Britbase Updates

Historical knowledge and information regarding our great game.
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John Saunders
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by John Saunders » Tue Jul 12, 2022 2:56 am

Many thanks, Gerard. I've now added those scores to the relevant files at BritBase.

The Craker-Fletcher game inspired me to add more detail about the junior championships held in 1947...

https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/1 ... iewer.html

... including Leonard's battle with Jonathan Penrose for the Boys' Under-18 title.

Coincidentally Richard James and I were discussing Lesley Fletcher the other day. He told me that she was the daughter of Leslie Elliott Fletcher (1902-1983), né Leslie Elliott Britton, who wrote the book Gambits Accepted: A Study of Opening Sacrifices (Routledge & Kegan Paul, London 1954) under the name L. Elliott Fletcher. His daughter also went by the name Lesley Elliott-Fletcher. Her dates were 1932-1982. Her full name was Jean Lesley Mary Elliott-Fletcher, and she eventually married a chessplayer called Robert Hans Pinner. Jean Craker's full name was Jean Pamela Margaret Craker. Perhaps there should be a competition to find the chess player with the most forenames, or longest name. Women seem to receive more forenames than men. Other contenders are Mary Araluen Elizabeth Anne Henniker-Heaton and Edith Maud Eleanor John Goodacre. You could lose on time just writing some of these names on a scoresheet. Needless to say, none of these names fit into the requisite field on ChessBase.
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Neil Blackburn
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Neil Blackburn » Tue Jul 12, 2022 5:25 pm

MJMcCready wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 10:14 pm
Gerard Killoran wrote:
Sat Apr 16, 2022 1:57 pm
I thought I'd start a thread devoted to supplying games and other information relevant to John Saunders and the Britbase website.

To kick off, here's a smooth win by B. H. Wood. Who knew failure to castle could prove disastrous?

Even in the 70s Baruch was a very strong player I seem to remember.
Yes he was!!🤣. Utterly murdered me - with Black. Sadly I no longer have my own games, but recalled the story in my blog on him.

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Gerard Killoran » Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:16 pm

The Kentish Express provides these two. S. G. Howell-Smith appears to have been a spitiualist.




Kevin Thurlow
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Kevin Thurlow » Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:51 pm

"S. G. Howell-Smith appears to have been a spitiualist."

I hope the reverend managed to forgive him...

Nick Grey
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Nick Grey » Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:47 pm

so 1947 Harrogate poorly organised British and never again?

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John Saunders
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by John Saunders » Wed Jul 13, 2022 2:15 am

Thanks for the two new games, Gerard. Duly added to the Britbase files for 1919 and 1920.

I've been refreshing some of the mid-1980s files, replacing the links to zipped PGN downloads (which was how BritBase started life in the 1990s) with pages featuring a games viewer, crosstables and other info as well as a download feature. In the process I've added a few new items. Navigate to the 1980s page and then have a look at the files between 1983 and 1986 which have posting dates of the last few days. I don't always advertise such routine 'spring cleaning' work on the What's New page.

I've also been adding a few more old photos here and there. As we're coming up to a Olympiad, I thought it was time BritBase featured the very first one in London in 1927, and found a photo of the first day which doesn't look too bad after colourisation. Alongside the 1927 Olympiad was the first FIDE Women's World Championship, played as part of the general BCF Congress which went on in a room adjoining the Olympiad. Once again I found a couple of photos to go with it, though not one of the eventual runaway winner, Vera Menchik. The one I have colourised I soon realised was a posed photo, not that it matters. The other one is of the lady who finished a dismal last. I guess the press photographers just took photos of people at random and had no idea who the front-runners were. If I had been consulted earlier, I could have told them who to point their cameras at... :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Roger de Coverly
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Roger de Coverly » Wed Jul 13, 2022 9:42 am

John Saunders wrote:
Wed Jul 13, 2022 2:15 am
thought it was time BritBase featured the very first one in London in 1927
Some bizarre scheduling by today's standards even those of fifty years ago.

At 9-30 a.m., on Monday, July 25th, the ninth round was commenced, but most of the games were'adjourned at 12-30 until Tuesday morning.
Perhaps there was some other event using the building in the afternoon and evening

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Gerard Killoran » Fri Jul 22, 2022 2:16 pm

From the chess column of the Birmingham Weekly Mercury edited, I guess from how often his wins were published, by William Ritson Morry.

