History of Chess in Brighton (Chapter 9) - Brighton and Hove Chess Club

BRIGHTON CHESS

A HISTORY OF CHESS IN BRIGHTON
1841-1993

Chapter 9
1952–1963

THE JUNIORS POINT THE WAY

As the effects of the war gradually subsided, chess began to prosper again in the Brighton area. The key to the future lay with the promising young players who served their apprenticeship in the local league and Dupree Chess Tournament and then became members of the main chess club. In the years immediately following the war, the ‘Old Guard’ nearly always won the club championship, but from 1953 onwards all this changed. The competition for the title was fierce, but the main contenders were now generally young players. Some of these went on to win the county championship.

The Fourth Brighton Chess Club and Local School Teams, 1952 to 1963
At the start of this period the Brighton Chess Club still had to find suitable premises. The decision by the Pavilion Estate Committee in 1951 to allow the club to stay at the Royal Pavilion for a few more months gave the players an important breathing space to look for new accommodation. A small deputation headed by the president, Sir Clarence Sadd, cast its net around the local area and even negotiated at one time a possible move to the Sussex County Cricket Club in Eaton Road, Hove, though this fell through.

The breakthrough came after discussions with the Corporation. The club was allowed to lease the two ground floor rooms at 4 Pavilion Buildings (next to the Royal Pavilion) at a rent of £80 per annum plus rates. The accommodation would be available daily. The club moved to its new home in May or June 1952.

Once the problem of finding suitable premises had been resolved, the club settled down and began to build for the future. Promising young junior players Dave Springgay and J.W. McLeod emerged in the early 1950s to become rivals to Roy Buckland, Brian Hole and Derek Lamport, who had already proved their potential. There was soon no-one left in the older generation to match them.

In 1953 Norman Fishlock-Lomax, a member of the Bognor Chess Club, started a congress in that town. As the tournament became an annual event the number of entrants increased and overseas masters came to pay regular visits. Several Brighton players improved their chess in this competitive atmosphere and many youngsters were attracted to the junior tournaments which became a regular feature of the congress. In 1960 Chess Ltd., which was based at Sutton Coldfield and run by the well known English player B.H. Wood, decided to hold a congress at Eastbourne. This also became an annual event and attracted overseas players. There can be no doubt that these two congresses held within travelling distance of Brighton greatly stimulated the interest of local chess players and provided valuable additions to the Hastings Christmas Congresses.

As the 1950s progressed, the Brighton Club team started to pose a greater threat in the McArthur Cup. First class players were still not allowed to represent Brighton or Hastings in this competition, but in 1953 Brighton defeated Varndean 4-2 in the final. Further success came in 1954 when Eastbourne were beaten by 5½ points to ½ in the final. The club also won the competition in 1958 and 1959.

Early in 1954 P.I. Ormowe, the Hon Secretary of the club, announced that the Executive Committee was interested in the possibility of starting a Brighton and District Chess League. A meeting was held in February of that year and entries for the new competition were received from the Haywards Heath, Worthing, Regency, Southwick and Brighton Chess Clubs. Teams were to be five a side and there was to be no restriction on first class county players representing the teams.

At first the competition was very popular and several strong players took part. As the years passed, however, the interest could not be sustained and the league died out in the early 1960s.

In 1955 the post of Hon Secretary at the Brighton Chess Club was taken over by Leopold Winter, a man of many and varied talents. As a youth in pre-war Austria he had been involved in motor racing, swimming and athletics. His vitality proved to be a tremendous asset to the club. Any newcomer was welcomed and particular encouragement was given to younger players. As he worked nearby at the Alliance Building Society he was well placed to open the club and pop in from time to time. If there was too much noise he would sometimes shout out in a booming voice (which disturbed everybody!), ‘Silence, match games in progress!’. He also regularly reminded players of their obligations in respect of locking up even if there were those who were trying to concentrate on match games at the time! He did not hesitate to introduce any newcomer to the star players. He would reel off a list of all the tournaments that the champion had won and then invite the nervous newcomer to enjoy a game with the expert! Colourful character Leopold may have been, but he was well liked. His energy was infectious and the club prospered when he became Hon Secretary.

At the end of 1955 the club looked forward to a special event. The Russian grandmaster V. Ragozin was coming to the town to give a simultaneous display. The event took place on 29 December in the Royal Pavilion. The grandmaster took on twenty opponents, winning ten games and drawing ten. A mayoral reception was arranged for the occasion and Ragozin and his wife were entertained at a late dinner. They were also presented with a 130-year-old painting of the Royal Pavilion.

