Mieses in Scotland - 1934

The veteran Jacques Mieses [27-02-1865 to 23-02-1954] made a short, but significant, visit to Scotland in November. His first engagement was at Glasgow CC, his first visit to the city since 1900.

On Friday, 2 November he played 18 boards simultaneously at Glasgow Chess Club. After more than three hours' play, Mieses had won 14 games, drew 3 (J. Birch, J. Macdonald and P.D. Walker), and lost 1 to L.N. Ponce. (The last named was Consul for Ecuador in Scotland. He was active in Glasgow chess circles for a few years before being transferred to Washington, D.C.)

On the Saturday, Mieses played two simultaneous consultation games against teams headed respectively by Murray and Nichol and by McGibbon and Ponce. Both were drawn.

Murray and Allies - Mieses [A34]
Glasgow, 03.11.1934
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Be2 e6 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.0-0 Be7 9.d4 Be6 10.Bb5 0-0 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Ne4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Bd7 14.Qf3 Rb8 15.Nf5 Bxf5 16.Qxf5 Bf6 17.Nxf6+ Qxf6 18.Qxf6 Nxf6 19.b3 Rfe8 20.Be3 a6 21.Rac1 Rbc8 22.Rfe1 Nd5 23.Bd2 Kf8 24.Kf1 Rxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Re8 26.Rxe8+ Kxe8 27.Ke2 Kd7 28.Kd3 Kd6 29.a3 f5 30.g3 Nf6 31.f3 Kd5 32.Bc3 Ne8 33.f4 g6 34.Be5 c5 35.h3 Nd6 36.Bxd6 Kxd6 37.Kc4 h5 38.b4 cxb4 39.Kxb4 h4 40.gxh4 Kd5 41.Ka5 Ke4 42.Kxa6 Kxf4 43.Kb6 Kg3 ½-½

Mieses - McGibbon and Allies [C01]
Glasgow, 03.11.1934
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Be3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.Nc3 c6 7.Qd2 0-0 8.Nge2 Qc7 9.0-0-0 Na6 10.Bxa6 bxa6 11.Bf4 Rb8 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.Nf4 Qb4 14.b3 Qa3+ 15.Kb1 Bf5 16.Nd3 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Rb6 18.f3 a5 19.Ka1 Rfb8 20.Na4 Rb4 21.Rb1 Nd7 22.Rhe1 R4b5 23.Qe3 Qd6 24.Qe7 Qxe7 25.Rxe7 R5b7 26.Rbe1 Kf8 27.Nb2 Nf6 28.Rxb7 Rxb7 29.Kb1 Re7 30.Rxe7 Kxe7 31.a4 Kd6 32.Nd3 Nd7 33.Kc1 c5 34.Nxc5 Nxc5 35.dxc5+ Kxc5 36.Kd2 d4 37.Kd3 f5 38.g4 g6 ½-½

MATCH WITH FAIRHURST
During his short stay, Mieses also played short match of 3 games with W.A. Fairhurst, the strongest player in Scotland. The first two games were played privately, and the third was played in Glasgow CC on Monday, 5 November.

Fairhurst,W.A - Mieses,J [D45]
Match (1) 1934
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 Nbd7 8.e4 Bb4 9.e5 Ne4 10.Qc2 Qa5 11.Qxe4 Bxc3+ 12.Ke2 Nb6 13.Bd3 Na4 [this score was entered from Fairhurst's own notebooks and this is the 13th move shown. The Glasgow Herald gives 13...Nd5] 14.Qg4 f5 15.Qxg7 Rf8 16.bxc3 Nxc3+ 17.Kf1 Nd5 18.Bh6 1-0

Mieses,J - Fairhurst,W.A. [B23]
Match (2) 1934
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nge2 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Be3 c4 7.g3 Bb4 8.Bg2 Nge7 9.0-0 Bf5 10.a3 Bxc3 11.Nxc3 Qd7 12.b3 cxb3 13.cxb3 Na5 14.b4 Nc4 15.Qe2 Nb6 16.Rfe1 0-0 17.a4 a5 18.b5 Be6 19.Nb1 Rfc8 20.Nd2 Nc4 21.Nxc4 Rxc4 22.Rec1 Rac8 23.Rxc4 Rxc4 24.Qe1 b6 25.Bf1 Rc8 26.Rc1 Nf5 ½-½

Mieses,J - Fairhurst,W.A. [B23]
Match (3) 5 Nov. 1934
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nge2 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.dxc5 d4 7.Ne4 Qd5 8.N2g3 Bxc5 9.Nxc5 Qxc5 10.Bd3 Nge7 11.0-0 0-0 12.a3 a5 13.Re1 Be6 14.Bd2 Rfe8 15.c3 dxc3 16.Bxc3 Rad8 17.Rc1 Qg5 18.Qc2 Ng6 19.Rcd1 Bg4 20.f3 Be6 21.Bf5 Rxd1 22.Qxd1 Rd8 23.Qc2 Bxf5 24.Qxf5 Qxf5 25.Nxf5 f6 ½-½

EDINBURGH
Mieses went on to Edinburgh CC after his visit to Glasgow. He drew against Simpson and Foster in consultation, and was defeated by Simpson playing alone. In a simultaneous display on 17 boards on Tuesday, 6 November he won 13 games, drew 3, against Fraser, Macdonald and Sandridge, and lost 1 game to AJD Lothian. [The Scotsman of 7 November states that the 3 draws were with D. Simpson, J. Macdonald and J. Fraser.]

All-in-all, a fine effort by the well-liked Master, who was approaching his 70th birthday.

Sources:
Glasgow Herald columns of November 3, 10 and 17.

Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotland