilion Buildings. It was particularly noticeable that after he gave up active duties, members could no longer rely on the club being open at the expected times.
Sadly Leopold's eyesight continued to decline during the 1970s, and it became harder and harder for him to pursue his favourite hobbies of chess and philately. His collection of chess on postage stamps was well known internationally and he used to exhibit the stamps at congresses.
By the late 1970s Leopold could hardly see at all and was forced to walk with a stick. Not to be daunted, however, he would often attend Annual General Meetings and voice his opinions in his usual lively fashion. He had become an Honorary Member of the club long before his death in 1985.
The regular fixtures between the Brighton and Battersea Clubs appear to have died out in the late 1960s. About that time the Brighton Club developed a new interest. In 1968 it followed the example of Hastings, Horsham and the University of Sussex and entered the National Club Championship. The first excursion started well but the club eventually lost 6-0 to Birmingham. The most successful campaign during this period came in the 1969-70 season, when the club defeated the strong London Athenaeum Club (Geoffrey James gained an excellent victory against R.G. Wade during this match) and reached the last eight in the competition. At this stage the club went down 5-1 against Glasgow University.
The loss of the regular Eastbourne and Bognor Congresses proved a severe blow for local chess enthusiasts. The last Eastbourne Congress was held in 1967 after which the organisers, Chess Ltd., decided to use Southport as the base for its festivals. Bognor also lost its regular congress after 1969, though its founder Norman Fishlock-Lomax organised a similar congress at Hove in 1970. He set up a further event in 1971, but died not long before the tournament was scheduled to begin. His tireless work in arranging the Bognor Congresses had resulted, in 1959, in his being awarded the title of FIDE International Judge. He would no doubt have been pleased that the 1971 tournament went ahead as planned, and a similar competition was contested in 1972.
In 1969 the Brighton Chess Club gained permission to play in the open air on the lawns facing the Royal Pavilion. The experiment did not, however, last very long.
On 5 June 1970 Julian Simpole started a chess column in the Brighton and Hove Gazette. A local chess column is a tremendous advertisement for the game in the area and Julian's column was a great success.
1972 was a notable year for chess in the town. From 14 to 26 August the fifty-ninth Congress of the British Chess Federation was held in the Corn Exchange. The proceedings were formally opened by the Mayor of Brighton, Councillor G.C.C. Packham, and there was an entry of nearly 400 players for the various tournaments. At about the same time in Reykjavik, Iceland, the great World Championship match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky was attracting worldwide media coverage. Throughout the country chess clubs reported an influx of new enthusiasts, eager to advance their knowledge of the principles of the game. It can be seen therefore that at the end of 1972 chess was once again very popular and the prospects for the Brighton Chess Club were bright.
Chess at the University of Sussex, 1964 to 1972
The date at which a regular chess club was established at the University of Sussex is uncertain. On 18 March 1963 a group of chess players met to discuss future activities and elect officers, but it seems that little chess was played until 1965, when a university team first entered the McArthur Cup. It was, however, in the following season that the club first made a strong impact on the local chess scene. Three teams were entered in the McArthur Cup, and it was fortunate for other clubs in the competition that the university dispersed its strongest players through these teams.
In these early years the development of chess at the university was encouraged by the presence on campus of the well-known and experienced player D.B. Scott, who was appointed Professor of Mathematics in 1962. In the 1964-5 season he won the Sussex Championship and followed this with many good performances on board one for the county.
In 1967 the university club entered the National Club Championship, probably for the first time. Its best result in the competition seems to have been achieved in 1970 when it reached the last eight of the competition. In the following season, as we have seen, the university entered a team jointly with the Brighton Chess Club.
Locally the club did well to win the McArthur Cup in 1970 and 1972, defeating Worthing and the Brighton second team respectively in the finals.
In the early 1970s lightning chess was popular in the university. An individual lightning tournament was held in 1970 and 1971, and probably in several subsequent years. In November 1971 the university team came 14th out of 36 entrants in the National Club Lightning Championship at Slough.
In the players’section we shall be reviewing the skills of Professor Bernard Scott, David Strauss, Rodney Phillips, Brian Hare and Roy Buckland, all of whom represented the university team in its early years.
Other Clubs in the Brighton Area, 1964 to 1972
The Regency Chess Club was forced to leave the Marigold Café in 1965. For a long time the proprietress, Mrs Page, had looked after the club and helped it to enjoy a happy and secure existence, but now all this changed as the members took on the role of nomads. The first move, to the Twitten Café in Middle Street, was short-lived and this was followed by a very brief stay at a local pub. The club played for a time at the Union Church Institute in Queen's Square. Later it moved to the Volunteer Arms in New Road and then to the Brighton British Legion Club in Marine Parade. Finally the few survivors found themselves without regular accommodation and meetings were held at the flat of club member Pat Kirtlan in Florence Road. The club finally collapsed in the spring of 1970. Inspirational founder member Leslie Robinson had died in 1969 not long before the end of his beloved club.
Varndean Grammar School had lost a number of key players in the early 1960s and for a while had been overshadowed by the Hove Grammar School team. However in 1965 a young and enthusiastic teacher, Paul Watson, arrived at the school and gradually built up a strong team. In the 1965-6 season Varndean re-entered the McArthur Cup after an absence of a few years and the experience of playing adults must have been very beneficial to any promising youngster. In 1972 the school's second team reached the quarter final of the Sunday Times National Schools Tournament, in which they lost 3½-2½ against Trinity School of Croydon.
In 1965 George Self presented a British Chess Federation shield to Hove Grammar School to mark its achievements. The school team reached the semi-final of the Sunday Times Tournament in 1964 and 1966 after winning the event in 1963, but after that were less of a force. They continued however to enter the McArthur Cup until at least 1970, and in 1969 competed in the National Club Championship as well. There was less activity in the 1970s, but the school continued to affiliate to the Sussex Chess Association for a while longer. This link is mentioned for the last time in the 1973-4 British Chess Federation Yearbook.
