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GLASGOW CONGRESS
The First 20 Years
1962 - 1st Glasgow Congress
The First Annual Congress of the Glasgow Chess League was held in the Glasgow University Union from 21-24 September.
Championship:
G. Bonner 5
D.S. Beaton 3½
H.D. Holmes***
Championship Reserves: N. Allen 4; E. Fitzjames 3½; T. McDade 3
Major: N. Reid 4½; G. Pearson 4; G. Drever 3½
Minor: J. Brown 4; H. McNess 4; P. Morron 2½Source: Glasgow Herald chess column, 1 October 1962, p13
***
1963 - 2nd Glasgow Congress
The second annual congress of the Glasgow Chess League was held at the Glasgow Autumn Holiday Weekend. The 63 competitors were divided into four 5-round Swiss Tournaments and an All-Play-All Novices' Tournament. Before the start, G. Bonner was favourite but strong competition was expected from 1962 West of Scotland Champion, D.G. Weir, and J. Robertson, wbo defeated Bonner in this year's Scottish Championship.
In the first round, Bonner, G. Livie, Robertson and J. Wheeler among the favourites all won, but Weir lost to D.S. Beaton in an interesting game which has been published in The Glasgow Herald. In the second round, as Robertson and Bonner agreed a draw in 23 moves, others gained the opportunity to take the lead. Wheeler conquered Raeburn, Geddes beat Beaton,with an Irregular Queen's Pawn opening, and E. Davis outwitted Livie in a Sicilian.
In round three no one retained full points as the three leaders, Davis, Geddes and Wheeler all drew. In round four Davis outcombined Robertson to obtain a clear lead. R Smeeton, an ex-Glorney Cup player, who has been living in Lancashire for a few years, emerged as a real challenger by beating A.G. Wilson.
The final round was critical for a number of players. Wheeler beat Davis to put the pressure on Bonner, who forced Smeeton to succumb an hour later. The resulting tie between Bonner and Wheeler was decided by sum of opponents' scores and gave Bonner the championship by half a point.
Championship:
G. Bonner (tie-break) 4/5
J. Wheeler 4
E. Davis, P. Geddes 3½
J. Robertson, R. Smeeton, B. Partridge 3
G. Livie, H. Holmes, D.G. Weir 2½
E. Marshall, A. Wilson 2
D. Beaton, J. Raeburn 1½
E. Fitzjames 1
P. Crossan ½Reserves: M. Brodie; C.B. Russell; G. Pearson.
Major: P. Chalmers; H. McArthur; C. Hamilton.
Minor: C. Scott; J. Aronson; J. McBride.
Novices: A. McLaughlan (Allan Glen's School) - after play-off - R. Mulraine (John Street School).On the Monday evening an informal lightning tourmament was held and afterwards Mr. Jack House made a witty speech and presented the prizes.
Sources:
Scottish Chess Association Bulletin Nr. 12, p5.
Glasgow Herald chess column 14 October 1963, p3.***
1964 - 3rd Glasgow Congress
The third annual Congress of the Glasgow League was held in Green's Playhouse at the autumn holiday weekend, September 25-27. There were 92 players for the seven events.
Where ties occurred, the sum of opponents' scores method was used.
Championship:
W. Ballantyne 4;
E. Davis, P. Geddes, G. Bonner 3½The winner, unshaken by a first round defeat by his club mate J.A. Johnstone, won the remaining games. The last of these was against Gerald Bonner, winner of the two previous championships. The loss deprived Bonner of the hat-trick for with one round to go he was a joint leader. The loss, by the way, was his first in over twenty weekend tournament games.
Reserves:
1-3. J.M. Glendinning, R.A. Batchelor (both of Allan Glen's School) and M.J. Brodie (Hutcheson's Grammar School). The three schoolboy winners of this senior event show the increasing part the schoolboys are playing in Glasgow chess.Other winners:-
Major 'A': N. Lindsay 4½; J. Findlay, C. Kidd 3½
Major 'B': A. Wilkie 4½; A. Taylor, R. Kay 3½
Minor: D. Blair 4; D.D. Mackay 4; D. Glasser 3½
Boys: I. Jardine 4; C.W. Pritchett 4; D. Jenkins 3½
Girls: Miss K. Patterson (later Hindle).Sources:
Scottish Chess Association Bulletin Nr. 15, p6.