In his game against Roy Buckland the grandmaster came close to defeat. He had lost a piece and the game seemed to be slipping away from him when the Brighton star made an uncharacteristic blunder. Here is the game:

(99) V. Ragozin - R.T. Buckland
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nbd2 Nbd7 6.Bd3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.0-0 Bd6 9.b3 0-0 10.Bb2 Re8 11.Bf5 Qe7 12.Rc1 b6 13.Re1 Ne4 14.Nf1 Bb7 15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.Bxe4 dxe4 17.Nd4 Qg5 18.Nb5 Rad8 19.Qc2 a6 20.Nc7? Re7 21.Qe2 Nb8 22.h4 Qxh4 23.Ng3 Rxc7 24.Nf5 Qg5 25.Nxg7 Rcd7 26.Nh5 Be7 27.Rcd1 Rd6 28.Ba1 Rh6 29.Qb2 f6 30.Rxd8+ Bxd8 31.Nf4 Qh4 32.Kf1 Qg4 33.Kg1 Nd7 34.Qd4 Bc7? 35.Qc4+ Kh8 36.Qxc7 Nc5 37.Qd8+ Kg7 ½-½. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

In 1957 the membership of the Brighton Chess Club topped the century mark for the first time for many years. In 1958 a local chess congress was considered, but financial aid was lacking. In the same year Michael Partis enquired into the possibility that the club might hold a centenary celebration. The earliest minute book that the club possessed started in 1858, but he was not satisfied with this. Taking his enquiries further he discovered that the club had existed in 1845. Subsequently the idea of a centenary year was abandoned.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s promising youngsters like Tom Guy, Barry Beavis, Michael Partis, N. Hamilton-Harris, B.P. Simister, Julian Simpole, Michael Warner, Geoffrey James, Ben Thomas, Colin Blackburne and Brian Denman developed their skills at the club. Varndean continued to be the most successful school team for most of this period. In 1953 they reached the McArthur Cup final but lost against the Brighton Chess Club. In 1958 they advanced to the final of the Sunday Times National Schools Tournament, where they lost by the close score of 3½ points to 2½ against Calday Grange Grammar School. In the following year Michael Warner was selected to play for the England Under-18 team in the Glorney Cup, an honour also accorded to Geoffrey James in 1961.

Hove Grammar School entered the McArthur Cup in 1952 for the second successive season but then did not play in the competition for several years. In 1953 and 1954 they arranged two friendly matches against the Worthing Chess Club which were contested over 15 boards. The second half of the 1950s appears to have been a quieter period for the school, but in the early 1960s they began to prove themselves to be a stronger team than Varndean. In 1961 they reached the final of the Sunday Times Tournament where they lost by 3½ to 2½ against Colfe’s Grammar School. In 1962 they surprised many people by winning the Central Section of the McArthur Cup. In the semi-final they faced the powerful Eastbourne team and were eventually defeated after a hard struggle. On three occasions the teams fought out 3-3 draws, but Eastbourne were victorious at the fourth attempt. The experience probably helped the youngsters, for in 1963 they won the Sunday Times Tournament, defeating Colfe’s Grammar School 4½-1½ in the final.

There were also several keen young chess players at the Brighton, Hove and Sussex Grammar School in this period. Although it appears that the school did not enter any adult competitions, a twelve-board friendly match was arranged against the Regency Chess Club in October 1953. At the close of play the school team led by six games to five but unfortunately the result of the adjudicated game was not published.

In 1962 Sir Clarence Sadd, the President of the Brighton Chess Club and of the Sussex Chess Association, passed away at the age of 78. He was an influential businessman who had performed an active role in Sussex chess, becoming President of the Sussex Chess Association in 1947 and of the Brighton Chess Club in 1949. In 1952 he had played an important part in securing new accommodation for the club, and from 1959 to 1961 he had served as President of the British Chess Federation.

Sir Clarence Sadd also carried out a number of important duties in public life apart from his involvement in chess. Some of the positions that he held were Chief Executive and Vice-Chairman of the Midland Bank, President of the Institute of Bankers, Vice-President of the Football Association, and Hon Treasurer of the International Lawn Tennis Association and of the National Sports Development Fund. Although his time was obviously precious he regularly travelled from East Grinstead to Brighton to play chess and help the local chess club. It is clear that with his death the Brighton Chess Club lost a strong leader.