The first records of a Saltdean Chess Club date back to the mid-1960s. The players had the use of a large room in the Saltdean Community Centre and the club was originally known as the SCA (Saltdean Community Association) Chess Club. It appears that the new club did not enter any competitions, but there is a record of a friendly match being played against the Seaford Chess Club early in 1968 (Seaford won by 7½ points to 2½).
In 1972 the Brighton Coffee Pot Chess Club was formed. The Coffee Pot was a social club for adults under 35 which encouraged graduate membership. The chess club met in the Royal Pavilion and had some quite strong players. It played a few friendly matches but may not have been active for more than a few months.
Local Problemists
In the 1960s a local problemist, Barry Barnes, won himself an international reputation as a composer of two-movers. Barnes, a cousin of local chessplayer Julian Simpole, was influenced at an early age by Brian Harley's book Mate in Two Moves, and set out to compose highly original problems of his own, his earliest compositions being published in the Sussex Daily News while he was still a pupil at Hove Grammar School. His mature work at first proved more popular overseas than in the rather conventional ranks of the British Chess Problem Society, but this was soon to change. By the mid-1960s he was editing the two-movers section of the Society's journal The Problemist, and in 1966 won wider fame as co-author of The Two-Move Chess Problem: Tradition and Development. His partners in this venture were Michael Lipton, another problemist with Sussex connections, and John M. Rice.
In 1967 Barry received two prestigious awards. He was honoured with the title of FIDE International Master for Chess Composition and FIDE International Judge for Chess Composition. Since that time he has been a Vice-President of the FIDE Problem Commission and was President of the British Chess Problem Society in 1985 and 1986: he has also edited the two-movers section of The Problemist without a break for almost thirty years. His publications include Comins Mansfield MBE: Chess Problems of a Grandmaster (1976), Pick of the Best Chess Problems (1976) and White to Play and Mate in Two (1991).
The following two-mover, which won first prize in a composing tourney organised by Schach Echo in 1974, has been selected by Barry Barnes himself as a representative example of his style:
# 2 - Key: Re4. (2.Re8)
1. … Bf7 2.Qe5
1. … Be7 2.Qxb2
1. … Be6 2.Bd6
1. … Bd6+ 2.Bxd6
1. … Re3 2.Qxf8
1. … Re2 2.Rb4
1. … Qxe4 2.Qc7
1.Rd4? Be7! (2.Qxb2?)
Like Barry Barnes, Michael Lipton has been an influential figure in the British Chess Problem Society and has won many awards for problem composition. He has taught for many years at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. The following two-mover won first prize in the Ségal Memorial Tourney in 1961, and presents a striking series of ‘star-flight’moves by both kings:
# 2
Try: 1.Kf2+? Kf5! (2.g4?)
Try: 1.Kf4+? Kd7! (2.c8(Q)?)
Try: 1.Kd4+? Kf7! (2.gxf8(Q)?)
Try: 1.Kd2+? Kxd5! (2.c4?)
Key: 1.Kd3+! Kxd5 2.Ba3 (2.c4?)
The Players, 1964 to 1972
G.J. Nicholas
Geoffrey Nicholas was a member of the Hove Grammar School team which won the Sunday Times National Schools Tournament in 1963. In 1968 he completed a remarkable double. In the county championship final he defeated John Cannon of Horsham and he also won the West Sussex Queen competition. He later won the county championship in 1969 and 1971 when the finals of the competition were decided on an all-play-all basis. In 1969 he was a member of the Brighton Chess Club team that won the National Club Lightning Championship and then five years later represented the club in the final of the National Club Championship. He also played for Brighton in the 1975 McArthur Cup final, but not long after this the requirements of his job took him to Buckinghamshire. I append two of his games. Jonathan Mestel, his opponent in the second game, was very young at the time but was later to become British Champion.
(119) G.J. Nicholas - L.J. Cannon
County Championship Final, 1968
Alekhine's Defence
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Be2 e6 6.c4 Nb6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Nbd2 Nc6 9.b3 f5 10.Bb2 0-0 11.Re1 dxe5 12.Nxe5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 Bb4 14.Bxg4 fxg4 15.Re2 Qh4 16.Ne4 Rf7 17.Qc2 Nd7 18.c5 b6 19.c6 Nf8 20.a3 Be7 21.Rd1 Rf5 22.Ng3 Rg5 23.Qc4 Kh8 24.Bc1 Rg6 25.Re4 h5? 26.Ne2 Bg5 27.g3 Qh3 28.Bxg5 Rxg5 29.Nf4 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(120) G.J. Nicholas - A.J. Mestel
Evening Standard Chess Congress, London, 1972
Modern Defence
1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.c4 e5 5.dxe5 dxe5 6.Qxd8+ Kxd8 7.Nc3 c6 8.Be2 Nd7 9.0-0 f6 10.Rd1 Kc7 11.b4 a5 12.b5 Bf8 13.Na4 Bc5? 14.Rxd7+ Bxd7 15.Nxc5 Be8 16.Be3 Bf7 17.Rd1 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
G.H. James
Geoffrey James appeared on the local chess scene in the late 1950s as one of the most promising of the Varndean juniors. In 1960 he came equal first in the Southern Counties Under-18 Championship and in the following year won the title outright. In 1961 he was chosen as a member of the England Under-18 team in the Glorney Cup.
Geoffrey joined both the Brighton and Regency Chess Clubs, though he chose to represent the Regency Club in the McArthur Cup. He won his first county championship in 1967 when he defeated Arthur Winser of Hastings in the final. He was also the winner of this competition in 1970 when the finals were decided on an all-play-all basis.
In the Brighton Chess Club Championships he regularly performed well, winning the title three times during this period, in 1966, 1967 and 1969. He recorded another notable success in 1971 when he won the main tournament at the Hove Congress. In 1972 he qualified for the British Championship, which in that year was held in Brighton, and scored a creditable 5½ points out of 11.
Geoffrey also enjoyed success in lightning chess. In 1969 he was a member of the Brighton Chess Club team which won the National Club Lightning Championship and in 1970 he won the Sussex Lightning Championship.
His style often combines sound play with explosive finishes. The following are some of his best games from the period:
(121) G.H. James - W.A. Winser
County Championship Final, 1967
Caro Kann Defence
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Nc5 b6 6.Na6 e6 7.Bf4 Bd6 8.Bxd6 Qxd6 9.c3 Ne7 10.Nb4 0-0 11.Nf3 Nd7 12.Bc4 Rfd8 13.0-0 c5 14.dxc5 Qxc5 15.Qb3 Qc7 16.Na6 Qf4 17.Nd4 Rac8 18.Rfe1 Nf8 19.Nb4 Qg4 20.Be2 Qg6 21.Bf3 Nd7 22.Nbc6 Nxc6 23.Nxc6 Rxc6 24.Bxc6 Nc5 25.Qa3 Nd3 26.Qe7 Rf8 27.Red1 e5 28.Bd5 e4 29.Rd2 Nf4 30.f3 Nxd5 31.Rxd5 exf3 32.g3 f2+? 33.Kxf2 Bg4 34.Rd8 Qf5+ 35.Kg1 Qc5+ 36.Qxc5 bxc5 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
Brighton v Athenaeum, National Club Championship, 1970
English Opening
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 Nge7 6.e3 Nf5 7.Nge2 h5 8.h3 h4? 9.g4 Nh6 10.d4 d6 11.d5 Nb8 12.f4 c5 13.Qc2 Qe7 14.Bd2 a6 15.Ne4 f5 16.Nf2 b5 17.fxe5 Bxe5 18.Nd3 Nd7 19.Ndf4 Nf8 20.0-0-0 Bb7? 21.gxf5 gxf5 22.Bf3 0-0-0 23.cxb5 axb5 24.Nd4 Bxd4 25.exd4 c4 26.Rde1 Qc7 27.Rhg1 Rh7 28.Ne6 Nxe6 29.Rxe6 f4 30.Ba5 Qxa5 31.Qxh7 Qxa2 32.Rxh6 c3 33.Qb1 Qc4 34.bxc3 Kb8 35.Kd2 b4 36.Qxb4 Qa2+ 37.Ke1 Ka8 38.Re6 Ba6 39.Qb6 Rb8 40.Qc6+ Bb7 41.Qxd6 Qa1+ 42.Kf2 Qxc3 43.Qc5 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(123) G.H. James - J.M. Craddock
Sussex v Berkshire (Board 1), 1970
Catalan Opening
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 Nf6 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 c6 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.b3 0-0 8.0-0 b6 9.Qc2 Bb7 10.Bb2 Rc8 11.Rad1 Qc7 12.e4 dxe4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 c5 15.Qe2 cxd4 16.Nxd4 Bxg2 17.Kxg2 Qb7+ 18.f3 Rfd8? 19.Nxe6! fxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kf8 21.Bxg7+ Kxg7 22.Qxe7+ Kh8 23.Rd5! Qc6 24.Rfd1 Qh6 25.Rd6 Re8 26.Qxe8+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
Sussex v Middlesex (Board 3), 1972
Sicilian Defence, Dragon Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be2 Bg7 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Be3 0-0 9.Qd2 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd4 12.Bc4 Nc6 13.Bh6 Bxh6? 14.Qxh6 Na5 15.Rfe1! e6 16.Ne3 Qf6 17.Bd3 Nc6 18.c3 Bd7 19.Ng4 Qg7 20.Qf4 f6 21.Bc4 h5 22.Rad1! Bc8 23.Ne3 Ne5 24.Bb3 Bd7 25.Qg3 Rae8 26.f4 Nc6 27.Nc4 Nd8 28.Nd6 Re7 29.f5 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
J.I.P. Simpole
During this period Julian Simpole won the Brighton Chess Club Championship on four occasions, in 1965, 1968, 1970 and 1972. He was probably at his best in the years from 1969 to 1973, when he reached and sustained a grading of 213. He also distinguished himself in lightning chess. In 1969 he was top board in the Brighton team which won the National Club Lightning Championship, and in 1969 and 1971 he won the Sussex Lightning Championship. His best ever individual result in this type of chess was his excellent joint second place (along with John Henshaw and A.H. Perkins) in the British Lightning Championship of 1971. The winner was I. Gelfer, an Israeli master who was not a British subject. It was expected that a play-off would be arranged for those players who had come joint second, but despite objections from the Daily Telegraph and Chess, Gelfer was awarded the title.
I append some of Julian's best games from this period.
(125) J.I.P. Simpole - L. Kavalek
Islington Open, 1969
King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.d4 Nc6 7.0-0 Bf5 8.d5 Na5 9.Nd4 Bd7 10.b3 c5 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.Bb2 Rb8 13.Rb1 c5 14.Nc2 Nc6 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.cxd5 Nb4 17.Nxb4 Rxb4 18.a3 Rb5 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.b4 Qc7 21.Qd2 Qb7 22.Be4 cxb4 23.Rxb4 Rxb4 24.axb4 Rc8 25.Qd4+ Kg8 26.Bd3 Rc7 27.e4 Bh3 28.Ra1 Qc8 29.Qb2 Qg4 30.Qe2 Qxe2 31.Bxe2 Rb7 32.f3 f5 33.b5 fxe4 34.fxe4 Bd7 35.h4 Bxb5 36.Bxb5 Rxb5 37.Rxa7 Kf7 38.Kf2 Kf6 39.g4 Rb3 40.g5+ Kf7 41.e5 dxe5 42.d6 Ke6 43.dxe7 Rb8 44.Ke3 ½-½. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
An expensive half point lost for the grandmaster, who also drew with Leonard Barden to come equal second in the tournament. Julian's performance prompted applause from the onlookers.
