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H E Atkins 
 
Henry Ernest Atkins
Number of games in database: 62
Years covered: 1897 to 1935
Overall record: +27 -17 =18 (58.1%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (6) 
    C66 C83 C79 C65 C73
 Queen's Indian (4) 
    E12 E16
 Orthodox Defense (4) 
    D55 D51 D60
With the Black pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (8) 
    C63 C88 C84 C82 C70
 Orthodox Defense (4) 
    D53 D64 D51
 Sicilian (4) 
    B45 B29 B40 B34
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   H E Atkins vs W Gibson, 1924 1-0
   Tartakower vs H E Atkins, 1922 0-1
   H E Atkins vs Blackburne, 1909 1-0
   H E Atkins vs Gunsberg, 1902 1-0

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HENRY ERNEST ATKINS
(born Aug-20-1872, died Jan-31-1955) United Kingdom

[what is this?]
Henry Ernest Atkins was born on the 20th of August 1872 in Leicester, England. He joined the Leicester Chess Club in 1882. By age 17, he was champion of Leicester. He was retrospectively awarded the IM title in 1950 based on his pre-war record. In the British Championship which he contested 11 times he won the event 9 times viz 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1924 and 1925. In his first attempt in 1904 he finished 1st= with William Ewart Napier but lost the play-off and in his last appearance in 1937 he was 3rd= at 65 years of age! His international career was made up by just six events. In the Hastings 1895 minor tournament he finished 2nd= behind Geza Maroczy. In 1899 he won the Amsterdam tourney by a whopping 4 points. In the Hanover 1902 tournament he was 3rd behind David Janowski and Harry Nelson Pillsbury and ahead of Frank James Marshall and Mikhail Chigorin amongst others. He was 10th out of 16 at London 1922 and also represented the British Chess Federation in the Olympiads of 1927 and 1935. He graduated from Cambridge and taught mathematics at Northampton and Wyggeston. In 1909, he was appointed Principal of Huddersfield College. He passed away in Huddersfield in 1955.

 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 62  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. H E Atkins vs Burn 1-046 1897 WoodhallC26 Vienna
2. H E Atkins vs D Bleykmans  1-044 1899 AmsterdamA84 Dutch
3. J D Tresling vs H E Atkins  0-132 1899 Amsterdam TournamentC66 Ruy Lopez
4. Von Popiel vs H E Atkins 1-037 1902 HanoverB45 Sicilian, Taimanov
5. H E Atkins vs Mieses  ½-½17 1902 HanoverD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
6. H Suechting vs H E Atkins  ½-½22 1902 HanoverC63 Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense
7. H E Atkins vs Marshall 1-030 1902 HanoverD32 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch
8. Chigorin vs H E Atkins  ½-½65 1902 HanoverC50 Giuoco Piano
9. Sherrard vs H E Atkins  1-031 1902 British ChampionshipC42 Petrov Defense
10. Olland vs H E Atkins  0-146 1902 HanoverC70 Ruy Lopez
11. Marshall vs H E Atkins 0-136 1902 ENG v USAD53 Queen's Gambit Declined
12. H E Atkins vs A M Levin 1-032 1902 HanoverD55 Queen's Gambit Declined
13. W Napier vs H E Atkins  ½-½28 1902 HanoverD53 Queen's Gambit Declined
14. J Mason vs H E Atkins  0-142 1902 HanoverC50 Giuoco Piano
15. Janowski vs H E Atkins  ½-½100 1902 HanoverC84 Ruy Lopez, Closed
16. H Wolf vs H E Atkins  ½-½57 1902 HanoverC63 Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense
17. W Cohn vs H E Atkins  0-145 1902 HanoverC49 Four Knights
18. H E Atkins vs Gunsberg 1-09 1902 HannoverD21 Queen's Gambit Accepted
19. H E Atkins vs Pillsbury 0-142 1902 HanoverC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
20. H E Atkins vs Von Gottschall 1-031 1902 HanoverD55 Queen's Gambit Declined
21. H E Atkins vs Von Bardeleben  1-037 1902 HanoverD24 Queen's Gambit Accepted
22. H E Atkins vs Swiderski ½-½34 1902 HanoverD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
23. Marshall vs H E Atkins 1-031 1903 ENG v USAD10 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
24. H Jacobs vs H E Atkins  0-148 1904 HastingsC29 Vienna Gambit
25. H E Atkins vs Sherrard  1-031 1905 British Chess ChampionshipC42 Petrov Defense
 page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 62  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Atkins wins | Atkins loses  
 

Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-13-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: Henry Ernest Atkins (1872-1955), was one of the most prolific British Champions, and perhaps the top British player during the first quarter of the 20th century, but his dedication to pursue a career in teaching led to few international appearances. At the age of 17 was already champion of the Leicestershire Chess Club, and he continued to play chess at Cambridge University where he read mathematics. During these four years he only lost one game. On leaving Cambridge he went into teaching but continued to play chess.

