History of Chess in Brighton (Chapter 4) - Brighton and Hove Chess Club

BRIGHTON CHESS

A HISTORY OF CHESS IN BRIGHTON
1841-1993

Chapter 4
1897-1904

THE AGE OF COMPETITION

The Deterioration and Decline of the Third Brighton Chess Club, 1897 to 1904
We left the Brighton Chess Club at the AGM of July 1897 at the Grand Concert Hall in West Street. A report in Brighton Society indicated that the club had a balance in hand of £5 and no major problems were apparent. The Christ Church and Brighton YMCA Clubs had also been doing well, but did not appear to pose a serious threat to the Brighton Chess Club, which was still the focal point for chess in the area. All of this was soon to change. Things started to go wrong at the main chess club and a new age developed, an age of competition.

By October 1897 the Brighton Chess Club had moved to the ABC Restaurant at 58 King’s Road. The reason for this sudden transfer is not clear, but it may be significant that an arrears of rent was reported at the AGM of September 1898. The deficit at that time was only eleven shillings and one penny but it had previously been greater. One wonders whether the arrears of rent could have been incurred at the Grand Concert Hall.

Another indication that all was not well was the statement made at the meeting that the internal tournaments had not proved as popular as had been hoped. The club also suffered a severe blow when H.W. Shoosmith, the club champion for the last three years (as well as the current county champion), decided to leave the club. He was probably already a member of the YMCA Club to which he now gave his sole allegiance. On the positive side the new premises seem to have been satisfactory and the members met on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 6pm to 11pm. Chess enthusiasm was also kindled when, in April 1898, Joseph Blackburne gave a nineteen-board simultaneous at the Sussex Congress, winning eighteen games and losing only one.

In September 1898 an important development took place when a new Hove Chess Club was formed at 3 Victoria Terrace, Hove. Although the Portslade and Shoreham Clubs appear to have become inactive at about this time, there was now a great deal of enthusiasm for the formation of a local chess league. As a result a Brighton and Hove Chess Association was set up in about September 1899. This was followed some three months later by the commencement of a local league which consisted of the Brighton, Brighton YMCA, Christ Church, Hove, Lewes and Haywards Heath Chess Clubs. (The St Ann’s Club did not enter the league, and there appears to be no record of this club between 1897 and 1901.) Matches were played over eight boards and there was also an individual competition to arouse interest.

Mention should also be made of four smaller clubs which were formed at about this time, though they did not enter the main league. Records show that there was a chess club connected with the Union Church Institute, which was probably located at Queen’s Square, Brighton. This club lost 18-3 against the YMCA Club early in 1899 and lasted at least until 1902. A Young Men’s Christian Institute Chess Club was also in existence at Holland Road, Hove from at least 1899 to 1901 and a St Mary’s Club, which was probably based in Shoreham, played friendly matches against senior and junior teams from the Brighton YMCA Club in 1901 and 1902. Finally a team from the Brighton Liberal Club played a couple of matches against the YMCA in February 1900 and November 1901. When, however, the Brighton Chess Club moved to the premises of the Liberal Club in 1902 the two clubs probably merged.

As chess fragmented in Brighton and Hove the main chess club started to fall apart. The first local league was won by the Christ Church Club and the individual competition by H.W. Shoosmith. The local experts tended to play for different clubs. H.W Shoosmith and E.G. Reed represented the YMCA and W.R. Andrews the Christ Church Club. H.W. Butler continued to play for the Brighton Chess Club but the teams that the main club fielded were not very strong. Indeed it was embarrassing that against the Hove Chess Club it conceded two defaults and against the YMCA three defaults. In the same match against the YMCA the Brighton Chess Club did not help its cause by being penalised for fielding an unregistered player.

As the Brighton Chess Club went into decline the rival Hastings Club grew even more famous. In 1899 it went on the first of its celebrated tours, visiting the North of England and Scotland. These tours were undertaken every two years until 1909 and included visits to Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Switzerland.