In the early 1960s the Brighton Chess Club continued to be successful. Although this was a time of severe winters when many people sought the comfort and warmth of their homes, the chess players continued to meet in the mornings, afternoons and evenings. In the winter of 1962-3 the blast from the Arctic lasted for over three months, but the Brighton Chess Club remained a cosy hive of activity.

Other Clubs in the Brighton Area, 1952 to 1963
In 1952 the Regency Chess Club held its first AGM. This new club was inspired by Leslie Robinson, later the proprietor of Robinson’s Bookshop in the Lanes. It met at the Marigold Café in Cranbourne Street and had a very sociable atmosphere. Generally the members engaged in match play rather than friendlies even if they were not particularly strong players. Often the tournaments required a large number of games to be played and the evening sessions were popular.

By contrast, the main chess club played out its tournaments at a more leisurely pace and had a higher proportion of pensioners who enjoyed friendly games. In practice the Regency and Brighton Chess Clubs often worked side by side in encouraging chess in the area. As many players were members of both clubs any rivalry was of a friendly nature.

The Regency Chess Club also made juniors welcome and arranged a special tournament for them. This was indeed an excellent time for promising young chess players living in the area, as they could gain useful practice in the local schools league, the Dupree Chess Tournament, the Brighton Chess Club Junior Championship and the Regency Boys’ Championship.

In 1952 a Hove Chess Club was reported to be playing at the New Hounsom Hall. I have been able to find only one reference to this club and it seems unlikely that it could have had any direct connection with the previous Hove Club. In 1954 a Hove team entered the Brighton and District League but it was not composed of members of a specific Hove Club. It simply consisted of Brighton Chess Club players who happened to live in Hove.

A chess club was formed at the Hove YMCA in about 1957. It does not seem to have been particularly active though it affiliated to the Sussex Chess Association for two seasons.

There was a chess revival at the Brighton YMCA during this period. In 1955 the YMCA entertained a team from the Brighton Chess Club but were defeated by seven games to one. In 1957 Dave Springgay played on board one for the YMCA in matches against the Regency and Downsway Clubs. Both matches were won by the YMCA, but it appears that the club’s enthusiasm soon petered out.

A new Withdean Chess Club was formed in the late 1950s, probably in 1958. It affiliated to the Sussex Chess Association for a few seasons though it does not appear to have entered any competitions. Instead the club may have been developed on more social lines by its well-known organiser Norman Fishlock-Lomax. It seems to be mentioned for the last time in the Sussex Chess News of Autumn 1964, where it is recorded that 10/6 was paid to the Association (presumably for affiliation) for the 1963-4 season. At about that time Norman Fishlock-Lomax moved away from the Withdean area.

The Southwick Chess Club had received a notable boost to its membership in 1951 when the neighbouring Shoreham Club came to an end. In 1952 Southwick were able to take on a combined Horsham and Dorking team in a 12 board match, losing by only one game (the score was 6½ to 5½). The club continued to enter the McArthur Cup and for a time ran two teams in the competition. In 1953 a promising Steyning schoolboy, W. Turner, won the club championship when he was only 15. In 1954 Southwick became the first winning team in the newly formed Brighton and District League.

The end for the Southwick Club came in either 1956 or 1957. Unfortunately there appears to be no written evidence as to what caused this once flourishing club to disband. During the 1955-6 season the club seemed to have no difficulty in fielding teams for matches.

The Downsway Chess Club was formed in 1956. The organisers of this small club were Miss A. Gammans and Miss J.P. Renwick, who lived in a road called Downsway in Shoreham. They enlisted a few friends and guest players and entered the McArthur Cup. The club’s greatest achievement came in 1958 when it reached the final of the McArthur Cup, losing against the Brighton Chess Club. It also did well to reach the semi-final in 1962 before losing against Horsham. Among the players who are known to have represented the club are Michael Davis, formerly Hastings and Sussex Champion, George Self, Ted Ovenden, Norman Fishlock-Lomax and Brian Denman. The club’s numbers were always small and this may have been the cause of its cessation in September 1963.

An interesting development in the period from 1955 to 1960 was the formation of a number of works teams. Chess clubs existed at Shoreham Airport, Nalgo and the Alliance Building Society for a relatively short time, but of somewhat longer duration were the CVA and Underwoods Clubs. As far as is known, the works clubs lasted approximately as follows: Underwoods 1955-62, CVA 1960-3, Alliance Sports 1956-8, Nalgo 1956-8, Shoreham Airport 1957-8.