Glasgow Herald chess column 2 October 1964, p6.***
1965 - 4th Glasgow Congress
The fourth annual Congress of the Glasgow League was held in the Police Training College in Oxford Street, Glasgow from September 25-27. With a record entry, it was the largest event held in Scotland to date.The event was held "in almost palatial conditions" and included a bookstall provided by B.H. Wood of Chess magazine. In reporting the result of the Championship tournament in Chess 495 (p77), Wood commented on an "extremely pleasant" weekend:
Our biggest impressions? Firstly, the richness of duplicated chess bulletins in Scotland-at least three are as interesting to read as most printed chess magazines. Secondly, the way Scotland's leading players sacrifice themselves to the chores of organisation: most of England's are far too aloof.
Two of the duplicated bulletins that Mr Wood is referring to are likely Choice Chess, a junior chess magazine edited by John Glendinning, and Der Schachspieler, edited by W. McAllister and W.P. (Peter) Watson. The latter publication was a joint effort by pupils of Kings's Park School and Rutherglen Academy, who had also formed a Parkglen Chess Club.
Championship:
M. Fallone 4½/6;
E. Davis, J.M. Glendinning, V.A. Nye and C.W. Pritchett 4.When the last round began, Davis was leading with 4, ahead of Fallone and Glendinning (3½ each). In the last round Fallone beat Davis in a complicated game and Glendinning drew with Stewart, leaving Fallone the clear winner.
Reserves: N. Lindsay 5½; D.A. Watt 5; D.M. Jenkins 4½.
Second Division Championship:
J. Montgomery 5; J. Doyle 4; I. Carmichael 3.Third Division Championship:
(equal) A. Jeffrey, W. McLean and W. Munn.Under 17 Championship:
A. Taylor 4½; (equal) M. Gallacher, R. Kay 4.Under 16 Championship:
I. Lockhart 5½; R.J. Skelton 4½; (equal) D. Gibson, J. Keenan and D. Thomson 4.Under 15 Championship:
(equal) T. Hendry, D. Houston, I. McKerracher, G. McManus and A. Scrimgour 4½.Girls' Championship: R. McWaters 6; K. Patterson 5; H. Dillon 4.
C. Chisholm won the prize for the best junior.
The 31 prizes were presented by the Brain of Britain 1965, Bob Crampsey.
Sources:
Scottish Chess Association Bulletin Nr. 18, p3.
Glasgow Herald chess column 1 October 1965, p6.***
1966 - 5th Glasgow Congress
This was once again held in the Police Training College, Oxford Street, Glasgow from September 24-26, thanks to a generous offer from the administration and the recently formed Glasgow Police Chess Club. The opening ceremonies had speeched by various civic dignitaries, including Bailie David Miller and Chief Constable James Robertson. There was a new record entry of 164.
The main event was now "open," which attracted some interesting visitors. Norman Littlewood and Owen Hindle had both been selected for the English team for the upcoming Havana Olympiad and Bartolomé Marcussi, an Argentinian, who had won the Major Open at the BCF Congress in August.
The home contingent included Peter Jamieson, joint 1965 Scottish champion, D.B.A. Hunter, the 1965 West of Scotland champion, and Craig Pritchett, selected for the Scottish team for Havana.
Further departures for this year's Congress was the inclusion of a Ladies' Open and a Junior Championship.
Another innovation for Scottish Congresses was the publication of a daily bulletin of the games from the Championship, and some others. This task was undertaken by W.P. Watson (and team), who was also responsible for controlling the Championship and Reserves events.
Open
N. Littlewood 5/6; B.J. Marcussi 4½; O.M. Hindle, D.B.A. Hunter and C.W. Pritchett 4.The visitors took the top spots. Hunter and Pritchett, as the top Glasgow League players, shared the Glasgow League Individual Championship.
The Open round-by-round results table can be seen here.