At the first Hastings Chess Congress he became British Amateur Champion, a title he retained for several years. He remained a full time mathematics teacher and was described as: "standing with the other masters at the foot of the platform in the hall at morning prayers, a pale withdrawn figure with a high forehead, gown gathered round his folded arms, and appearing to us boys to be working out some new opening gambit."

In 1904,Atkins entered the British Chess Championship and finished behind William E Napier In 1905, however, he was a clear winner. In 1912 he retired from competitive chess, only returning in 1924 (taking the British title then and the next year), so making 9 titles in all:

1905 Southport
1906 Shrewsbury
1907 London
1908 Tunbridge Wells
1909 Scarborough
1910 Oxford
1911 Glasgow
1924 Southport
1925 Stratford on Avon

His international career was limited, but his two continental appearances were successful. In 1899 in Amsterdam he won every game in a 16 strong field, and in 1902 at a Hanover Congress of World Masters he only lost twice and came third. Apart from that he was restricted to the Anglo-American cable matches for international practice.

Dec-13-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: Atkins also performed reasonbly well at London in 1922. Lasker thought Atkins would have entered the World's elite if he hadn't remained an amateur.
Feb-08-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  fred lennox: Atkins is the Capablanca of England in simplicity and iron logic.
May-22-04   capanegra: "Who was the strongest British chess player? Not, I think, Howard Staunton, despite the claims that have been made for him as world champion of his age. The opposition he encountered was not particularly formidable, nor was he in fact at his best for very long. Joseph Henry Blackburne certainly achieved the most in the way of tournament successes; and if tournament success is the criterion, then one must award the palm to him. Meanwhile I am convinced that the strongest player was none of these, but that the Yorkshire schoolmaster, Henry Ernest Atkins, was our best player. Of him alone in British chess could it be truly said that he had the makings of a world champion."

"He was an amateur whose profession was teaching, and he was no prepared to give up more than a certain amount of his holidays to playing chess. In consequence, in a playing span of some fifty-odd years, he took part in only five international tournaments: these were Amsterdam 1899, Hanover 1902, London 1922 and the two international team tournaments of London 1927 and Warsaw 1935. Few enough in all conscience, but sufficient to gain him on the Continent the title of 'the little Steinitz'. Partly this was a reference to his prowess as a player, and partly this was a description of his style of play; for he was much influenced by Wilhelm Steinitz, and played a type of game that the great Bohemian would have commended." –Harry Golombek (1963)

Dec-21-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: Henry Ernest Atkins
Born 20th August 1872 in Leicester
Died 31st January 1955 in Huddersfield
He won the British amateur championship
in 1895, 1897 and 1900.
He won the British championship in 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 (after playoff), 1910, 1911 (after playoff), 1924, and 1925. He was also 1st= in 1904 but lost the playoff.
Nov-22-05   capanegra: <In 1899 in Amsterdam he won every game in a 16 strong field> Here is Atkins' perfect score in Amsterdam 1899:

http://xoomer.virgilio.it/cserica/s...

May-08-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Nasruddin Hodja: <Chessgames.com>: there seems to be another error here, unless Henry Ernest Atkins played his 1994 correspondence game with Don Wedding (last on his list of games) by way of a seance. Could it be another player named Atkins? Please check it out.
Aug-14-07   TheGadge: According to Chessmetrics, Mr Atkins achieved a rating of 2702 and number 6 in the world, albeit briefly, in 1902. Who knows what success this amateur may have encountered if things were different. It's tragic that so little is known or written about someone who may have been Britain's greatest ever player. Aleister Crowley claims that Atkins was the only person to have beaten him! Must have been bloody good to have conquered that stare
Aug-20-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  brankat: A very interesting character and chess master, Mr.Atkins. I wish there was more written about him material available, but at least we have a few dozens of games E.Atkins had left us.
Dec-25-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  whiteshark: He looks like he kept to an Atkins diet.
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