Some of the above teams entered the Brighton and District League. In its early years the league provided some quite intense competition. There was also for a time an individual event. Later, however, the league generally provided the less competitive player with the chance to enjoy the game in a sociable, friendly atmosphere or formed a useful stepping stone for those aspiring to greater heights. The league finally came to an end in the early 1960s.

The CVA Chess Club in Brighton appears to have been the only works organisation in the area to have tried its hand at the tougher McArthur Cup. By about 1964, however, all the works teams had probably ceased to play competitive chess.

The Players, 1952 to 1963

D.G. Springgay
Dave Springgay was the most successful Brighton player during this period and built up a formidable reputation at both local and national level. He is first listed in Sussex chess records in 1951, when he was only 13 years of age. In 1953 he pulled off an exceptional double, winning both the junior and senior tournaments at the Brighton Chess Club. He won the junior championship again in 1954 but it was four years later when he won his next major local competition. Then he completed another double achievement, winning both the Brighton Chess Club Championship and the Sussex Championship. In the latter competition he defeated A. Ayriss of Bognor in the final.

In 1959 he again won the Brighton Chess Club Championship and in 1960 he reached the final of the county championship for the second time. This time he lost against Arthur Winser of Hastings in a long drawn out struggle.

The years from 1961 to 1963 were the most successful in Dave Springgay’s chess career. In 1961 he competed in the British Championship at Aberystwyth and did exceptionally well, coming tenth equal. In this tournament he gained a meritorious victory against the International Master Cenek Kottnauer. In 1962 he won the county championship for a second time after defeating John Cannon of Horsham in the final. In that year he also won the Brighton Chess Club Championship and thus completed the ‘double’ for the second time. When in 1963 he defeated Arthur Winser in the county final he had clearly proved himself to be the strongest player in Sussex.

The following games illustrate his attacking style:

(100) D.G. Springgay - R.J. Broadbent
Sussex v Surrey, 1959
French Defence, Advance Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Bd7 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Nc3 a6 11.Kh1 Ne7 12.Qe2 Nc6 13.f4 Nb4 14.Bb1 Qc4 15.Qd1 d4 16.Ne4 Bb5 17.Re1 Nd3 18.Bxd3 Qxd3 19.Bd2 Rd8 20.f5 exf5 21.Nd6+ Bxd6 22.exd6+ Kf8 23.d7! Kg8 24.Ba5 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(101) J.A. Bickerstaff - D.G. Springgay
Sexton Cup, 1960
Dutch Defence
1.Nf3 f5 2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d5 7.Nc3 c6 8.Qb3 Nbd7 9.Bd2 Qe8 10.Rad1 Bd6 11.e3 Qh5 12.Ne2 g5 13.Bb4 Bxb4 14.Qxb4 Ne4 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Qe1 Rf6 17.Rc1 Nf8 18.Qd1 f4 19.exf4 Bg4 20.Qd3 Rh6 21.Rfd1 Re8 22.Rc2 Ne6 23.Re1 Rf8 24.Nc3 Bxf3 25.Qxf3 Qxh2+ 26.Kf1 Nxd4 27.Qg4 Nxc2 28.Rxe4 dxe4 29.fxg5 Ne3+ 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(102) J.I.P. Simpole - D.G. Springgay
Brighton Chess Club Championship, 1962
Philidor’s Defence
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nd7 3.Bc4 Ngf6 4.Nc3 e5 5.Nf3 Be7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 c6 8.h3 b5 9.Bd3 a6 10.Ne2 c5 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.b3 Qc7 13.c4 b4 14.Ng3 g6 15.Bb2 a5 16.Nf1 Bb7 17.Qc2 a4 18.Ne3 a3 19.Bc1 Ne8 20.Qe2 Nd6 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.exd5 Bf6 23.Rb1 Bg7 24.Ng5 h6 25.Ne4 f5 26.Nxd6 Qxd6 27.g4 e4 28.Bc2 Bd4 29.Be3 Ne5 30.Bf4 fxg4 31.Qxe4 Rxf4 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(103) D.G. Springgay - L.J. Cannon
County Championship Final, 1962
French Defence, Rubinstein Variation
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 b6 5.Nf3 Bb7 6.Bb5+ c6 7.Bd3 h6 8.Ne5 Nf6 9.Qf3 Be7 10.Be3 Qc8 11.0-0-0 Nbd7 12.Qg3 g5 13.h4 Nxe4 14.Bxe4 f5 15.hxg5! fxe4 16.gxh6 Nf8 17.h7 Qc7 18.Qg8 Bf6 19.Ng6 Qg7 20.Nxh8 Qxh8 21.Rh6 Ke7 22.Rxf6 Qxh7 23.Rxe6+ Kd7 24.Qxh7+ 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(104) D.G. Springgay - W.A. Winser
County Championship Final, 1963
Caro Kann Defence
1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.Be2 e6 5.0-0 Nf6 6.d3 Be7 7.h3 Bh5 8.Ne5 Bg6 9.Nxg6 hxg6 10.Bf4 d4 11.Nb1 c5 12.Nd2 Nc6 13.a4 e5 14.Bh2 g5 15.Nc4 Bd6 16.c3 Qe7 17.a5 Rc8 18.Re1 g6 19.Qb3 Bb8 20.Qa4 g4 21.hxg4 Nxe4 22.dxe4 Qh4 23.Bf3 Qxh2+ 24.Kf1 Qf4 25.Rad1 Rh1+ 26.Ke2 Rxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Kf8 28.Qb5 dxc3 29.bxc3 Ne7 30.Qxb7 f5 31.gxf5 gxf5 32.Ne3 fxe4 33.Bxe4 Rd8 34.Rh1 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