Reserves: (equal) A. Crooks and D. Jenkins 5½.
Ladies Open Championship: Mrs Sue Thomson 3½/4; Miss L.M. Hogarth 3.
Major: J. Sutcliffe 5½/6; (equal) I Carmichael and S. Mannion 4½; P. Holman 4.
Under-17: J. Watson 4½/6; (equal) W.A. McDonald, D.T. Marr, R. Neilson and R. Stokes 4.
Girls' Championship: Miss K. Patterson 5/5; Miss F. Burniston 4; Miss R. McWaters 3.
Kathleen Patterson (later Hindle) in 1965
Photo: K. HindleUnder-16: K. Wilson 5/6; A. Scrimgour 4; (equal) S. Good, R.J. Skelton and D. Thomson 4.
Under-15: A triple tie with A. Bellingham, R. Guilian, D.A. Sharp 5/6.
Junior Championship: M.C. Tyre 8/8; N. Rankine, T. Lanigan and I. McLaren 6
***
1967 - 6th Glasgow Congress
Held September 23-25, with two rounds per day in the main events. The Police Training College, Oxford Street, once again played host, and the organisational team was headed by Gerald Bonner.
The Congress was officially opened by Councillor William Hutcheson, with Assistant Chief Constable William Ratcliffe representing the Police.
The entry soared to 189 and, had it not been for withdrawals, would have topped 200. One of the withdrawals was last year's winner, Norman Littlewood, but his non-availability was balanced by the inclusion of Marcussi (joint second last year) and Rhodes (Northern Counties Chess Union Champion), both of whom had played in 1966.
New visitors from England were L.S. Tate (British Junior Champion), Roger Lancaster and Raymond Keene, English international and runner-up in the World Junior Championship. Scottish representatives included Alexander Davie (twice Scottish Champion), David Levy (East of Scotland Champion), as well as Hugh Holmes, Craig Pritchett and Peter Jamieson. It also marked the first appearance in this event by Roddy McKay, then 15-years-old.
Invitation Tournament
R.D. Keene 5/6
D.N.L. Levy, B.J. Marcussi, C.W. Pritchett 4½
E. Davis, L.S. Tate 4; A.M. Davie, R. Lancaster 3½
J. Montgomery, R.M. McKay, I. Jardine 3; J. Doyle, W. Ballantyne 2½ K.W.C. Stewart P.M. Jamieson, D.A. Watt, D.B.A. Hunter, H.D. Holmes 2
A. Taylor 1½
G.I. Rhodes 1Keene, who started the last round with 4½, drew quietly with Marcussi. This left Tate as the only player who could tie with Keene but, striving to win at all costs, Tate lost to Pritchett.
Levy and Pritchett shared the Glasgow League Championship.
Reserves: R.D. Waugh 5; J. Lumsden, B. Allan, D.S. Beaton 4½.
Major: J. Donaldson, J. Marr 5; M. Rosenberg, B.S. Mackay 4½.
Ladies' Open: Miss Rosemary McWaters, the sole entrant.
Under-17: P. Giulian 5½; A. Scrimgour 5.
Under-16: A. Bellingham, E.Gilmour 4½.
Under-15: J. McDonald 5½.
Under-14: G. Patterson, I. Sinclair 4½.
Under-13: D.C. Bentley 7; T. Markson, A. Lipsey, J. Millar 6½.
Junior Championship: 1. G.S. Paton 8½.The prizes were presented by Mr Gair Henderson, Sports Editor of the Evening Times.
Sources:
Scottish Chess Association Bulletin Nr. 24
Chess 1967, Nr. 541-2, p59.***
1968 - 7th Glasgow Congress
The seventh Congress was held at Langside Hall from Saturday, September 28th to Monday, September 30th. Once again records were broken as the entries reached 246.
The event attracted some new players to the main Invitation Championship. From England came Harry Golombek, Michael Basman, Danny Wright and Michael Macdonald-Ross, along with Roger Lancaster,a previous visitor to the Congress. From Ireland came Michael Littleton, a former national champion and Olympiad player.
