Yorkshire Chess History

Contents:

Not the 4^th Annual Meeting of the Yorkshire Chess Association

Home

Narrative

At the 3rd annual meeting on 8th November 1843 in Huddersfield, it was agreed that the 4th meeting be on the first Wednesday in May, i.e. Wednesday 8th May 1844.

At the same meeting, the Yorkshire players were invited to attend the proposed meeting in Nottingham on 7th December. Some reports leave it unclear as to whether that meant 7th December 1843 (only five weeks later) or 7th December 1844, but Medley’s report is clear that it meant 1843. A number of Yorkshire players effectively pledged their support.

In the event, however, the Nottingham meeting did not actually take place until 23rd July 1844. Despite the fact that the Yorkshire players had seemingly been happy to go to Nottingham on 7th December 1843, only five weeks after the YCA meeting on 8th November 1843, there seems to had been a feeling that holding the 1844 YCA meeting as planned, on 8th May 1844, would nevertheless potentially interfere with the Nottingham event. After consultation between Yorkshire Club Secretaries, it was decided to postpone the 4^th Yorkshiore Chess Association meeting to 1845.

Accordingly, the Leeds Chess Club secretary, Hamilton Richardson, wrote a letter to the Chess Player’s Chronicle to advertise the postponement. Thus the Chess Player’s Chronicle, Vol. V, 1844, carried on page 18 the following:

TO THE EDITOR OF “THE CHESS PLAYER’S CHRONICLE.”

Leeds, 27th April, 1844.

SIR, -

THE proposed meeting of the Yorkshire Chess Associations [sic] has (after correspondence with the Secretaries of the Clubs, who usually support the meetings) been postponed until the second Wednesday in May, 1845, at Leeds, in order not to interfere with the National Chess Demonstration at Nottingham next June.

I am, Sir, your’s [sic] respectfully,

HAMILTON RICHARDSON

Hon. Sec. to Leeds Chess Club.

A number of the keener Yorkshire players attended the Nottingham meeting, which thus became the unofficial four-and-a-halfth annual meeting of the Yorkshire Chess Association. Some writers say, a little inaccurately, that the Yorkshire players held their annual meeting of 1844 in Nottingham.

Created

25/04/2012

Last Updated

25/04/2012