R.T. Buckland
We have seen already how in the late 1940s Roy Buckland emerged as a promising new talent. He reached his peak in the 1950s with successes in the Brighton Chess Club and Sussex Championships. In the Brighton Chess Club Championship he gained a notable hat trick in winning the title from 1954 to 1956. His first county championship victory came in 1955, when he defeated J.W. McLeod in the final. He thus completed ‘the double’ for that year. In 1957 he defeated Arthur Winser of Hastings in the county final to win his second title, though in the 1959 final he lost against the same player. In the early 1960s his studies for an accountancy examination restricted his chess activities. I append three of his games:

(105) R.T. Buckland - J.W. McLeod
County Championship Final, 1955
King’s Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 c5 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.Bd3 Qxc5 9.Qe2 Nc6 10.Be3 Qh5 11.h3 Ng4 12.Bd2 Bd4 13.Rf1 Nf6 14.Nxd4 Qh4+ 15.Rf2 Nxd4 16.Qe3 e5? 17.fxe5 dxe5 18.g3 Qxh3 19.Rxf6 Bg4 20.Rf1 Qg2 21.Qf2 Qh3 22.Be3 f5 23.Bxd4 fxe4 24.Nxe4 Rxf2 25.Bxf2 Rd8 26.Nf6+ Kg7 27.Be4 Kxf6 28.Rh1 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(106) R.T. Buckland - E.B. Herridge (Somerset)
Counties Correspondence Championship, 1956-7
Nimzo-Indian Defence
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bh4 c5 6.d5 b5 7.e4 d6 8.dxe6 Bxe6 9.cxb5 g5 10.Bg3 Nxe4 11.Qc2 d5 12.Bd3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 Nd7 14.a3 Ba5 15.0-0-0 Qf6? 16.Nxd5! Qg7 (16. \dots Bxd5 17.Be4!) 17.Nf3 Rb8 18.Ne3 Bd8 19.Bf5 Qf6 20.Bxe6 fxe6 21.Rxd7! Kxd7 22.Qxc5 Rb6 23.Nc4 Ke8 24.Nxb6 Bxb6 25.Qc6+ Ke7 26.Qb7+ Ke8 27.Rd1 Qe7 28.Qc8+ Bd8 29.Qc6+ Kf8 30.Rd7 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(107) R.T. Buckland - W.L. Brierley
Sussex v Kent (Board 4), 1963
Ruy Lopez, Open Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Qe2 Nc5 10.Rd1 Nxb3 11.axb3 Qc8 12.Bg5 Be7? 13.Nc3 Bxg5 14.Nxg5 Ne7 15.Qh5 g6 16.Qf3 0-0 17.Qf6 Re8 18.Rd3 h5 19.Rad1 c6 20.Nce4? (20.Ne2!) dxe4 21.Rd7 Nd5? (21…Qxd7! 22.Rxd7 Nd5 23.Rxd5 cxd5) 22.R1xd5 Re7 23.Nxe6 fxe6 24.Qxe7 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

The above game won the Bruce Hayden Award for the best game played by a Sussex player in county matches in that season.

B.J. Hole
Brian Hole emerged from the ranks of the Brighton juniors to become the youngest ever Sussex Champion in 1952. He was only 19 years of age when he defeated J.A. Graham in the county final. In his early days of competitive chess he was regularly involved with the Brighton Chess Club (he won the junior championship in 1948 and 1952). Later, however, he came to represent the Regency Chess Club in key matches. After his early successes he appears to have become less active as a player. In the 1960s we find him playing for the Chichester Chess Club. After 1967, however, I can find no further mention of him in Sussex chess records.