(126) R. McKay - J.I.P. Simpole
Glasgow University v Brighton (Board 2)
Telephone Match, National Club Championship, 1970
Reti's Opening
1.Nf3 c5 2.b3 Nf6 3.Bb2 e6 4.e3 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.d4 cxd4 7.exd4 d5 8.Bd3 b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Nc3 Nbd7 11.Qe2 Re8 12.Rad1 Bf8 13.Ne5 a6 14.f4 g6 15.g4 dxc4 16.bxc4 Nxe5 17.fxe5 Qxd4+ 18.Rf2 Qxg4+ 19.Kf1 Qh3+ 20.Ke1 Ng4 21.Rf4 Qh4+ 22.Kd2 Bh6 23.Rdf1 Nxh2 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(127) J.I.P. Simpole - B.H. Hare
Brighton v University of Sussex (Board 2), McArthur Cup, 1970
Vienna Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Qf3 Nxc3 6.bxc3 c5 7.Bb5+ Nc6 8.Ne2 Be6 9.Nf4 Qd7 10.c4 dxc4 11.0-0 Be7 12.Bb2 0-0 13.Bxc6 bxc6? 14.Rae1 Rab8 15.Bc3 Rb7? 16.Qg3 Kh8 17.Nh5 Rg8 18.Rxf7! Qe8 19.Rxg7 Rd7 20.Re4 Bd8 21.Reg4! Bxg4 22.Rxg8+ Qxg8 23.e6+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)<
(128) J.I.P. Simpole - C.L. Tadiello
Sussex v Berkshire (Board 2), 1970
Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 b5 8.e5 dxe5 9.fxe5 Qc7 10.Qe2 Nfd7 11.0-0-0 Bb7 12.Nf5 Nc6? 13.Nd5 Qa5 14.Nd6+ Bxd6 15.exd6 0-0 16.Ne7+ Kh8 17.Rd3 b4 18.Qh5 Nf6 19.Qh4 Qe5 20.Rh3 h5 21.Qxh5+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
This game won the county best game prize.
Middlesex v Sussex (Board 4), 1972
Sicilian Defence, Sozin Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 Be7 8.Be3 Qc7 9.0-0 0-0 10.f4 a6 11.f5 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 13.a3 Rb8 14.Qe2 b4 15.axb4 Rxb4 16.Bf2 exf5 17.exf5 d5! 18.Bg3 Bd6 19.Bxd6 Qxd6 20.Rad1? Ng4 21.g3 Qb6+ 22.Kh1 Ne3 23.Rf3 Nxd1 24.Nxd5 Qc5 25.Nxb4 Qxb4 26.Qxd1 Bb7 27.Kg1 Bxf3 28.Qxf3 Qd4+ 29.Kg2 Qxb2 30.g4 Rd8 31.g5 Qe5 32.g6 Rd2+ 33.Kf1 Qa1+ 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
Professor D.B. Scott
Bernard Scott was a well-known chess player before he came to Sussex. He had won the prestigious Hampstead Chess Club Championship on three occasions, and had many years’experience of playing county chess. He had also competed in the 1951 British Championship at Swansea, where he scored 5 points out of 11.
In 1962 he was appointed Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sussex. His greatest local achievement came in the 1965 county championship, when he defeated Brian Denman in the final to take the title. In the next two seasons he generally played on board one for the county, performing very creditably.
He remained a top board county player for many seasons. In 1981 he moved to Rye and joined the Hastings Chess Club. He subsequently moved to Hastings in 1988.
By the late 1980s his health was not good, but he remained a dangerous opponent. In 1988 and 1989 he won the Sussex Veterans’Championship and in 1990 the East Sussex Queen. He died in 1993 aged 78.
The following games include a draw against P.N. Lee, who was at that time British Champion, and a very early example (perhaps the earliest on record) of an interesting and nowadays well-known gambit in the Nimzo-Indian Defence. The professor's own favourite games are marked with an asterisk.
Hampstead Championship, 1946
Nimzo Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 c5 6.d5 b5!? 7.e3 Bb7 8.dxe6 fxe6 9.cxb5 0-0 10.a3 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qa5 12.Qb3 Bd5 13.Qb2 a6 14.b6 Ne4 15.Rc1 Nc6 16.f3 Ne5! 17.fxe4 Rxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Bc4+ 19.Ne2 Nd3 20.Qb1 Rf8+ 21.Kg1 Nxc1 22.Qxc1 Bxe2 23.b7 Qxc3! 24.Bf6 Qxc1+ 25.Kf2 Qxh1 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(131) Professor D.B. Scott - E.G. Sergeant
Friendly Match, Essex v Middlesex, 1949
Ruy Lopez, Tchigorin Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Na5 9.Bc2 c5 10.d4 Qc7 11.a4 b4 12.cxb4 cxb4 13.h3 0-0 14.b3 exd4 15.Bb2 Nc6 16.Nbd2 Be6 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Bxd4 Nd7 19.Rc1 Qa5 20.f4 f6 21.Qe2 Rfc8 22.Bd3 Nc5 23.Bc4 Bxc4 24.Qxc4+ Kh8 25.Qd5 Qd8 26.Bxc5 Rxc5 27.Rxc5 dxc5 28.Nc4 Qg8 29.Rd1 Rd8 30.Qxg8+ Kxg8 31.Rxd8+ Bxd8 32.Kf2 Bc7 33.Ke3 Kf7 34.g4 g5 35.f5 Ke7 36.e5! Bxe5 37.Ke4 Bd4 38.Kd5 Kd7 39.Nd2 Kc7 40.a5 c4 41.Nxc4 Bc3 42.Nd6 Be5 43.Ne4 Kb7 44.Nc5+ Ka7 45.Nd3 Bc7 46.Nxb4 Bxa5 47.Nc6+ Kb6 48.b4 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(132) B.J. Denman - Professor D.B. Scott
County Championship Final (Third Match), 1965
Caro Kann Defence
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.c3 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Qh5 g6 9.Qh4 Re8+ 10.Ne2 Nd7 11.Be3 Nf8 12.0-0-0 Be6 13.c4 Qa5 14.Kb1? b5! 15.Bd2 Bb4 16.Bh6 Nd7 17.d5 cxd5 18.Nf4 bxc4 19.Nxe6 Rxe6 20.Bf5 Re2! 21.Qg3 Nb6 22.h4 Na4 23.a3 Nc3+ 24.Kc1 Qxa3! 25.Rd2 Qa1+ 26.Kc2 Qa4+ 27.Kc1 Na2+ 28.Kb1 Bxd2 29.Bxd2 Rxd2 30.Qd6 Nc3+ 31.Kc1 Rd1+ 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(133) Professor D.B. Scott - P.N. Lee