In his game with Rupert Cross, 32...Rxe2 turned out OK, but what did both players miss?








GrahamStuart
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by GrahamStuart » Fri Jul 22, 2022 6:12 pm

John Saunders wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:24 pm
A few more elderly grading lists have just found their way onto BritBase and elsewhere... (link to these and other such documents).

The 1970 Grading List - grades down to 185 (or around Elo 2080 in our new four-figure world). Featured a dramatic re-entry into the 'charts' for Leonard Barden (I'm beginning to sound like Alan Freeman on Pick of the Pops).

The 1971 Grading List: actually, this one's not located at BritBase but I was notified of its existence at the excellent IRLchess.com website by Sean Coffey. I've put in a link at BritBase so you can always find it that way.

The 1972 Grading List: also at IRLchess.com.

The 1974 Grading List, at BritBase.

Lots of scope for trips down memory lane. You will note that I've tried to supply at least one forename for players in the 1970 and 1974 lists but a few of them are still holding out. If anyone can fill in the missing forenames, do please contribute them here.
Taking inspiration of the fantastic pdf's from John I have scanned the Westward HO! magazines I have from the Hampshire Chess Archives, which cover the 1970's and 1980's. I think these ran from the 1960's to the early 2000's and if anyone have any I don't have it would be great to make all available in pdf format.

These also include the WECU Chess grades, but also cover the WECU County Matches as well as articles / games etc.

https://www.hampshirechesshistory.com/post/westward-ho

Also for when I migrate the site I have added to the WordPress one as my current site is a bit restrictive. This is a work in progress site, but this page is unlikely to change much.
https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/202 ... stward-ho/

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John Saunders
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by John Saunders » Fri Jul 22, 2022 10:33 pm

Some excellent new material from Gerard and Graham. Thanks, chaps. I'm currently on holiday so it will be a few days before BritBase next gets updated.
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Neil Graham
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Neil Graham » Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:10 am

Some missing forenames:-

1970 :- John R Wilkinson (186)
Alan Cockcroft (185)

1974 :- Jeff Horner (203)
Andrew N Walker (200)
Michael A Walker (200)
Ronald J Clunie (192)
Michael Smith (190)
Peter Sharp (188)
Paul Hare (187)
Ronald Spurgeon (187)
Paul Curtis (185)

David Sedgwick
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Jul 23, 2022 1:08 am

Gerard Killoran wrote:
Fri Jul 22, 2022 2:16 pm
From the chess column of the Birmingham Weekly Mercury edited, I guess from how often his wins were published, by William Ritson Morry.

In his game with Rupert Cross, 32...Rxe2 turned out OK, but what did both players miss?
One of those which is much easier to spot when you know that there is something there.

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Gerard Killoran
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by Gerard Killoran » Fri Jul 29, 2022 8:40 pm

Another Hastings game, followed by some Bernard Cafferty games I think are not in the database. Apologies in advance for any duplicates.










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MJMcCready
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by MJMcCready » Sun Jul 31, 2022 5:08 pm

Thanks for all the updates. Great site and ever improving. Bernard Cafferty was a huge follower of Soviet chess wasn't he?

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John Saunders
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Re: Britbase Updates

Post by John Saunders » Fri Aug 05, 2022 3:06 am

Neil Graham wrote:
Sat Jul 23, 2022 12:10 am
Some missing forenames:-

1970 :- John R Wilkinson (186)
Alan Cockcroft (185)

1974 :- Jeff Horner (203)
Andrew N Walker (200)
Michael A Walker (200)
Ronald J Clunie (192)
Michael Smith (190)
Peter Sharp (188)
Paul Hare (187)
Ronald Spurgeon (187)
Paul Curtis (185)
Thanks for this info, Neil. I have applied the amendments, converting the 1974 Grading List file from PDF into HTML in the process.

The one thing I haven't changed is the forename for J. E. Horner, graded 203. Jeff Horner appears at 222 on the list so I was wondering if there were two J Horners (father and son?) - or is this a duplicate record?
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