I append two of his games:

(108) B.J. Hole - J.A. Graham
County Championship Final, 1952
Vienna Game
1.Nc3 e5 2.e4 Nf6 3.f4 d5 4.exd5 exf4 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Qf3 Bxb5 7.Nxb5 a6 8.Nc3 Bd6 9.Nge2 0-0 10.0-0 g5 11.d3 Nbd7 12.Qh3 Ne5 13.Qf5 h6 14.Nxf4 gxf4 15.Bxf4 Bc5+ 16.Kh1 Neg4 17.Bxh6 Nxh6 18.Qg5+ Kh7 19.Rxf6 Qxf6?? (Time trouble) 20.Qxf6 Rg8 21.Ne4 Rg6 22.Qc3 Be7 23.Qxc7 Nf5 24.d6 Bxd6 25.Qxf7+ Ng7 26.Nxd6 Rxd6 27.Rf1 Re8 28.h3 Re2 29.Rf4 Rg6 30.Rh4+ Rh6 31.Rg4 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(109) H. Brown - B.J. Hole
Surrey v Sussex (Board 11), 1952
Bird’s Opening (Dutch Attack), From Gambit
1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.Nf3 dxe5 4.e4 Bc5 5.c3 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qh4+ 10.g3 Qxe4+ 11.Qe2 Qxe2+ 12.Nxe2 Bxb5 13.Nbc3 Bc6 14.Rf1 Ne7 15.Rf4 0-0 16.Rc4 Bd6 17.Ne4 Be5 18.Nc5 Rfe8 19.Nd3 Bf6 20.Bf4 Nd5 21.Kf2 Bb5 22.Rc5 Bxd3 23.Rxd5 Rxe2+ 24.Kf3 Be4+ 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

The Rev J.A. Bickerstaff
The Rev John Bickerstaff came to Sussex in 1939 when he became curate at St Andrew’s Church in Eastbourne. In 1941 he was appointed to similar duties at St Wilfrid’s Church, Haywards Heath. At the end of the war he played a prominent part in the restoration of the local club, and as the strongest player in the area was a natural choice to lead the team. Success in the McArthur Cup eventually came to the Haywards Heath Club in 1955, when Bexhill were defeated in the final.

J.A. Bickerstaff also helped to arrange the first Mid-Sussex Jamboree in 1955. Some years later, in 1968, he presented a trophy for the competition, which nowadays has been renamed the Sussex Jamboree and takes place on the same afternoon as the Sussex Annual General Meeting rather than as a separate event.

In the early 1950s J.A. Bickerstaff was particularly successful in county matches, and in 22 appearances on a high board between 1950 and 1954 he lost only one game. In either 1953 or 1954 he joined the Brighton Chess Club and while a member achieved his greatest success when in 1956 he defeated George Anslow of Eastbourne in the county championship final. Brighton became his home in 1961 when he became vicar of Christ Church in Montpelier Road. In the same year he became both match captain of the Brighton Club and the officer in charge of the Sussex Adjudications Panel. Unfortunately in 1964 because of domestic problems he was virtually forced to give up competitive chess. Despite this he remained match captain of the Brighton Club until 1968 when he was elected president.

In 1978 Christ Church burned down. For a while the vicar bravely continued to hold services in the church hall, but in 1980 he decided to retire from active duties, having reached the age of 70.
After 14 years as President of the Brighton Club J.A. Bickerstaff stood down in 1982, and was elected an Honorary Life Member. Nowadays he is the club’s longest serving member. He continued to run the adjudication panel and in January 1989 a framed citation was presented to him in recognition of over forty years’ service to the Sussex Chess Association. Sadly, in February 1991 a stroke forced him to renounce active duties. His strong mental faculties are, however, resilient and his intelligence has greatly impressed the staff at the nursing home where he now resides.