Sussex v Oxfordshire (Board 1), 1965-66 Season
Grünfeld Defence
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nb6 6.h3 Bg7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Be3 a5 9.Qd2 Re8 10.Be2 a4 11.0-0 Nc6 12.Rfd1 Na5 13.Rac1 Nac4 14.Bxc4 Nxc4 15.Qe2 Nxe3 16.Qxe3 c6 17.d5 Qa5 18.a3 Bd7 19.e5 Rad8 20.e6 fxe6 21.dxc6 Bxc6 22.Ng5 Qe5 23.Nxe6 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Qxe3 25.fxe3 Be5 26.Nd8 Bxc3 27.bxc3 e5 28.Rd6 Be4 29.Rd7 b5 30.Nb7 Bxb7 31.Rxb7 Rc8 32.Rxb5 Rxc3 33.Rxe5 Kg7 ½-½. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(134) Professor D.B. Scott - P.J. Patience
Sussex v Hampshire (Board 2), 1967
French Defence, Winawer Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Qd7 5.Bd2 b6 6.Nf3 Ba6 7.Ne2 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2 c5 9.c3 Nc6 10.g3 Qe7 11.Bh3 cxd4 12.Nexd4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Rc8 14.f4 h5 15.f5 exf5 16.Bxf5 Rc4 17.Bd3 Nf6 18.0-0-0 Ne4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.Nf5 Qc7 21.Nd6+ Ke7 22.Qg5+ Ke6 23.Qf5+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
B.J. Denman
Brian Denman was a member of the highly successful Hove Grammar School team of the early 1960s. He won the Southern Counties Under-14 Championship in 1962 and the Dupree Senior in 1963 and 1964. His first victory in an adult competition came in 1963, when he won the West Sussex Queen. In 1964 he shared first place in the British Under-18 Championship at Whitby and in 1965 reached the county championship final, losing by two games to one against Professor D.B. Scott. In the following year he again reached the final and defeated Michael Bulford in a match in which both contestants were aged 17. After coming equal first in the British Under-21 Championship he set off for Lancaster University.
In the next four years he played relatively little competitive chess, though he came first equal in the Hove Congress in 1970. In 1971 he went to live in Scotland and in the summer of 1972 came second equal in the Scottish Championship. He also came equal first in the chess festival at Southport. He was selected as a member of the Scottish squad for the Olympiad held at Skopje in Yugoslavia, though he played in fewer than half the matches. I append four of his games from the period.
(135) W.A. Winser - B.J. Denman
County Championship Semi-Final, 1965
Queen's Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 Bb7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.Bd3 d6 9.Rc1 Nbd7 10.0-0 Bxc3 11.Rxc3 0-0 12.Bb1 Qe7 13.Re1 e5 14.Bf5 Bxf3 15.gxf3 g5 16.Bg3 Rfe8 17.d5 Nh5 18.Kg2 Nf8 19.Bc2 Ng7 20.Ba4 f5 21.Bxe8 Rxe8 22.h3 Ng6 23.Rh1 f4 24.Bh2 e4 25.Qa4 exf3+ 26.Kf1 g4 27.Qc2 Qh4 28.Qxg6 Qxh3+ 29.Ke1 fxe3 30.Qxe8+ Nxe8 31.Rxe3 Nf6 32.Re6 Qg2 33.Rf1 Qxh2 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(136) B.J. Denman - M.J. Bulford
County Championship Final, 1966
Evans Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 d6 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Bxf7+ Kf8 9.Qa4 Kxf7 10.Qxa5 b6 11.Qa4 Bf6 12.0-0 h6? 13.dxe5 Bd7 14.Qd4 c5 15.Qd5+ Be6 16.Qb7+ Be7 17.exd6 Qxd6 18.Qxa8 Nf6 19.Qxh8 Nxe4 20.Bxh6 Bf6 21.Nbd2 Nxc3 22.Ng5+ Kg6 23.Qh7+ Kh5 24.Bxg7+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(137) A.T. Ludgate - B.J. Denman
British U-21 Championship, Sunderland, 1966
Modern Benoni
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.Bd3 Bg7 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 Na6 10.a3 Nc7 11.f3 Rb8 12.b4 Nd7 13.Rb1 cxb4 14.axb4 Ne5 15.b5 Nxd3 16.Qxd3 a6 17.bxa6 Nxa6 18.Na4? b5 19.Nac3 (19.Rxb5 Nb4 20.Qc4 Ba6 21.Rxb8 Qxb8 winning)… b4 20.Na4 Qa5 21.Bf4 Qxa4 22.Bxd6 Bd7 23.Bxf8 Kxf8 24.Nd4 Bb5 25.Nxb5 Qxb5 26.Qd2 b3 27.d6 b2 28.d7 Qb6+ 29.Kh1 Nc5 30.Rfd1 Rd8 31.Qd5 Rxd7 32.Qa8+ Ke7 33.Rxd7+ Nxd7 34.f4 Bd4 35.e5 Qc5 36.Rf1 Be3 37.Qa6 Bc1 38.Qd3 Qb6 39.Rd1 b1Q 40.Qxd7+ Kf8 41.Qc8+ Kg7 42.Rxc1 Q6b2 43.Rg1 Qe4 (43…Q2a1? 44.Qc5!) 44.Qd7 Qf2 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(138) G.H. Bennett - B.J. Denman
Chess Festival, Southport, 1972
Sicilian Defence, Velimirovic Attack
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bc4 e6 7.Bb3 b5 8.Be3 Bb7 9.f3 Nc6 10.Qe2 Be7 11.0-0-0 Qc7 12.g4 Nxd4 13.Bxd4 0-0 14.h4 Nd7 15.g5 Nc5 16.Kb1 Nxb3 17.axb3 Bc6 18.f4 Qb7 19.Rhe1 Rfe8 20.Rd2 Bf8 21.h5 a5 22.e5 d5 23.Qh2 a4 24.f5 exf5 25.Rf2 axb3 26.cxb3 b4 27.h6 g6 28.e6 Qb8 29.Rxf5 Rxe6 30.Rfe5 bxc3 31.Qf2 Qxb3 32.Bxc3 Rxe5 33.Bxe5 Qd3+ 34.Qc2 Ra1+ 35.Kxa1 Qxc2 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
J.C. Henshaw
John Henshaw came to Brighton in 1970 and soon proved his ability. In 1971 he did remarkably well to come equal second in the British Lightning Championship (for the controversial decision of the organising committee which deprived him of the chance of a play-off for first place see the section on Julian Simpole above).
