Yorkshire Chess History

Former Leeds player David Yarnton Mills gave a 6-board blindfold simultaneous display at Bradford Chess Club’s premises at the Talbot Hotel, on the evening of Tuesday 31/10/1882. Details were given in the Leeds Mercury Weekly Supplement of 04/11/1882; though none of the blindfolded player’s opponents’ initials were given, most are easy enough to infer.

Play concluded around 10 p.m. with the blindfold player having won three games and drawn three. Results were reported as follows:

Player as Reported	Result	Opening	Inferred Identity
Mr. Nachbar	drew	Ruy Lopez	Nathan Nachbar
Mr. Brant [sic]	lost	Vienna	Johann/John Philipp Brandt
Mr. Ridding	lost	Evans
Mr. Groux	lost	French	William Groux
Mr. Sussman	drew	French	Alfred Sussman
Mr. Battinson	drew	Allgaier	George Adam Battinson

The Chess Player’s Chronicle, 1882, p. 547, gave the game involving William Groux:

Simultaneous Blindfold Display by D Y Mills, Bradford, 31/10/1882

White: Mills, D Y

Black: Groux, W

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. exd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bd3 Be6 7. O-O h6 8. Re1 O-O 9. Ne2 Nh5 10. c3 f5 11. Ng3 Nxg3 12. fxg3 Qf6 13. Bf4 Nd7 14. Bxd6 cxd6 15. Qc2 a6 16. Rf1 Rf7 17. Rf2 f4 18. gxf4 Qxf4 19. Rf1 Rf8 20. Ne5 Qe3

White announced mate in 4, 1-0

Created

20/04/2014

Stephen John Mann

Last Updated

20/04/2014