History of Chess in Brighton (Chapter 7) - Brighton and Hove Chess Club

BRIGHTON CHESS

A HISTORY OF CHESS IN BRIGHTON
1841-1993

Chapter 7
1939-1945

WORLD WAR TWO

When war was declared against Germany on 3 September 1939, the ‘golden age’ of chess in Sussex, which had spanned nearly two decades, came to an abrupt end. The promising young players went off to war leaving an older generation, a kind of Dad’s Army of the chessboard, to keep the game going as best they could. It became difficult to travel any distance, and county matches were suspended. A few club matches were played, but the effective cessation of the Sussex Chess Association meant that no new county competitions were arranged. Conditions were at their worst in the east of the county where the bombers left a particularly appalling trail of destruction.

The 1940-1 season was the most difficult for chess in the county, but conditions eased towards the end of the war.

The Fourth Brighton Chess Club, 1939 to 1945
Not long after the start of the war the Brighton Chess Club experienced problems over the tenancy of its premises in the Royal Pavilion. At first the hours of opening were reduced, but it was not very long before the Ministry of Food took over the accommodation. Following this the club found new premises at Howard’s Restaurant at 7 Pavilion Buildings.

The first two years of the war were particularly difficult ones for the club. Although the worst of the bomb damage was suffered at the eastern end of the county, Brighton was close enough to the track of the planes as they headed towards London to receive its share of destruction. Only the brave ventured outside during the long winter evenings when a blackout was imposed. Those who managed to find a game faced the possibility of suddenly having to dive underneath the table at the sound of air raid sirens!

There was some compensation for these hardships when the authorities allowed the club temporarily to open on Sundays, in an attempt to find an alternative interest for servicemen and servicewomen who were spending long hours in local pubs. It would seem that the decision to allow another day for chess proved popular, and not long after the end of the war Sunday play became the established practice. This continued until 1991.

As playing conditions were difficult it is hardly surprising that the club championship was cancelled for a few years. Nevertheless the club tried to remain active, and after a while it began to arrange friendly matches. It appears that there was only one of these in 1940 (a match against Hastings in May of that year), but things started to improve in the following year. The early friendlies were concentrated into a period from late spring to summer, when the hours of daylight were longest, but eventually games were arranged in winter as well. It is recorded that during the war years friendlies were arranged with Hastings, Worthing, Horsham, Bognor, the Royal Empire Society, Croydon and Shoreham. The number of friendlies increased as conditions began to improve. The absence of many of the young players must have created a strange feeling that time had been turned back, and that some at least of the games could have been played years before.

In November 1943 the Brighton Chess Club was allowed to return to its former premises in the Royal Pavilion and in 1944 the first club championship for five years was completed. In the same year the first junior championship was brought to fruition. The winners of the new competition received the former Sidney junior trophy and had their names inscribed on a new board which hung in the club. There was another boost to local junior chess in December 1944 when the popular Dupree Tournament was resumed after a lapse of three years.

Other Clubs and Organisations in the Brighton Area, 1939 to 1945
There is evidence that the Hove Chess Club closed down briefly at the start of the war. On reopening it found itself able to attract only a very small number of members. It also received a setback when it was given notice to quit its premises at 59 The Drive, Hove. On 23 November 1939 the six members met to consider closing the club. The president, Dr Whitcher, took the initiative and found new accommodation at 60 Denmark Villas. The club suffered a severe blow, however, when long-standing member and many times Sussex Ladies’ Champion Mrs E.H. Sidney passed away, and it seems unlikely that this small group of players continued to meet regularly for much longer. When in August 1941 the Brighton Chess Club arranged a friendly against the Royal Empire Society, the latter team was represented by one or two players who are known to have been members of the Hove Club. The chess circle at the Royal Empire Society played another match against the Brighton Chess Club in June 1942, but after that does not seem to be mentioned in Sussex chess records.

One or two other clubs were formed in the Brighton area during the war. In 1943 the Withdean Chess Club was instituted and then in July 1944 a re-formed Shoreham Chess Club played a couple of friendlies against the main Brighton Club. It is interesting to see the names of Miss A. Gammans and Miss J.P. Renwick mentioned for the first time in Sussex chess records as members of this new club. They were to become popular and supportive members of the Sussex Chess Association. A chess section was also formed during the war at the CVA Sports and Social Club in Portland Road, Hove. Finally it should be noted that chess activity was recorded by a Brighton Students team in 1944. Two six-board matches were played against the Withdean Chess Club, one of which ended in a draw and the other in a win for the Students.

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