Stuart Milner-Barry, Messenger & Chess Player

[John Saunders]

Big thank you from me for this. We also have the top board game from the CHESS report

As far as I can see your Chess.com article only has the score of the board 2 game between Golombek and Cornforth, originally posted here by Brian Denman in 2015. No sign of top board Tylor ½-½ Alexander. Is it available somewhere else? If you have it, could you post it here, please?

Might be worth setting down the results of this match for easy reference...

OXFORD vs BLETCHLEY
1 TH Tylor ½-½ CHO'D Alexander
2 Dr JW Cornforth 1-0 H Golombek
3 Dr HG Schenk 0-1 Dr JM Aitken
4 Sir Robert Robinson 0-1 Dr IJ Good
5 Dr M J S Dewar 0-1 NA Perkins
6 Dr I Berenblum 0-1 Sgt Jacobs (US Army)
7 V Grieve 1-0 Sgt JR Gilbert
8 RCO Matthews 0-1 MA Chamberlain
9 S Ardeshir 1-0 PJ Hilton
10 JOL Roberts 0-1 WR Cox
11 ADH Bivar ½-½ D Rees
12 EC Corfield/Crossfield 0-1 Lt. A Levenson (US Army)

That's 8-4 in favour of the code-breakers.

(as per BCM, Feb 1945, p36 - EDIT - I've fixed a couple of BCM typos - the two national magazines disagree about the surname of the Oxford board 12, BCM giving 'Corfield' and CHESS giving 'Crossfield')

EDIT: I've now included this match result, with full names and known details of the players, plus the three extant games at BritBase here: https://www.saund.org.uk/britbase/pgn/1 ... iewer.html where I've got details (but no games) of the unofficial 1944 Varsity match.

Whilst I'm on the subject, I have updated some of BritBase's Varsity match files today - those relating to the years 1947 to 1952 - including commentary sent me some time ago by Leonard Barden. There are mini-biographies of several of the people who played in this match, including Dr Schenk, about whom Leonard has written at some length. I recommend you start reading at 1947, and then move forward in time from there.

[Neil Blackburn]

Big thank you from me for this. We also have the top board game from the CHESS report

As far as I can see your Chess.com article only has the score of the board 2 game between Golombek and Cornforth, originally posted here by Brian Denman in 2015. No sign of top board Tylor ½-½ Alexander. Is it available somewhere else? If you have it, could you post it here, please?

Might be worth setting down the results of this match for easy reference...

OXFORD vs BLETCHLEY
1 TH Tylor ½-½ CHO'D Alexander
2 Dr JW Cornforth 1-0 H Golombek
3 Dr HG Schenk 0-1 Dr JM Aitken
4 Sir Robert Robinson 0-1 Dr IJ Good
5 Dr M J S Dewar 0-1 NA Perkins
6 Dr I Berenblum 0-1 Sgt Jacobs (US Army)
7 V Grieve 1-0 Sgt Gilbert
8 RCO Matthews 0-1 MA Chamberlain
9 S Ardeshir 1-0 PJ Hilton
10 JOL Roberts 0-1 WR Cox
11 ADH Bivar ½-½ D Rees
12 EC Corfield 0-1 Lt. A Levinson (US Army)

That's 8-4 in favour of the code-breakers.

(as per BCM, Feb 1945, p36 - some of BCM's spelling of names could be wrong, I haven't checked)

Whilst I'm on the subject, I have updated some of BritBase's Varsity match files today - those relating to the years 1947 to 1952 - including commentary sent me some time ago by Leonard Barden. There are mini-biographies of several of the people who played in this match, including Dr Schenk, about whom Leonard has written at some length. I recommend you start reading at 1947, and then move forward in time from there.

No idea how to post pictures or game files here! Total tech muppett!! Will try to create a pgn tomorrow for you and PM it. Leave it with me - I did not post all I had in that article - was long enough as it was!
Thanks for the Varsity info - will get at it when i can - particularly interested in anything Penrose related - 'both' of them, as it may come in useful for a future project. Keep up the great work mate - big help to me. Take care. Neil.

[Neil Blackburn]

Added the game to the article. Hopefully you can take it from there mate.

[John Saunders]

Added the game to the article. Hopefully you can take it from there mate.

Thanks for that, Neil. Here's the game for the delectation of the forum. It all looks fairly routine stuff... until you switch on an engine at the end. It assesses the final position as +6 to Tylor. It's not at all obvious to the human eye (well, this old and rheumy eye, anyway) but Stockfish spots an eventual zugzwang based on a clever king march into enemy territory to menace Black's isolated kingside pawns. Well worth a look.

[Event "Oxford University v Bletchley"] [Site "Oxford"] [Date "1944.12.02"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Tylor, Theodore Henry"] [Black "Alexander, C Hugh O'D"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C42"] [PlyCount "60"] [EventDate "1944.12.02"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [WhiteTeam "Oxford University"] [BlackTeam "Bletchley"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bc4 d6 5. Nd5 Ba5 6. Nxf6+ Qxf6 7. c3 Nc6 8. O-O Bg4 9. a4 Bb6 10. b4 a5 11. b5 Nd8 12. Be2 Ne6 13. d3 O-O 14. Be3 Bc5 15. Nd2 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Qe7 17. Nb3 f5 18. Nxc5 dxc5 19. exf5 Rxf5 20. f4 Re8 21. Qg4 g6 22. fxe5 Rxe5 23. Bd2 Ng7 24. Rae1 Qe6 25. Qf3 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Qf5 27. Rxe8+ Nxe8 28. Qxf5 gxf5 29. c4 b6 30. Kf2 Ng7 {Source: Neil Blackburn, 20 November 2020} ({Intriguingly, Stockfish gives this position as +6.05 for White!} 30... Ng7 31. Kg3 $1 Ne6 32. Kh4 $1 Kf7 33. Kh5 $1 {and we're headed for an eventual zugzwang when Black will have to cede ground in some way.}) 1/2-1/2

Out of interest, what's the source for the game? Was it in CHESS Magazine?

[Neil Blackburn]

Thanks mate - no need to give me any credit!! Indeed, White looks much better at the end, but beyond my abilities to say too much!!.
The game is given, along with the Golombek game, in Chess Magazine. Great to have the Aitken game. Will add it as soon as I draw breath - been a long week.
Take care mate, and thanks for all your work archiving British chess history.

[Roger de Coverly]

5 Dr M J S Dewar 0-1 NA Perkins

NA Perkins was still active thirty years later, as I have a record of playing him at the Amersham Congress of 1976.

One could have a variant on Morphy or Fischer numbers, how many Bletchley Park people have you played? I don't think I can get past two, the other being DB Scott.