The Brighton players began to fear the strength of the Hastings Club and when in January 1900 a Brighton team derived from representatives of the main clubs took on Hastings for the new Sussex Cup they were outplayed and lost by 14½ to 5½. Demoralisation set in and the Brighton Chess Club suffered the indignity of scratching from a match arranged with Hastings in February 1900.

If the 1899 to 1900 season was bad for the Brighton Chess Club the following season was far worse - in fact it is not certain whether the club existed at all. The local league went into its second season but the Brighton Chess Club did not play a single match in it. Christ Church however fielded two teams and Hove reported an influx of new members. Did either of these two clubs draw from the Brighton Chess Club? In October 1900 it was the Christ Church Club which took on Hastings in a friendly, drawing six games all. In the replay played at Dann’s Creamery, Western Road in January 1901 it gained a notable victory by eight games to four. Christ Church also played a match against Redhill, drawing five games all.

It is interesting to consider what proof there is that the Brighton Chess Club existed at all during this period. If we turn to the weekly chess column in Brighton Society, which had been written for many years by Dr J.W. Hunt, we find that as late as 20 April 1901 he provides an advertisement for the Brighton Chess Club. The only question is whether this is totally reliable evidence. Dr Hunt was not a resident of the area and played for the North London Club. As the years passed by his columns had gradually contained less and less local input and more metropolitan or perhaps national news. Is it possible that he might not have known about a dissolution of the Brighton Chess Club? Perhaps this is somewhat far-fetched. Perhaps the club continued at the ABC Restaurant in a run down state.

The second season of the league was the last for a number of years. The winners were again the Christ Church Club but surprisingly in about April 1901 the club folded. This almost certainly helped the Brighton Chess Club. In the Brighton Herald of 4 May 1901 it was reported:

Local chess players will be interested to learn that the Brighton Chess Club which practically during the last season ceased to exist is about to be revived. A meeting will be held at six o’clock this evening at Dann’s Creamery, Western-road [sic] … We understand that Mr H.W. Butler has taken the matter in hand and has promised to act as Secretary and Treasurer … The Club will open the season in September next by meeting each Monday and Saturday at Dann’s Creamery.

An attempt was now made to unite the Brighton players. In the Brighton Gazette of 5 October 1901 it was reported: ‘Brighton players will be pleased to hear that the reconstructed Brighton Club opens today (Saturday). It has succeeded in enrolling a team such as has not represented Brighton for a long time and its hard working secretaries have arranged a match and tournament list for the ensuing season that will delight all lovers of the game and ensure a well-merited support for the club’. In November 1901 the Brighton Chess Club sent a strong team, which included E.G. Reed, W.R. Andrews and H.W. Butler, to play against Hastings. The name of H.W. Shoosmith was also on the team sheet but he was not present at the match. Despite the efforts of the Brighton team, Hastings won the match by 10½ games to 5½. Two other interesting fixtures were played against the Redhill Club, Brighton winning the first match and Redhill the second.

The revival was short-lived, for in the West Sussex Gazette of 6 March 1902 it was reported: ‘The Brighton Club seems peculiarly lacking in energy and enthusiasm. When it was resuscitated in the autumn one hoped there might be a revival of chess in Brighton but for two or three months now there has been a wretched attendance on club night[s?] and the match list is very meagre’. The club’s problems were further compounded when trouble arose at its premises. The exact cause of the problem is not known but the club was soon on the move again and by about September 1902 the players were meeting at the Liberal Club, Marlborough Place. The membership was listed in the Sussex Chess Association Annual Report of 1902 as about fifty and the club met on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

There may for a time have been some improvement in the fortunes of the club, and in December 1902 a match was played against the Tunbridge Wells Chess Club, probably for the first time. It was not long, however, before problems emerged once more. Towards the end of 1903 the club was again looking for new premises and the West Sussex Gazette of 26 November 1903 reported: ‘The Brightonians are again without permanent headquarters. Persistent changes seem to have sapped the energies of the Brighton men. Country members who have looked to the Sussex metropolis for serious play have to content themselves with “skittles” at the public room at the Royal Pavilion with disastrous effect on their match strength’.