The High School of Glasgow Bulletin 128 (and 129) gave appropriate credit to the Glasgow League officials and volunteers involved in the organisation of the Congress. Among them were:- Walter Munn, Ted Fitzjames, Hugh Holmes, Steve Mannion snr, J. Pursley, Gerald Bonner, John Glendinning, J.B.W. Robertson, John Johnstone and Stan Beaton. Mrs Munn, Mrs Fitzjames and their helpers provided catering. B.H. Wood of the magazine Chess provided a bookstall.
The experienced master Golombek wrote a report of the event in the British Chess Magazine (November 1968, pp. 311-13). The one drawback, he felt, was that the tempo was too fast, a 'complaint' that had been voiced previously:
Six games were packed into three days and, so as to avoid the horror of adjourned games as far as possible the time-limit was 45 moves in two hours.
The four leaders were paired against each other in the final round. Basman (4) defeated Golombek (3½) and Pritchett (3½) defeated Wright (4).
Invitation Tournament
M.J. Basman 5
C.W. Pritchett 4½
D. Wright, R.M. McKay 4
H. Golombek 3½
K.B. McAlpine, D.N.L. Levy, J. Lumsden, R.D. Waugh 3
M.T. Partis, E. Davis, R. Lancaster, M. Macdonald-Ross 2½
M.F. Littleton 2
D.B.A. Hunter, D.A. Watt 1½
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Glasgow Congress 1968
Lumsden (right) v Golombek
Photo by J.B.W. RobertsonOpen:
M.J. Brodie, P.M. Giulian, C.J. Hamilton, A. Scrimgour, A.F. White 4½
C.G. Campbell, A. Crooks, D.T. Marr 4Reserves:
C.J.A. Jones, J. Marr, M. Rosenberg 4½
I. Wallace 4Major:
T. Docherty 5
I. Harvey, B. Manson, J.G. McDonald 4½Ladies:
1. Mrs M.S. Hepburn 5Girls:
1. Miss F. BurnistonUnder-17: (5 rounds)
D.J. Findlay 4½; 2. S. Ferguson 4; 3. I. Marks 2½
Under-16: (6 rounds)
J. Rennie 5; 2-4. M. Tyre, G. Patterson, I. Sinclair 4½
Under-15: (6 rounds)
T. Kearney 5½; 2. S. Miller 4½; 3. R. Bhopal 4
Under-14: (6 rounds)
S. Swanson 5½; 2. M. Tiefenbrun 5; 3. A.B. Lipsey 4½
Under-13:
To be given later, said the High School of Glasgow Bulletin, but no report has been found.
Junior: (9 rounds)
R. Craik 9; 2. J. Hay 7; 3-4. M. Thom, B. Lonergan 6½
Best game prize (juniors): A. DawsonSources:
High School of Glasgow Bulletins 128 and 129.
BCM 1968, November, pp. 311-13.
Glasgow 1968
Pritchett (left) v Basman
Glasgow Congress 1968
Basman (left) v Wright
Source for above photos: JBW Robertson, but contributed by Jim Anderson
***1969 - 8th Glasgow Congress
The Congress was once again held at Langside Hall, from Saturday September 27th to Monday, September 29th. There was a record entry of 268.
The main tournament, the Invitation event, featured seven home players and five visitors. Keene and Golombek were welcome returnees, along with new faces Barden, Pritchard and Fuller, the last named from Australia but based in England.
All sections were six rounds, except for the Invitation and Junior events. The organisers had clearly taken note of the comments about the previous schedule of six rounds in three days as being inappropriate for the top tournament.
Invitation Tournament 1969
K M L B F P M F P G H N S.O. Tot 1 R.D. Keene London ■ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 13 3½ R.M. McKay Glasgow ½ ■ ½ 1 ½ 1 12½ 3½ D.N.L. Levy Glasgow ½ ■ ½ ½ 1 1 12 3½ 4 L.W. Barden London 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 1 12½ 3 M. Fuller Australia ■ 1 0 0 1 1 10 3 6 D.B. Pritchard Godalming ½ ½ 0 ■ 1 ½ 14 2½ J. Montgomery Renfrew 0 1 0 ■ 1 ½ 12½ 2½ 8 M. Fallone Dundee ½ 0 0 1 ■ ½ 15 2 C.W. Pritchett Glasgow ½ 0 0 ■ ½ 1 12½ 2 H. Golombek Chalfont ½ ½ 0 ½ ■ ½ 12 2 11 B. Hunter Edinburgh 0 ½ ½ ½ ■ 0 11 1½ 12 V.A. Nye Paisley 0 0 0 0 1 ■ 13½ 1 Montgomery extended Keene to 80 moves in the first round before losing.