As a player he gained the reputation of being excellent at defending difficult positions. This definition is, however, too simple and belies his strong command of technique. I append three of his games:

(110) J.A. Graham - J.A. Bickerstaff
Friendly Match, Brighton v Rest of Sussex (Played after Sussex AGM), 1953
French Defence, Steinitz Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.Qg4 0-0 8.Bd3 f5 9.Qh3 Bxg1 10.Rxg1 Qb6 11.Kf1 Nc5 12.g4 Nxd3 13.cxd3 Nc6 14.gxf5 Rxf5 15.Qg4 g6 16.Ne2 Nxe5 17.Qg3 Qa6 18.Nd4 Nxd3 19.Nxf5 Nxf4+ 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(111) D.G. Springgay - J.A. Bickerstaff
McArthur Cup, Brighton II v Haywards Heath, 1953
French Defence, Alapin Variation
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Be3 dxe4 4.Nd2 Nf6 5.f3 exf3 6.Ngxf3 Be7 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.0-0 c5 9.c3 cxd4 10.cxd4 Nd5 11.Qe2 0-0 12.Ne4 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 Nf6 14.Nxf6+ Bxf6 15.Qe4 g6 16.Ne5 Bxe5 17.dxe5 Qd5 18.Rac1 Bd7 19.Qxd5 exd5 20.Rc5 Bc6 21.b4 a6 22.Bc2 Rfe8 23.Re1 Re6 24.Bb3 Rd8 25.Kf2 Kg7 26.Kg3 f6 27.exf6+ Kxf6 28.Rf1+ Ke7 29.Rd1 Re5 30.Rd4 Kd6 31.Rf4 Rg5+ 32.Kh3 Rf5 33.Rd4 Re8 34.g4 Rfe5 35.Rc2 Re3+ 36.Kh4 R8e5 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(112) J.A. Bickerstaff - G.E. Anslow
County Championship Final, 1956
Reti’s Opening
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.b3 Nf6 4.Bb2 c5 5.e3 Be7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 dxc4 8.bxc4 Nc6 9.d4 Qb6 10.Qb3 Qxb3 11.axb3 cxd4 12.exd4 Rd8 13.Rd1 b6 14.Nbd2 Bb7 15.h3 Bf8 16.Nf1 Nb4 17.Ne5 Be4 18.Ne3 Nc6? 19.f3 Nxe5 20.dxe5 Bc5 21.Kf2 Bc2 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.exf6 Rd2 24.Bc3 Rd7 25.b4 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

T. Guy
Tom Guy was a promising young player who won the Brighton Chess Club Championship on two occasions in 1957 and 1960. He was a keen enthusiast and it was reported that he brought out a periodical detailing local chess activities. Unfortunately for chess in Brighton, he moved to the north in the early 1960s.

I possess only one of Guy’s wins. Despite its brevity it is well worth recording.

(113) T. Towner - T. Guy
Brighton Chess Club. Plummer Trophy, 1956
Scotch Game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5 Bc5 6.Nxc6 Bxf2+ 7.Ke2 bxc6 8.Bxf6 Qxf6 9.Nc3 Ba6+ 10.Kd2 Qf4 mate. 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

J.I.P. Simpole
Julian Simpole first decided to learn chess as a 12 year old schoolboy. It was in 1959 that he first really made his mark on the local chess scene. Not only did he win the Brighton Chess Club Junior Championship, but he was also victorious in the Southern Counties Under-18 Championship. In the same year at York he came equal 6th out of a field of 62 in the British Boys’ Championship.

Further successes were inevitable, and he won the Brighton Dupree Tournament in 1961 and 1962. He also won the Brighton Chess Club Junior Championship from 1960 to 1962, becoming the only player to win the trophy four times in succession. Other successes in the Brighton Club included victory in the Sir Clarence Sadd Handicap Trophy in 1960 and 1961 and in the Plummer Trophy in 1960. In 1963 Julian gained a double success when he won both the Sussex Correspondence Championship and the Brighton Chess Club Championship. I append two of his games from this period:

(114) J.I.P. Simpole - D.G. Springgay
Brighton Chess Club Championship, 1960
Sicilian Defence, Accelerated Dragon
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 d6 7.Be2 Nbd7 8.Be3 Nc5 9.f3 Bd7 10.Qd2 h5 11.h4 Rc8 12.Rc1 Qa5 13.Rb1 Ne6 14.Nb3 Qd8 15.Rd1 b6 16.Nd4 Qc7 17.Nxe6 fxe6 18.e5! dxe5 19.Bd3 Kf7 20.Qc2 Rcg8 21.Bxg6+ Kf8 22.Ne4 Bh6 23.Ng5 e4 24.Bxe4 Qg3+ 25.Kf1 Ke8 26.Bg6+ Kf8 27.Rxd7 Qe5 28.Bd4 Qa5 (In time trouble Black thought that this was check.) 29.Nxe6 mate. 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(115) J.I.P. Simpole - R.G. White
Sussex v Surrey (Board 11), 1963
Queen’s Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.a3 Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 dxc4 9.Bxc4 e5 10.Qc2 exd4 11.exd4 h6 12.b4 (12.Qg6!) Nb6 13.Ba2 Qc7 14.Bxh6! gxh6? 15.Qg6+ Kh8 16.Qxf6+ Kh7 17.Ne4 Bf4 (White now announced mate in 7, though he was allowed to administer the coup de grâce in 6. The game continued:) 18.Neg5+ hxg5 19.Nxg5+ Bxg5 20.Bb1+ Kg8 (Had 20...Bf5 been played the mate would have been in 7.) 21.Qxg5+ Kh8 22.Qh6+ Kg8 23.Qh7 mate. 1-0. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