At about this time a resuscitated Christ Church Club was formed at 26 Bedford Place, which probably started to drain the membership of the main club. This was not, however, quite the end of the third Brighton Chess Club. According to Brighton Society of 2 January 1904 the club had found a new meeting place at ‘the Cairo’, North Street.

At this point I shall turn aside from the problems of the Brighton Chess Club and mention certain events occurring between 1902 and 1904 which were beneficial to chess in the town.

In April 1902 the great American expert Harry Nelson Pillsbury came to the Royal Pavilion on the occasion of the Sussex Congress. He had a remarkable photographic memory which enabled him to take on several opponents in blindfold simultaneous displays. In Brighton he was faced by sixteen opponents, who included former county champions J. Bridger and W.R. Andrews and future county champion A.A. Bowley. After about six and a half hours’ play Pillsbury emerged from a period of intense concentration to record an incredible thirteen wins and three draws. This remarkable feat of mental agility was achieved after he had travelled all the way from Exeter on the same day.

In August 1903 the World Champion Emanuel Lasker played a match in Brighton against the Russian Mikhail Tchigorin. The idea was to test the Rice Gambit, and all the games started with the moves 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.h4 g4 5.Ne5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.exd5 Bd6 8.0-0 Bxe5 9.Re1 Qe7. The match did not prove a good advertisement for the gambit as Lasker, who played White in every game, won one, drew three and lost two games.

On 8 January 1904 H.W. Butler performed the organisation for an exhibition of chess with living pieces held at the Dome (it will be recalled that two similar displays had taken place in Brighton in 1883). Several children were involved and the Dome was crowded for the entertainment.

About a month later Brighton hosted a notable week-long congress, held at the Aquarium from 8 to 13 February 1904 following a long period of planning. The main competition was won by R.P. Michell of London. The promising young Sussex player H.W. Shoosmith scored 3½ points out of 8.

Among other events associated with the congress a special match was arranged between representatives of Brighton and Hastings. This was played over 40 boards and was won by Hastings by 22 points to 18. Brighton more than held their own over the first 20 boards but it was Hastings’ strength in depth that proved the decisive factor.

During the congress Joseph Blackburne and Emanuel Lasker returned to the town to contribute to a notable programme of simultaneous displays. It is a very rare occurrence for a World Champion to visit a chess centre like Brighton on several occasions and Lasker’s arrival must have given a great boost to chess in the town. On Tuesday 9 February the World Champion took on twenty-two opponents, winning eighteen and drawing four. He gave another large display on Saturday 13 February, playing thirty games, winning twenty-six, drawing three and losing one. Not content with giving two large displays he also took on six opponents blindfold and won every game! Joseph Blackburne gave a six-board blindfold display, winning four and drawing two, and an eighteen-board ‘face-to-face’ simultaneous display in which he won eleven games, drew five and lost two. Other simultaneous exhibitions were given by L. Van Vliet and F.J. Lee.

Mention should also be made of a successful banquet held on Thursday 11 February. The Mayor, E.M. Marx Esq., presided and the meal was reported to have been well attended and the food well served. Toasts were made to the masters, to which Emanuel Lasker and Joseph Blackburne responded in turn. All in all the chess congress had proved a notable success.

Despite the success of the congress the fortunes of the third Brighton Chess Club showed no improvement and the 1903-4 season was its last. The revived Christ Church Club now became the focal point for chess enthusiasts in the town.

The Players, 1897 to 1904
The two most successful players during this period were H.W. Shoosmith and E.G. Reed.

H.W. Shoosmith
This promising young player won the Brighton Chess Club Championship on three consecutive occasions from 1896 to 1898. He was also successful in winning the 1898 county championship. After these achievements he became less active in local chess for a while, though he won the individual championship of the Brighton and Hove Chess Association in 1900.