Fuller began by losing to Fallone and Montgomery.
McKay, Levy and Barden led with 3 points after Round 4. Keene and Pritchard were on 2½.In the final round Levy and McKay drew in 27 moves, Keene beat Barden in 59 to share first place. Golombek, after four draws, lost to Montgomery.
Candidates: A. F. Morgan 4 and A. J. Booth 2½
Open: K.A. Brown and C.J. Hamilton 5
Ladies: Mrs M.S. Hepburn and Mrs R. Shedden 2½
Reserves: S.C. Hamilton 5: 2. I.S. Campbell 4½
President's Prize: R. Campbell, L. MacKenzie and H. Porterfield 4½
Under-17: R. Bhopal and I. Sinclair 5; A. Grant, E. McKinnon, G. Patterson, and T. Scott 4
Under-16: A. McGowan 5½; W. Elliott 4½; Miss M. McGinn, D. Stork, and J. McCaughan 4
Glasgow Girls: M. McGinn 4; B. Burke and M. Harrigan 3½
Under-15: D. N. Cherry 5½; S. Swanson 5; W. A. Cruikshank and J. Dunn 4½
Under-14: D. Hughes 5½; J. Brannan and J. Burke 5
Under-13: M. Chalmers and S. Wyllle 5; B. Lonergan and L. Macdonald 4½
Junior: A. Muir 10½; G. Kerr, R. Ross, and J. Smith 9Another successful Congress, thanks to the involvement of many organisers and volunteers; Gerald Bonner, Stan Beaton, Ted Fitzjames, Hugh Holmes, Steve Mannion, J. Pursley and Walter Munn and his wife. John Glendinning provided daily bulletins.
Source: High School of Glasgow Bulletin 136.
BCM 1969, November, pp. 329-30.
Chess 591-92, November 1969, pp. 57-8.
Glasgow Congress 1969 - Open
From the Tom Borland Photo Archive
Nearest camera, from the left: unknown, Tom Borland (beard), Ian Meiklejohn. Opponents not identified. Next table, from left: Malcolm Tyre (holding head-playing Norman Lindsay), David Findlay, then possibly David Bentley? Further information wanted.
Glasgow Congress 1969 - Under-16
J. McCaughan (left) v A. McGowan
1969- Andrew Muir receiving his prize from tv personality Mary Marquis
***1970 - 9th Glasgow Congress
This was held at Langside Hall from Saturday 26 September to Monday 28th. Once again record were shattered with 297 entries over 10 tournaments.
The Congress was reported in Scottish Chess Association Bulletin Nr. 30, September 1971 (the previous bulletin was Nr. 29, September 1970). It only gave the details of the Invitation event. There were no reports in the BCM or Chess, and the Glasgow Herald chess column had ceased publication on 26 September 1969 (it was brought back to life at the time of the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match).
Leonard Barden, Norman Littlewood and Danny Wright were welcomed back, along with other English residents Vic Knox and Scottish-born Les Blackstock.
B K B L W H M G Y B L M Tot 1 L.W. Barden ■ ½ 1 1 1 1 4½ 2 V.W. Knox ½ ■ 1 ½ ½ 1 3½ 3 L.W. Blackstock 0 ■ 0 1 1 1 3 N. Littlewood 0 ■ ½ ½ 1 1 3 D. Wright 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 1 3 6 D.B.A. Hunter ■ ½ 0 1 1 0 2½ J. Montgomery 0 ½ 1 ½ ■ ½ 2½ 8 J.M. Glendinning 0 ½ ½ ■ ½ ½ 2 N.J. Young 0 0 0 1 ■ 1 2 10 M.J. Brodie 0 0 0 ½ ■ 1 1½ J. Lumsden 0 0 ½ 0 ■ 1 1½ 12 T. Morgan 0 0 1 0 0 ■ 1 Details of the other tournaments are sought.
