Dr. Lovegrove was the winner of the final Pillsbury National Correspondence Tournament. In 1891 he won a match from Joseph Redding, who claimed the Championship of the Pacific Coast, by a score of 7-1. Max Judd, who was prominent in national chess circles, visited San Francisco about the same time,and Dr. Lovegrove won six games out of seven in casual play. The American champion, J.W.Showalter, also visited San Francisco, and although he had the edge over Dr. Lovegrove in casual play, lost no less than 12 games to him out of about 30 played.

In 1893 Dr. Lovegrove visited Los Angeles, where he met and conquered Simon Lipshutz by a score of 3 1/2-1/2. The American Championship was in a rather foggy state in those days, but technically, the present writer believes, Lipshutz was still the champion, by virtue of his decisive win over Showalter, by a 10 1/2-4 1/2 margin, in their match of 1892. However, one must admit that Dr. Lovegrove's victory over Lipshutz must be weighed with caution because of the very uncertain nature of the champion's health. Lipshutz was a chronic sufferer from tuberculosis, which caused him premature death at the age of 42.

Dr. Lovegrove beat Van Vliet in London, 1912, in the only game played; he beat Taubenhaus in Paris in the same year, 10-1. In Vienna, 1922, playing as usual for a dollar a game, he won one game and lost one to Dr. Tartakower - who said he did not care to play Lovegrove any more because he couldn't make a living that way. In 1902 he played Dr. Emanuel Lasker a stake game in San Francisco; the champion of the world tried to win a drawn game, and lost. Again, in 1904, an exhibition game was won by Dr. Lovegrove against the American champion, Harry Pillsbury. Pillsbury grabbed a pawn, allowing Dr. Lovegrove to obtain a crushing King-side attack.

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Walter Romaine Lovegrove
October 24, 1869 - July 18 1956

Born in San Francisco, graduated from the University of California Dental college, married Elsie May (nee Zeile). He died in San Francisco, California with his cremains lay to rest at the Woodlawn Memorial Park.

The Los Angeles Times, Chess by Isaac Kashdan, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, September 09, 1956, p. 44

Dr. Lovegrove Dies
Dr. Walter R. Lovegrove, master emeritus of the United States Chess Federation, and for many years one of the leading players in San Francisco, died there last month at the age of 86. Dr. Lovegrove learned the game by studying the article on chess in the Encyclopedia Britannica. He soon became one of the strongest players in the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club in San Francisco. Dr. H. J. Ralston has compiled a list of the chessic achievements of Dr. Lovegrove. The following are among the most notable: In 1891 he won a match from Joseph Redding, who claimed the Pacific Coast championship, by a score of 7-1. He beat Max Judd, prominent New York player, by 6-1. The American champion, J. W. Showalter, played some 30 games with Dr. Lovegrove on a visit to San Francisco, and lost 12 of the games. In 1893, on a visit to Los Angeles, Dr. Lovegrove won by 3½-½ from Simon Lipschutz, who had also held the American championship. In 1902 the world champion, Dr. Emanuel Lasker, visited San Francisco and played an exhibition match game with Dr. Lovegrove. This should have resulted in a draw, but Dr. Lasker tried for a win and lost the endgame after some problemlike play. Dr. Lovegrove won another exhibition game in 1904 from Harry N. Pillsbury, the great American master who at the time was considered most likely to succeed as world champion. This was an exciting game in which Pillsbury obtained an early advantage, then resorted to pawn-grabbing. Dr. Lovegrove started a king-side attack which he carried through to a forceful finish.