In 1972 John had an outstanding year in which he achieved a triple success. As well as winning the Sussex Championship and the Sussex Lightning Championship he came first in the main tournament at the Hove Congress, winning every game. I append four of his games from this period.
(139) J.C. Henshaw - J.I.P. Simpole
Brighton Chess Club Championship, 1971
Sicilian Defence, Taimanov Variation
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Re1 0-0 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.e5 Nd5 12.Ne4 Qxe5 13.c4 Nf6 14.Bg5 Qf5 15.g4 Qa5 16.Nxf6+ gxf6 17.Bh6 Rd8 18.Re3 d5 19.cxd5 cxd5 20.Rh3 e5 21.Qc2 e4 22.Bxe4 dxe4 23.Qxe4 Qd5 24.Qxe7 Bb7 25.f3 Rd6 26.Re1 Bc6 27.Kg2 f5 28.Re5 Qd4 29.Rxf5 Rxh6 30.Qxf7+ Kh8 31.Rxh6 Qd2+ 32.Kg3 Qxh6 33.Qf6+ Qxf6 34.Rxf6 Bd5 35.b3 a5 36.Rb6 a4 37.bxa4 Rxa4 38.Rb5 Bxa2 39.Rb8+ Kg7 40.Rb7+ ½-½. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(140) J.C. Henshaw - G.H. James
Hove Congress, 1972
King's Indian Attack
1.e4 e6 2.d3 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.c3 a5 6.Qc2 Be7 7.d4 dxe4 8.Nxe4 Nxe4 9.Qxe4 Qd5 10.Bd3 Qxe4+ 11.Bxe4 Ra6 12.Bf4 Bd6 13.Bxd6 cxd6 14.d5 Ne7 15.dxe6 fxe6 16.0-0-0 0-0 17.Rd2 Rf4 18.Bc2 a4 19.Rhd1 Nd5 20.a3 Bd7 21.Bb1 Ra5 22.Ba2 Bc6 23.Nd4 Kf7 24.g3 Rf6 25.f4 Ne3 26.Nxc6 bxc6 27.Re1 Nd5 28.c4 Rc5 29.Kb1 Nb6 30.Rxd6 Ke7 31.Rd2 g6 32.Rde2 Nd7 33.Kc2 Ra5 34.Kc3 c5 35.Bb1 Ra6 36.Bc2 Rf8 37.h4 Rb8 38.h5 Kf6 39.hxg6 hxg6 40.Rh1 Kg7 41.Rd2 Nf6 42.Re1 Rh8 43.Re5 Rh1 44.Rde2 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(141) H. Ozbilen - J.C. Henshaw
Ilford Open, 1972
Nimzowitsch Defence
1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 e5 3.d5 Nce7 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 g5 6.Bg3 Ng6 7.Nf3 d6 8.h4 g4 9.h5 Nf4 10.Nd4 Bg7 11.Bb5+ Kf8 12.Bxf4 exf4 13.Nc3 Qg5 14.Qd2 Be5 15.0-0-0 Nf6 16.Kb1 Kg7 17.Rdg1 Nxh5 18.Be2 Bd7 19.Bc4 c5 20.Nf3 gxf3 21.gxf3 Ng3 22.Rh2 Nxe4 23.Qe1 Nxc3+ 24.bxc3 Kf6 25.Rxg5 hxg5 26.Rg2 Rh5 27.Bd3 b5 28.c4 bxc4 29.Bxc4 Bf5 30.Kc1 Rb8 31.Bb3 Rhh8 32.Qa5 Kg6 33.Qxa7 c4 34.Bxc4 Rb2 35.Bb3 Rh1+ 36.Kd2 Rbb1 37.Qa5 Rhe1 38.c4 Rh1 39.Bc2 Rb2 40.Qa4 Ra1 41.Qa8 Rxc2 mate. 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(142) J.C. Henshaw - A. Hanreck
Ilford Weekend Congress, 1972
Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 d5 6.Nc3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Re1 0-0 11.a3 b6 12.Bc2 Bb7 13.Qd3 Rc8 14.Bg5 g6 15.Rad1 Nd5 16.h4 Nxc3 17.bxc3 Na5 18.Bh6 Bxf3 19.Qxf3 Bxh4 20.d5! exd5 21.g3 Qf6 22.Qe3 Rxc3 23.Qe8 Qd6 24.Rxd5 Rxg3+ 25.Kf1 Qxa3 26.Bxf8 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
D.J. Strauss
When David Strauss came to Brighton in about 1969 he had already been a joint winner of the British Universities Championship as well as Cambridge University Champion. His presence in the University of Sussex team undoubtedly helped them to victory in the 1970 McArthur Cup. In the same year he came equal first in the Hove Congress. His stay in Brighton was not, however, to be a long one. After winning the 1971 Brighton Chess Club Championship he set off for the University of California.