A new venture this year was a Junior International Tournament, organised in conjunction with the Scottish Junior Chess Association.
1st Glasgow Junior International 1970
S. Saverymuttu ENG R. Bailey ENG R. Bellin ENG M. Rosenberg SCO E.J. Holt SCO I.J. Sinclair SCO R. Bhopal SCO J.D.M. Nunn ENG D.J. Findlay SCO D. James WLS R. O'Hare IRE A. Radlow SCO
Glasgow Junior International 1970
At the back: Iain Sinclair (l) and Michael Rosenberg (r).
In front of Michael are Raj Bhopal and Eric Holt.
Next row, L to R: Stan Beaton, tournament assistant, R. O'Hare, David Findlay and Allan Radlow (partly hidden).
Front row, left to right,: David James, John Nunn, Richard Bailey, Robert Bellin and Seth[na] Saverymuttu.
Photo: Iain Sinclair.
Glasgow Congress 1970
From the Tom Borland Photo Archive
Tom Borland, in a checked jacket, is playing Norman Lindsay (thanks to Roddy McKay for naming Norman). It looks like Victor Gaba in the foreground. Help in identifying other players would be welcomed.
***1971 - 10th Glasgow Congress
The tenth Congress was again held in Langside Hall, from September 25-27. There were 279 entries (not counting the Junior International).
The main Invitation event continued to attract new visitors from the south. This time it was Wade, Clarke and Markland, with Leonard Barden making a return appearance.
Clarke wrote about the Congress in the British Chess Magazine:
The purpose of the Invitation Tournament is to provide stronger opposition for the leading Scots than they can normally get in their home competitions. This is a good idea, one which has probably helped towards the gradual improvement in playing standards in Scotland. The 'foreigners' are expected to carry off the prizes (£50 and £25) and give in return a sample of their skills.
The continuing success in attracting these stronger players is explained by the fact that the visiting masters received a grant to cover their expenses.
Invitation Tournament
W B M Mc C M Y R W J D F Tot 1 R.G. Wade ■ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 4 2 L.W. Barden 0 ■ ½ 1 1 1 3½ 3 P.R. Markland 0 ½ ■ 1 1 ½ 3 R.M. McKay ½ ■ ½ ½ ½ 1 3 P.H. Clarke 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 1 3 J. Montgomery 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 1 3 7 N.J. Young ½ 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 2½ M. Rosenberg 0 0 ■ ½ 1 1 2½ W.P. Watson 0 0 ½ ■ 1 1 2½ 10 P.M. Jamieson ½ 0 ½ 0 ■ 1 2 11 A.M. Davie 0 0 0 0 ■ 1 1 12 M. Fallone 0 0 0 0 0 ■ 0 The Scottish Chess Bulletin remarked that 'Roddy McKay seemed to have lost his flair.' P.H. Clarke provided further comments:- '...but McKay alone was able to reach a challenging position. He is a player of interesting and original ideas, though frequently his excessive eccentricities in the opening handicap him far more than his opponent.'
McKay at that time seemed to being going through a phase when he was disenchanted with the game. In the Scottish Championship in July, in which he shared 1st and 2nd places, he played 1. a2-a4 in one of his games. And in his final round game against Wade he propsed a draw after 8 moves, even though he had the white pieces and an opportunity to take at least share first place.
