Cliff Bridle

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John Upham
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Cliff Bridle

Post by John Upham » Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:02 am

On page 14 of the 1948 BCM I found game #9989 in which C. Bridle defeats Effim Bogoljubov in a Danish Tournament in October 1947.

Apparently the game "created a sensation".

I'd not heard of C. Bridle until today.

Any knowledge of this person?
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JustinHorton
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Re: C. Bridle : who?

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:35 am

Is this the tournament referred to here? Also, was it actually in Denmark or Germany?
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John Townsend
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Re: C. Bridle : who?

Post by John Townsend » Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:48 am

He is named as Cliff Bridle, an English player, in Chess Review, March 1954, page 77.

The British Chess Magazine (Volume 68, page 133) describes him as "a former Dorset player".

Both give the tournament as Flensburg.

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John Upham
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Cliff Bridle

Post by John Upham » Tue Aug 17, 2021 11:52 am

BCM has

"An interesting tournament was contested in October at Flensburg (Denmark).

The final result was as follows: Bogoljubov, 8.5; Enevoldsen (Copenhagen) and F. Sämisch 8; Nürnberg (Augsburg), 7; Sepp (Estonia), 5.5; H. Gomoluch (Flensburg), 5; Clausen (Denmark), 4; P. Gomoluch (Flensburg), 3.5; C. Bridle (England) and Kornbeck (Denmark), 2.5; Borgaa (Denmark), 0.5.

Regrettably I do not have Felice for this period and perhaps Felice lists this event.
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JustinHorton
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Re: C. Bridle : who?

Post by JustinHorton » Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:13 pm

I thought I had Di Felice for that period but I don't (the next volume does list a 1951 tournament). Flensurg does appear to be in Germany though, both now and in 1947. I can access a ropey internet version of that 1954 Chess review and the piece appears to be by Bruce Hayden, authot of Cabbage Heads And Chess Kings which i'm not sure I have ever seen. I don't know if anybody has an archive of Dorset chess material, it would be curious if these were the only references to a player capable of beating a player of Bogoljubov's standard.
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John Upham
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Cliff Bridle

Post by John Upham » Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:14 pm

I've entered the game as follows :



Presumably had the game been played on chess.com orLichess.org the Cliff Bridle would have received an instant ban, vilification from various fora and told that that he is not welcome in these parts. Luckily for Cliff it was an OTB game.
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Roger de Coverly
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Re: C. Bridle : who?

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:31 pm

JustinHorton wrote:
Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:13 pm
I don't know if anybody has an archive of Dorset chess material, it would be curious if these were the only references to a player capable of beating a player of Bogoljubov's standard.
Plausibly in 1947, Bridle could have been part of the British Army occupying that part of Germany. Flensburg had been where the German government was based when it surrendered in May 1945.

I believe the occupation army was mostly young conscripts, so he may not have played much recorded chess either before or after.

John Townsend
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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by John Townsend » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:08 pm

"Messrs. Mitchener and Bridle have not lost a game for Dorset this season."

(British Chess Magazine, Volume 53, 1933, page 206)

Richard James
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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by Richard James » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:13 pm

The 1954 grading list shows C Bridle (Wimbledon) with a grade of 4b (185-192).

A newspaper search finds C Bridle playing for Wimbledon against Ealing in a 1968 Thames Valley League match.

There are several births for Clifford Bridle of about the right age, all registered in Dorset.

David McAlister
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Re: C. Bridle : who?

Post by David McAlister » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:20 pm

Roger de Coverly wrote:
Tue Aug 17, 2021 12:31 pm

Plausibly in 1947, Bridle could have been part of the British Army occupying that part of Germany. Flensburg had been where the German government was based when it surrendered in May 1945.

I believe the occupation army was mostly young conscripts, so he may not have played much recorded chess either before or after.
The December 1947 issue of Chess at page 61 briefly covers the tournament, including the Bogoljubow game, unannotated. Bridle is described as "of B.A.O.R." which would be the British Army of the Rhine.

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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by Richard James » Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:35 pm

In a 1933 newspaper article he's referred to as Mr C Bridle of Weymouth, 18 years old, losing to Mr B Wood of Swanage (no, not that one) in the final of the county championship.

So we can identify him as the Clifford Bridle whose birth was registered in Weymouth in the first quarter of 1914, the son of George Bridle and Susan Jane Smith, who died in Dorset in 2001. An online tree gives his DOB as 11 Feb 1914.

In the 1939 Register, however, this is given incorrectly as 11 July 1914. He's living in Weymouth with his mother and brother(s?), working as a house decorator and glazier.

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by Gerard Killoran » Wed Aug 18, 2021 10:44 am

From British Zone Review: A Monthly Review of Activities in the British Zone of Germany, Volumes 2-3

1947 · ‎Snippet view

CHESS COMPETITION In an atmosphere of almost International rivalry the finals of the ... Close behind came Mr. C. Bridle of Flensburg representing Schleswig - Holstein and Mr. P. J. Unway , of Hamburg ...

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Aug 18, 2021 10:57 am

Gerard Killoran wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 10:44 am
Close behind came Mr. C. Bridle of Flensburg representing Schleswig - Holstein and Mr. P. J. Unway , of Hamburg ...
That presumably implies he was a civilian, which given his age may not be surprising.

Brian Denman
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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by Brian Denman » Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:18 am

The score of a game in which a C Bridle played White against Bruce Hayden was published in the Sussex Daily News of 21.4.1955. Unfortunately we were not told the circumstances of the game, but Bridle lost in 18 moves.

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: Cliff Bridle

Post by Gerard Killoran » Wed Aug 18, 2021 1:54 pm

Gerard Killoran wrote:
Wed Aug 18, 2021 10:44 am
From British Zone Review: A Monthly Review of Activities in the British Zone of Germany, Volumes 2-3

1947 · ‎Snippet view

CHESS COMPETITION In an atmosphere of almost International rivalry the finals of the ... Close behind came Mr. C. Bridle of Flensburg representing Schleswig - Holstein and Mr. P. J. Unway , of Hamburg ...
Is Cliff Bridle the answer to the Schleswig-Holstein question?