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Yorkshire Chess History |
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Contents: |
1932-33: Inter-County Matches |
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1) Northern Counties Chess Union
It would appear only four counties entered the competition for the NCCU team championship, Cheshire, Lancashire, a joint Northumberland & Durham team, and Yorkshire.
The previous season had proved something of an annus mirabilis for the joint Northumberland & Durham team, as they had defeated Lancashire, progressed to the English Counties Championship final, when they were beaten by Middlesex.
The first round pairings in the 1932-33 NCCU team championship were Northumberland & Durham versus Lancashire, and Cheshire versus Yorkshire.
Northumberland & Durham v Lancashire on 14/01/1933, at York over 16 boards
Lancashire had clearly learnt they lacked the strength in depth required to squash the North-East alliance, and the match was played over the minimum 16 boards. At cessation of play the score stood at 5½-3½ in favour of Northumberland & Durham, with 7 games for adjudication. The unfinished games were thought to favour Lancashire overall, making a close final score very probable.
The situation at the close of play was as follows:
“(D)” and “(N)” denote the county of the Northumberland & Durham players
The board-by-board details of adjudication results are elusive, but the final total was 8‑8. Lancashire scraped home as winners upon application of board elimination.
Yorkshire v Cheshire on 21/01/1933, at Manchester over 25 boards
Six of those originally due to play for Yorkshire were unable to play due to having influenza. The Yorkshire players on the bottom six boards were thus substitutes, but between them they more than held their own. At the close of play the score stood at 11½‑10½ to Yorkshire, but it was feared in the Yorkshire camp that the unfinished games looked look being adjudicated as 2-1 to Cheshire, leaving a tie in which board elimination would give Cheshire the match win.
In the event, the adjudications came back as one won game to each team and one drawn game, meaning the final match score was as follows:
Yorkshire and Lancashire both survived very close contests and met each other in the final.
Yorkshire v Lancashire on 18/03/1933, at Leeds over 16 boards
At the close of play the score stood at 5½-3½ to Yorkshire, with seven unfinished games. Once again the Yorkshire camp took the view the outcome of the adjudication would give Lancashire the win. In the event, the final score was 8‑8. Once more Lancashire scraped home by board elimination.
The final match score was as follows:
As NCCU team champions, Lancashire went on to meet Surrey in the English Counties semifinals.
2) British Chess Federation
Lancashire v Surrey on 21/10/1933, at Liverpool over 12 boards
Lancashire brought in non-regular players W. A. Fairhurst (the then Scottish champion, formerly four times Manchester champion, who went on the win the British championship in 1937) and Gerald Abrahams. Surrey had on board one the then British Champion, Mir Sultan Khan.
At the end of play the score stood at 6 four to Lancashire, with two games unfinished. One unfinished game looked a probable win for Surrey, while the other was too complicated to guess who it would be adjudicated. If Surrey had won both adjudications then they’d have won on board elimination, but Lancashire secured a draw from the adjudications, so winning the match as follows:
Thus Lancashire went on to meet Warwickshire in the English Counties final.
Lancashire v Warwickshire on 09/12/1933, at Manchester over 12 boards
How it is that Lancashire managed to end up playing both the semi-final and final on home territory is unclear, but they made the best of the slight advantage so afforded by fate.
At the cessation of play the score stood at 5-3 in Lancashire’s favour, with three unfinished games for adjudication. Lancashire had the match in the bag as not only were they in the lead, but the unfinished games were overall in their favour.
The final match score was as follows:
Thus, despite not scoring a straight win on match points in the NCCU team championship, Lancashire became English County champions.
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Created 29/12/2013 |
Stephen John Mann |
Last Updated 29/12/2013 |