London, England (26 November 1889-January 1890)
1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 Score Prizes
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1 Wainwright • 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Cup and a badge
2 Trenchard 0 • 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 8 £3 10s 0d
3 Mundell 0 1 • 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 £2 18s 9d
4 Lowe 0 0 1 • ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1 5½ £2 9s 0d
5 Smith 0 0 1 ½ • 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 5½ £2 7s 6d
6 Guest 1 0 1 0 1 • 0 1 0 1 0 0 5 £2 4s 9d
7 Anger 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 • 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 5½ £2 3s 6d
8 Jones 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 • 0 ½ 1 0 4½ £2 1s 0d
9 Gibbons 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 • 1 0 1 5 £1 17s 6d
10 Atherly-Jones 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 ½ 0 • 1 ½ 4 £1 13s 9d
11 Clayton 0 0 0 0 0 1 ½ 0 1 0 • 1 3½ £1 10s 9d
12 Ingoldsby 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 ½ 0 • 2½ £1 2s 9d
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Format: 20 moves/hour, single round robin
Note: Table reconstructed (see below).
Introduction
The committee of the British Chess Association has accepted Captain Beaumont's offer of £50 towards the tournament funds, and have agreed to his condition that the National Masters' Tournament be played under the Sonneborn-Berger system. The Masters' Tournament begins on November 7th. The tournament for the Amateur Championship and the Cup presented by Mr. G. Newnews, M.P., also the competition for Professor Ruskin's Prize, will be played apart from the Masters' Tournament, beginning on November 21st. Prizes for both competitions will be assessed according to the "Berger system." (1)
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Amateur Championship Tournament, for the Newnes B. C. A. Challenge Cup, to commence on Thursday, November 21st. Open to amateurs, members of the B. C. A. Entrance Fee, £1; Deposit, £1 10s. (the amateur champion for the year to be exempt from entrance fee and deposit). First Prize: The B. C. A. Challenge Cup and a champion's badge. The amount of the entrance fees, £1 each, will be supplemented by an equal amount by the B. C. A. The total to be divided as in the Masters' Tournament. (2)
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The Amateur Championship Tournament for the Newnes' Challenge Cup of the B.C.A. commenced on Tuesday, the main conditions being, three games to be completed per week; twenty moves per hour; morning play optional; evening play compulsory; entrance fee, £1, the B.C.A. adding an amount equal to the total of the entrance fees, and the whole to be divided according to the Sonneborn-Berger system, the same as in the Masters' Tournament. The management had the greatest difficulty to let the team start. Most of the gentlemen who entered are engaged on different days, and at different times; however, a commencement was made at last on Tuesday, plays days being Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The following are the competitors: F. Anger, A. Clayton, A. Guest (the present holder of the cup), T. E (sic). Gibbons, W. I. Ingoldsby, L. A. Atherly-Jones, M.P., E. O. Jones, H. F. Lowe, W. H. A. Mundell, Dr. S. F. Smith, H. W. Trenchard, and G. E. Wainwright. (3)
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The first prize in this contest was decided on Thursday evening, when Mr Wainwright played the last game with Mr Anger, and won it. Mr Wainwright becomes now the amateur champion and the holder of the Championship Cup of the B.C.A. for 1890—a proud distinction, but thoroughly deserved. Mr Wainwright lost only one game, and Mr Guest, the present holder of the cup, although outstripped this time, has the satisfaction of having inflicted upon Mr Wainwright the single defeat he sustained. At the conclusion of the tournament, we shall recur to the subject. (4)
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This contest will probably be concluded before Christmas, as only a few more games have to be played. Messrs Guest and Anger, however, are rather backward, both being busy at this time of year. Mr Guest has a game pending with Mr Ingoldsby, which was adjourned twice. (5)
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No progress, materially altering the score given last week, has been made since in this contest, owing to the Christmas holidays. (6)
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Second place is yet undecided, but it seems to lie between Mr. Guest and Mr. Trenchard. (7)
Conclusion
The Amateur Championship.
To "The Evening News and Post."
Sir—We, the undersigned, beg to call your attention to the manner in which the Amateur Championship Tournament of the British Chess Association is conducted. In the tournament of 1889 occurred the following unbusiness-like proceedings:
1. Though by the rules a deposit was required (to ensure that each competitor should play all his games) those who refused to pay it were allowed to enter.
2. One competitor was allowed to enter after the tournament had commenced, and the first game had been played. This necessitated a fresh draw for the move, and in consequence one player had the second move three times oftener than the first.
3. The contest was a go-as-you-please, play-when-you-like one, extending over about two months. This was a strong inducement to provincial players who value their time.
4. The deposit of one player who had played all his games was not returned to him until the tournament of the following year.