1904 was to be a significant year in Shoosmith’s chess career. His 3½ points in the main tournament at the Brighton Congress in February has already been mentioned. His real breakthrough however came in the prestigious City of London Tournament held later that year. The opposition was very strong but Shoosmith came fifth, scoring 11 points out of 16. The West Sussex Gazette of 15 September 1904 commented:

Praise from critics of another land is always flattering and Shoosmith, the Brighton amateur … may well be pleased with the comments on his play which have been appearing in the American press. The ‘American Chess Bulletin’ hails him as a ‘new star’ … ‘The Brooklyn Daily Eagle’ says Shoosmith’s achievement caused much satisfaction among the amateurs of England … A New York evening paper, however, goes a step beyond this and referring to Shoosmith’s brilliant game against Müller in the second round solemnly compares him with Morphy.

The game with Müller does not seem to have survived, but the following games from the City of London Tournament may be of interest:

(51) R. Teichmann - H.W. Shoosmith
City of London Tournament, 1904
Four Knights Game
The opening play is surprisingly cautious. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Be2 d6 5.d4 Be7 6.h3 h6 7.Be3 a6 8.a4 Nd7 9.Nd5 exd4 10.Nxd4 Nf6 11.Nc3 Nxd4 12.Qxd4 0-0 13.0-0 Ne8 14.Nd5 Be6 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Bd3 c5 17.Qc3 c4 18.Be2 d5 19.exd5 Bxd5 20.Rad1 Nf6 21.Rfe1 Rfe8 22.Qa5 b5 23.axb5 Qb7 24.Bf1 axb5 25.Qc3 Re6 26.f3 Bc6 27.Bf2 Nd5 28.Qd4 Rg6 29.Re5 Nb4 30.Qd2 Bxf3 31.Qxb4 Bxd1 32.Rxb5 Qc7 33.Rb7 Qe5 34.Bxc4 Rf6 35.Bd3 Bxc2 36.Bf1 Qf5 37.Qe1 Ra1 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(52) H.W. Shoosmith - I. Gunsberg
City of London Tournament, 1904
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.e3 Nf6 5.Bd3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.0-0 c6 8.Qe2 Bd6 9.e4 dxc4 10.Bxc4 e5 11.a3 Qc7 12.h3 h6 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Bxe5 15.f4 Bxc3 16.bxc3 Re8 17.e5 Nd7 18.Rf3 Nf8 19.Be3 b6 20.Rg3 Be6 21.Bd3 Kh8 22.f5 Qxe5 23.Qg4 Ng6 24.Bd4 Qd6 25.Qh5 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

E.G. Reed
Ernest Reed added to his 1897 county championship success by winning the title from 1900 to 1902. He also won the Brighton Chess Club championship in 1899 and 1900. In the following game he gained a fairly comfortable win:

(53) E.G. Reed - H.F. Cheshire
Sussex County Championship Decider, 1900
Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defence Deferred
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.c3 Nge7 7.0-0 Ng6 8.Be3 Be7 9.Nbd2 0-0 10.Bc2 Kh8 11.Rc1 f5 12.exf5 Bxf5 13.Bxf5 Rxf5 14.Ne4 d5 15.Ng3 Rf7 16.dxe5 Ncxe5 [It is not known which N went to e5]. 17.Nxe5 Nxe5 18.Qh5 Ng6 19.Rfd1 c6 20.c4 b6 21.cxd5 c5 22.Ne4 Qd7 23.d6 Bf6 24.Rc2 Qa4 25.Nxf6 gxf6 26.Rcd2 Rd8 27.Qd5 Rfd7 28.b3 Qb4 29.Qe6 Kg7 30.h3 Qb5 31.Rd5 Qc6 32.Bc1 Rf7 33.Rh5 Qe8 34.Qf5 Rfd7 35.Bh6+ Kf7 36.Bg5 Qh8 37.Qd5+ Ke8 38.Re1+ Ne5 39.Qe6+ Kf8 40.Bh6+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

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