E.D. Ovenden
In 1952 Ted Ovenden won the Brighton Chess Club Championship for the fifth time. He continued to be one of the club’s strongest players until his death in 1961. The following game was played in 1955:

(116) P. Hannon - E.D. Ovenden
Kent v Sussex (Board 13), 1955
Alekhine’s Defence
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.d4 d6 5.f4 dxe5 6.fxe5 Nc6 7.Nf3 Bg4 8.Be3 Bxf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.Nc3 Bb4 11.a3 Be7 12.Ne4 Bh4+ 13.Ng3 Qd7 14.Qd3 Na5 15.b3 0-0-0 16.0-0-0 Nc6 17.Ne4 Qe7 18.Kb2 Nxe5 19.Qe2 Nc6 20.f4 f5 21.Nc5 Bf6 22.Ka2 Bxd4 23.Bxd4 Nxd4 24.Qe5 Nc6 25.Rxd8+ Rxd8 26.Qxe6+ Qxe6 27.Nxe6 Rd2+ 28.Kb1 Na5 29.b4 Naxc4 30.Bxc4 Nxc4 31.Nxg7 Nxa3+ 32.Kc1 Ra2 33.Rd1 Rc2 mate. 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

J.W. McLeod
J.W. McLeod was only twelve years old when he made his name in local chess circles. That was in 1951, and by 1953 he had become perhaps the youngest ever winner of the West Sussex Queen competition. In the following year he came close to becoming Sussex’s youngest ever champion, but lost in the final against Michael Davis of the Hastings Chess Club. In 1955 he again reached the final, but lost against Roy Buckland. He made several appearances for Sussex on a high board before apparently leaving the local chess scene about 1962. I append two of his games played in the mid 1950s:

(117) H.G. Newsom - J.W. McLeod
Sexton Cup, East Sussex v West Sussex, 1954
Queen’s Pawn Opening, Stonewall Attack
1.d4 Nf6 2.e3 e6 3.Bd3 d5 4.Nd2 c5 5.c3 Nc6 6.f4 Qc7 7.Ngf3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Nb4 9.Bb1 Bd7 10.a3 Rc8! 11.0-0 Nc2 12.Bxc2 Qxc2 13.Qxc2 Rxc2 14.Ne1 Rc8 15.Nd3 Bd6 16.Ne5 Ke7 17.Ndf3 Bb5 18.Re1 Rc2 19.Bd2 Ne4 20.Bb4 Bxb4 21.axb4 a6 22.Rac1 Rhc8 23.Rxc2 Rxc2 24.Rd1 Rxb2 25.Rc1 f6 26.Ng4 h5 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

(118) J.M. Soesan - J.W. McLeod
Essex v Sussex (Board 10), 1956
French Defence, Albin-Chatard Attack
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4 a6 7.f4 c5 8.Nf3 Nc6 9.Qd2 b5 10.Be2 h6 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.0-0-0 Nb6 13.dxc5 Qxc5 14.Rhe1 Rb8 15.f5 b4 16.Nb1 Qa5 17.fxe6 Bxe6 18.a3 Na4 19.Nd4 Nxd4 20.Qxd4 bxa3 21.bxa3 0-0 22.Qa7 Nc5 23.Qe7 Rfe8 24.Qd6 Red8 0-1. (Play through game - link opens in new window.)

B. Beavis
Barry Beavis is first listed in Sussex chess records in 1954. He was a promising Varndean schoolboy who went on to win the West Sussex Queen competition in 1958. His best ever performance was achieved in 1961 when he won the Brighton Chess Club Championship. He played for Sussex for many years, but in 1972 he began to represent Essex. We know that he joined the Finchley Chess Club and later the Braintree Chess Club. As recently as January 1993 he turned out for the Essex second team in a match against the Sussex second team.

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