5. The prize money for that year, 1889, has not yet been paid. This tournament ought to be a national event. It is not surprising that the strongest amateurs hold aloof from a contest conducted in such a slovenly matter.—We are, &c.,
S. F. Smith, T. C. Gibbons, E. O. Jones, A. Clayton.
City Chess Club, Newgate-street, E. C. (8)
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British Chess Association.—The following is the division according to the Sonneborn-Berger system of the prizes in the Amateur Championship tournament, held in connection with the National Tournament of the B.C.A., 1889.
Mr Anger, £2 3s 6d; Mr Clayton, £1 10s 9d; Mr Gibbons, £1 17s 6d; Mr Guest, £2 4s 9d; Mr A. Jones, £1 13s 9d; Mr E. O. Jones, £2 1s 0d; Mr Ingoldsby, £1 2s 9d; Mr Lowe, £2 9s 0d; Mr Mundell, £2 18s 9d; Mr Smith, £2 7s 6d; Mr Trenchard, £3 10s 0d. (9)
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The division of the prizes in the Amateur Championship Tournament of 1889, held in connection with the British Chess Association National contet, has just been announced as follows, the division being calculated on the Sonneborn-Berger System:
Mr. Trenchard £3 10s 0d; Mr. Mundell £2 18s 9d; Mr. Lowe £2 9s 0d; Mr. Smith £2 7s 6d; Mr. Guest £2 4s 9d; Mr. Anger £2 3s 6d; Mr. E. O. Jones £2 1s 0d; Mr. Gibbons £1 17s 6d; Mr. A. Jones £1 12s (sic) 9d; Mr. Clayton £1 10s 0d; Mr. Ingoldsby £1 2s 9d.
It must not be supposed that the Sonneborn-Berger system of awarding the prize money is of so complicated a character as to account for the long delay in making the award, other considerations are answerable for that, and there is no knowing how much longer the decision would have been delayed had not a latter on the subject ben published in the "Evening News and Post." It is very much to be regretted that the British Chess Association makes such a muddle of its Amateur Championship contests. if they are not profitable enough to ensure proper attention why not hand them over to some one with a little public spirit? (10)
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British Chess Association.—The following is the division according to the Sonneborn-Berger system of the prizes in the Amateur Championship Tournament, held in connection with the National Tournament of the B. C. A., 1889.
Mr. Anger, £2 3s 6d; Mr. Clayton, £1 10s 9d; Mr. Gibbons, £1 17s 6d; Mr. Guest, £2 4s 9d; Mr. A. Jones, £1 13s 4d (sic); Mr. E. O. Jones, £2 1s 0d; Mr. Ingoldsby, £1 2s 9d; Mr. Lowe, £2 9s 0d; Mr. Mundell, £2 18s 9d; Mr. Smith, £2 7s 6d; Mr. Trenchard, £3 10s 0d. (11)
Table Reconstruction
The table given above was constructed using the last published table (below), coupled with the prize distributions (as final rankings), and then the Sonneborn-Berger system was used to find the "best fit" for the eleven missing results that would best generate those final rankings.
The following cross table is the last one published during the event. Atherly-Jones was given a "0" against Mundell, but Mundell was given a "…" against Atherly-Jones, in the version published in the Field. (5)(7)(12)
1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 Score
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1 Anger • ½ ½ … 1 … 1 ½ … … 0 0 3½
2 Clayton ½ • 1 … … 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2½
3 Gibbons ½ 0 • 1 1 1 1 ½ 0 0 0 0 5
4 Guest … … 0 • 1 1 … … 1 … 0 1 4
5 Atherly-Jones 0 … 0 0 • ½ ½ 1 … 1 0 0 3
6 Jones … 1 0 0 ½ • 0 1 0 0 1 0 3½
7 Ingoldsby 0 0 0 … ½ 1 • 0 … 0 0 0 1½
8 Lowe ½ 1 ½ … 0 0 1 • 1 ½ 0 0 4½
9 Mundell … 1 1 0 … 1 … 0 • 0 1 0 4
10 Smith … 1 1 … 0 1 1 ½ 1 • 0 0 5½
11 Trenchard 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 • 0 8
12 Wainwright 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 • 10
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Sources
(1) British Chess Magazine, v9 n11, November 1889, p413
(2) Chess-Monthly, v11 n3, November 1889, p68
(3) London Field, 1889.11.30, p779
(4) London Field, 1889.12.14, p854
(5) London Field, 1889.12.21, p884 (cross table)
(6) London Field, 1889.12.28, p907
(7) British Chess Magazine, v10 n1, January 1890, p4 (cross table)
(8) London Evening News and Post, 1891.04.11, p4
(9) London Field, 1891.04.18, p588
(10) Chess Player's Chronicle, v12 n415, 18 April 1891, p18
(11) Chess-Monthly, v12 n9, May 1891, p259
(12) Chess-Monthly, v11 n4, December 1889, p103 (cross table)
Kibitzing
