1. Atkins 8.5
2-3. Blackburne 7.5
2-3. Yates 7.5
4-5. Blake 6.5
4-5. Wainwright 6.5
6-7. Colman 5.0
6-7. Hughes 5.0
8-9. Gibson 4.5
8-9. Lewis 4.5
10-11. F. S. Smith 4.0
10-11. Dr. S. F. Smith 4.0
12. Brown 2.5

Nine times chess champion of England

Mr. H. E. Atkins head master of Huddersfield College, but perhaps better known as an international chess player, is to retire at the end of this year, after 22 year's service. He has been nine time chess champion of England

When only 15 he joined Leicester Chess Club, and never lost match for many years. In 1899 he made his first appearance the Continent as an International player, and won every match the tournament in Amsterdam. [1]

From 1906 to 1912 he won the British Championship every year,[2] and played many games for Great Britain against America by cable. In August of last year he represented England an international tournament Warsaw. He has been a member of Huddersfield Chess Club for many years.

Last Monday played 12 opponents at once at the Lindley club's opening night, and won every game. Mr Atkins became head master of Huddersfield College 28 years ago. Before that was a master at Wyggeston School Leicester. He has not decided yet whether be will leave Huddersfield or not during his retirement."

Source: <Yorkshire Evening Post - Wednesday 7th October 1936, page 13.>

[1]. Amsterdam (1899)

[2]. His six victories were:

1905 Southport
1906 Shrewsbury
1907 London
1908 Tunbridge Wells
1909 Scarborough
1910 Oxford
1911 Glasgow

and then twice in a row at

Mr. Atkins was born in 1872 at Leicester, where he as a schoolboy of 12, first became interested chess. Three years later he joined the Leicester Chess Club. and his progress was so rapid that when when he 17 he was playing top board. In 1890 he entered Peterhouse College, Cambridge, and during his four years’ residence there he played a large number of matches, losing only one game.

Mr. Atkins’ excellent performance at Hastings in 1895, where he won his section and finally came out third, Maroczy being first and Lomas second, gave him the title of Amateur British Champion, as first and second man were debarred by nationality from holding that proud position. Four years later, in 1899 Mr. Atkins made his first apperanace in Continental chess at the Amsterdam International Amateur Tournament, where succeeded in defeating every one of his fifteen opponents. Perhaps Mr. Atkins' finest achievement was at Hanover in 1902, where in tournament confined to the world's masters he came out third with 11 1/2 points. Pillsbury (13 1/2) and Janowsky (12).

Below the Englishman were such masters as Mieses, Napier, Tchigorin. Marshall, Gunsberg, Wolff, Bardeleben and Mason. Mr. Atkins has played in nine of the cable matches with America, and can show a score of 4 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. In the British Chesa Federation Congresss he tied with Napier at Hastings in 1904 and lost the play-off the odd game. Since then, however, he has won the Championship every year with highly commendable regularity. Mr. Atkins' quiet and modest demeanour, combined with gentle geniality, has won him host of friends, and during his residence in Northampton as Mathematical Master at the Grammar School he took so great an interest in local chess that his influence is felt even now. He was greatly missed when left here for the Wyggeston School, Leicester. Now, however, Mr. Atkins is Headmaster of Huddersfield Grammar School, and has become a tower of strength to the local chess club. Happy institution!"

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Be3 Bg7 8.Qd2 Qa5 9. Rc1 O-O 10. d5 Rd8 11. Bd3 c4 12. Bxc4 Nc6 13. Bb3 Ne5 14. Ne2 b5 15. O-O Ba6 16. f4 Ng4 17. Bd4 e5 18. dxe6 Rxd4 19. Nxd4 b4 20. cxb4 Qb6 21. Rfd1 Be2 22. exf7+ Kh8 23. h3 Bxd1 24. Rxd1 Nh6 25. Qf2 Rd8 26. e5 Qxb4 27. Ne6 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 Qb1 29. Qd4 1-0

So when I read that, I looked the chap up here and on his first page clicked on the DCA Congress 27th (1899) tournament. What a shocker! He scored 15/15!

<The difficulty of the examinations is illustrated by the identities of some of those who have performed well, but less well than the Senior Wrangler.

Those who have achieved second place, known as Second Wranglers, include Alfred Marshall, James Clerk Maxwell, J. J. Thomson, Lord Kelvin, William Clifford, and William Whewell.

Those who have finished between third and 12th include Karl Pearson and William Henry Bragg (third), George Green and G. H. Hardy (fourth), Adam Sedgwick (fifth), John Venn (sixth), Bertrand Russell and Nevil Maskelyne (seventh), Thomas Malthus (ninth), and John Maynard Keynes (12th).>