Once in America David's game improved still further. He gained the International Master title and on his visits to Britain proved to be a formidable opponent.
In the games that follow we are able to compare two outstanding performances against great British players with a much earlier example of David's skill in a local competition.
(143) F.P.E. Green - D.J. Strauss
Brighton Chess Club Championship, 1970
Queen's Gambit Declined, Tchigorin Defence
1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.e3 e5 5.h3 Bxf3 6.Qxf3 Nf6 7.cxd5 Qxd5 8.Qxd5 Nxd5 9.Nc3 0-0-0 10.Bc4 Ndb4 11.0-0 exd4 12.exd4 Nxd4 13.Bxf7 Bc5 14.Bg5 Rd7 15.Bh5 Kb8 16.a3 Nd3 17.b4 Bb6 18.Bg4 Rf7 19.Nd5 h5 20.Nxb6? hxg4 21.Rad1 Ne2+ 22.Kh2 Nxf2 23.Nd7+ Rxd7 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
British Championship, Brighton, 1984
Symmetrical English Opening
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 e6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.Re1 a6 8.e4 d6 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Qc7 11.Be3 0-0 12.Rc1 Nbd7 13.f4 Rfe8 14.Bf2 g6 15.e5 dxe5 16.fxe5 Nh5 17.Nd5! exd5 18.cxd5 Bc5 19.b4 Rxe5 20.bxc5 bxc5 21.Nc6 Rxe1+ 22.Bxe1 Qd6 23.Qb3 Bc8 24.Qe3 Ng7 25.g4 Bb7 26.Bg3 Qf8 27.Qb3 Bc8 28.Re1 Kh8 29.Qc3 Bb7 30.Qb2 Bc8 31.h3 a5 32.Re7 Ra6 33.Bd6 Qg8 34.Bc7 Qf8 35.d6 f6 36.Qe2 Rxc6 37.Bxc6 Ne5 38.Rxe5 fxe5 39.Qxe5 Qf7 40.Bxa5 Qxa2 41.Bc3 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(145) A.J. Miles - D.J. Strauss
British Championship, Brighton, 1984
King's Indian Defence, Sämisch Variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 c6 7.Bd3 a6 8.a4 a5 9.Qd2 Na6 10.Rd1 Nd7 11.Nge2 e5 12.d5 Ndc5 13.Bc2 Qb6 14.0-0 Rd8 15.b3 Nb4 16.Nc1 Bd7 17.Kh1 cxd5 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Bc6 20.Qd2 Qc7 21.Qf2 Qe7 22.Rd2 Bf6 23.Ne2 Rd7 24.Nc3 Bg5 25.f4 exf4 26.Bxf4 Re8 27.Nd5 Bxd5 28.Bxg5 Qxg5 29.Rxd5 Re5 30.Rxd6 Qe7 31.Rxd7 Qxd7 32.Rd1 Nxe4 33.Qb6 Qe7 34.Bxe4 Rxe4 35.Qxa5 Re3 36.Qb6 Qe4 37.Rf1 f5 38.Rd1 Kg7 39.h3 Rxh3+ 40.Kg1 Re3 41.Rf1 h5 42.b4 Kh6 ½-½. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
R.T. Buckland
After completing his accountancy examinations Roy Buckland returned to local competitive chess and won the 1963-4 Brighton Chess Club Championship.
He represented the Brighton Chess Club in the McArthur Cup up to 1966 and then for a time played for the University of Sussex, where he worked.
Sadly, as the years passed he became more and more troubled by a recurrent health problem. At first the standard of his chess was largely unaffected, but gradually his condition became more serious. He played for St Francis Hospital in the Mid-Sussex League for several years, but eventually had to give up competitive chess. He died in 1988 aged 55.
The following game was played in 1967:
(146) R.T. Buckland - P. Mariotti
Sussex v Berkshire (Board 5), 1967
Nimzo Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5 c5 5.d5 Qa5? 6.Bxf6 gxf6 7.Qc2 d6 8.e3 Nd7 9.Nf3 e5 10.Nd2 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Ke7 12.Bd3 Nf8 13.0-0 Rg8 14.Kh1 Bd7 15.f4 Ng6 16.fxe5 fxe5 17.Bf5 Qc7 18.Rf2 Rg7 19.Raf1 Rf8 20.Qe4 Kd8 21.Bxg6 hxg6 22.Qh4+ Kc8 23.Qe7 Re8 24.Qf6 Rh7 25.Ne4 Reh8 26.g3 Kb8 27.Nxd6 Bh3 28.Rb1 b6 29.Nb5 Qd7 30.Nxa7 Qxa7 31.Rxb6+ Kc8 32.Rc6+ Kd7 33.Qd6+ Ke8 34.Rc7 Qxc7 35.Qxc7 f6 36.Qc6+ and Black lost on time. 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
D.G. Springgay
Following his success in the 1962 and 1963 county championships, Dave Springgay appears to have played a reduced amount of competitive chess for the next couple of years. In 1965 he became a member of the Hastings Chess Club and played in their very strong National Club Championship team. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, he played as low as board three in the side (I do not know if this was his choice), but the Hastings team was a very powerful one and reached the quarter-final before losing to Oxford University.
In 1968 Brighton entered the National Club Championship and Dave Springgay once again represented his former club. In the period from 1968 to 1972 he played a few games for Brighton and Sussex, though often on a lower board than one would have expected. He entered the 1971-2 county championship but withdrew after playing only a couple of games.
In 1976 he developed a keen interest in alternative types of chess. In February of that year the first baseline chess tournament was held in the Royal Pavilion. According to the rules of this form of the game, the pieces on the back rank can be arranged in any order at the start of play. Dave Springgay had little time to prepare for the tournament, but the rules were well suited to his creative instincts and he won the first prize. In 1976 he also won the first British Hexagonal Chess Championship with a 100% score.
In more recent years his only appearance in a competitive chess tournament seems to have been in 1984, when he played in the Major Open at the British Chess Federation Congress at Brighton. He proved in that competition that he was still a very strong player. Since the congress he has very occasionally visited the Brighton Chess Club, but it appears that he has not been seen at the club for some time now.
I append two further examples of his skill.
(147) N. Hammond - D.G. Springgay
Civil Service v Hastings (Board 3), 1966
King's Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 h5 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Qd2 c6 8.f4 Nh7 9.Bh4 Bh6 10.Nh3 Ndf8 11.Ng5 Ne6 12.0-0 0-0 13.Kh1 Nhxg5 14.fxg5 Bg7 15.Bf2 c5 16.d5 Nd4 17.Be3 a6 18.Rf2 Bd7 19.Raf1 b5 20.Qd1 Qc8 21.Rf4 Nxe2 22.Qxe2 bxc4 23.Qf2 Be8 24.g4 hxg4 25.Nd1 e6 26.Bd2 exd5 27.Ne3 dxe4 28.Nd5 Qb7 29.Ne3 Qxb2 30.Nxg4 Bc6 31.Kg1 Bd4 32.Ne3 Bxe3 33.Qxe3 Qd4 34.Rh4 Rfe8 35.Kg2 Re5 36.Kf2 Bb5 37.Bc3 Qxe3+ 38.Kxe3 f5 39.gxf6 Rh5 40.Rxh5 gxh5 41.Rg1+ Kf8 42.Kxe4 Bc6+ 43.Kf5 Re8 44.Rd1 Be4+ 45.Kg5 d5 46.Kf4 Kf7 47.Be5 Rg8 48.h3 Rg2 49.a4 Ke6 50.Rf1 Kf7 51.Ke3 Bd3 52.Re1 d4+ 53.Kf3 Rg5 54.Bd6 Rf5+ 55.Kg3 Kxf6 56.Re8 Rd5 57.Bf4 c3 58.Rh8 Bg6 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
(148) D.G. Springgay - H.G. Rhodes
Brighton v Hastings, National Club Championship, 1968-9 season
Modern Defence
1.e4 g6 2.h4 h5 3.Nh3 d6 4.Ng5 Nh6 5.d4 Bg7 6.c3 0-0 7.f4 c5 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Qxd8 Rxd8 10.Be3 b6 11.Bc4 e6 12.Nd2 Ng4 13.Ke2 Ba6 14.Bxa6 Nxa6 15.Nc4 b5 16.Na5 Nxe3 17.Kxe3 c4 18.Rad1 Nc5 19.e5 Nd3 20.Nb7 Rd7 21.Nd6 Nxb2 22.Rb1 Na4 23.Rxb5 Nxc3 24.Rc5 Nd5+ 25.Kf3 c3 26.Nge4 Rb8 27.Rc1 Rb2 28.Rc8+ Bf8 29.R1xc3 Rxa2 30.Nf6+ Nxf6 31.exf6 Rxd6 32.Rxf8+ Kh7 33.Rxf7+ Kh6 34.Rf8 g5 35.hxg5+ Kg6 36.Rg8+ Kf5 37.Rc5+ Rd5 38.Rxd5+ exd5 39.f7 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
R. Phillips
Rodney Phillips came to the University of Sussex as a postgraduate student in 1966. He was a particularly strong player who had shared first place in the 1957 New Zealand Championship at the age of 14 and had won the title outright in 1965. In 1967 he was placed 10th equal in the British Championship at Oxford, scoring 6 points out of 11.
Rodney Phillips left the university to return to New Zealand in 1968. On 8 June, shortly before his departure, he took on 16 members of the university chess club in a simultaneous exhibition, winning 11 games, drawing 4 and losing only 1 in the remarkably short time of two hours. His subsequent career was sadly all too brief, as he died in 1969 while still a young man.
I append a very exciting game that he played for Sussex.
(149) R. Phillips - Mrs E. Pritchard
Sussex v Bucks (Board 3), 1966-7 season
Bishop's Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nc3 Nxc3 5.dxc3 f6 6.0-0 g6 7.Nh4 c6 8.Qd3 d5 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Qxg6+ Kd7 11.f4 Bc5+ 12.Kh1 Kc7 13.fxe5 dxc4 14.Bf4 Kb6 15.b4 cxb3 16.axb3 Rg8 17.b4 Rxg6 18.bxc5+ Kxc5 19.Be3+ Kc4 20.Ra4+ Kxc3 21.Bd4+ Qxd4 22.Rf3+ Kxc2 23.Rxd4 fxe5 24.Rc4+ Kd2 25.Ra4 Be6 26.Raa3 e4 27.Rf2+ Ke1 28.Kg1 Bg4 29.Raa2 Be2 30.Raxe2+ Kd1 31.Ra2 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
B.H. Hare
Brian Hare was one of the University of Sussex's strongest players. He also played on a high board in the joint Brighton/University of Sussex team which competed in the 1970-1 National Club Championship.
The following win against a well-known Scottish international was played in 1970:
Sicilian Defence
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.d4 d6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 c4 7.Bc2 dxe5 8.dxe5 Qc7 9.Bf4 Nc6 10.Qe2 e6 11.Nd2 Nd5 12.Bg3 b5 13.Ngf3 Be7 14.0-0 Ba6 15.a3 h5? 16.h4 g5 17.Nxg5 Bxg5 18.hxg5 h4 19.Bh2 h3 20.Ne4 hxg2 21.Nd6+ Ke7 22.Kxg2 Rh4 23.f4 Bb7 24.Be4 Na5 25.Bg3 Rhh8 26.f5 Raf8 27.Rad1 Bc6 28.f6+ Kd8 29.Nxf7+ Rxf7 30.g6 Kc8 31.Bxd5 exd5 32.Rd4 Nb3 33.e6 Qb6 34.g7 Rxg7 35.fxg7 Re8 36.Rf8 Nxd4 37.cxd4 Qd8 38.Qe5 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)
Go to Chapter 11