Glasgow Congress 1971
Nearest camera: R.M. McKay (left) v A. Davie
Next is W.P. Watson (left) v N.J. Young
Photo by J.B.W. Robertson
Glasgow Congress 1971
From another angle. In the background, P. Jamieson (left) v J. Montgomery
Photo by J.B. W. RobertsonOpen (32 players-5 rounds)
J. Lumsden 4½; I. Mavor, B.J. Denman 4; M.C. Gallacher, C.J. Hamilton, S.C. Hamilton, D.A. Watt 3½; P. Giulian, W. Johnston, C.J. Lennox, A.D. Penman, J. Rastall, D.S. Tudhope 3; A. Baruch, D.C. Bentley, J. Donaldson, N. Gordon, J. Robertson, A.J. Shaw, A.F. White 2½; D.H. Dempster, G.D. Duncan, A. Radlow, A. Scrimgour, L.J. Stirling 2; S. Balmer, T. Borland, W. Kelly, F. Whitelaw 1½; C. Baird, D. McKerracher 1; R. McIntosh 0.Reserves (34 players-6 rounds)
S. Swanson 5; T. Docherty, P. Griffiths, Jas. McDonald 4½; R. Gibson, E.J. Proffitt, John McDonald 4; J. Anderson, N. Carmichael, E. Gilmour, J. Larkin, W.A. Marshall, H.C. Porterfield, V. Gaba, W. Fairbairn 3½; P. Doig, I. Gibson, A. McFadyen, I.A. Marks, D. Greenhill, A. Sinclair 3; J. Crossan, R.P. Moore, H. Peffers, D. Thomson, P. Walsh 2½; J. Brannan, S. Collins, T. Kerr, E. Mackinnon, J.C. Parkes, G. Drever 2; R. Seamons 1; J.L. Melvin 0.President's Prize (34 players-6 rounds)
J.H. Atherton 5; J.S. Hamilton, I. Hargrave, J. MacDonald, D. MacIndoe, A.W. Stewart 4½; B. Kilgour, P. Lambie, A. Mitchell, P. Boyce 4 and 24 others.Under-17 (21 players-6 rounds)
G. Beattie, B. Wilson 5; D.N. Cherry 4; D. Britton, W.A. Cruikshank, P. Huq, D. Kerr, M. Pinder, N. Reid, M. Thom, R. Hart 3½ etc.Under-16 (24 players-6 rounds)
B. Cornes 5½; R. Law, P. McGill, J. Anderson 4½; M. Chalmers, D.A. Hay, M. Lydon 4 etc.Under-15 (27players-6 rounds)
R. Craik 5½; J. Lindsay 5; D. Galbraith, T. McAvinue 4½; D. Rennie, P. Jones 4 etc.Under-14 (29 players-6 rounds)
A. Duncan 5½; D. McGregor 5; R. Ross, D. McCrae 4½; Miss L. Houston, G. Moulds, B. Sandhu, J. Silverston, L. Sultan, C. Lennox ? etc.Under-13 (31 players-6 rounds)
N. Pacitti, K. Ponting, W. Buchanan 5; E. Morgan 4½; A. Bennett, D. Carmichael, C. Chalmers, J. Mason, R. Wilson 4 etc.Under-12 (35 players-12 rounds)
A. Muir 11; F. Shaw 10; T. Donohue 9½; T. Upton 9; C. Murray 8½; L. Gregg 8; I.A. Coffey 7½; L. Gregg, P. Knudsen 7 etc. (two 'L. Gregg' players - error?)***
1972 - 11th Glasgow Congress
Langside Hall was near to bursting point with 345 entries (the BCM said 346) for the 11th Glasgow Chess League Congress, held 23-25 September.
It was recognised that if the number of entries continued to rise, a new venue would have to be found.
Many of the top British players were not available for the main Invitation tournament as the Congress clashed with the Skopje Olympiad. However, young English players Michael Stean and Robert Bellin were tempted north, along with Vic Knox, a previous visitor, and Brian Eley who, despite winning the 1972 British championship, was not given a place on the England Olympiad team.
F K M S Y E L P B R W F Tot 1 D.J. Findlay Ayr ■ ½ 0 1 1 1 3½ V. Knox England ½ ■ ½ 1 1 ½ 3½ R.M. McKay Glasgow ½ ■ ½ 1 1 ½ 3½ M. Stean England ■ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 3½ 5 N.J. Young Glasgow 1 ½ ½ ■ 1 0 3 6 B. Eley England 0 0 ■ ½ 1 1 2½ J. Lumsden Glasgow 0 0 ½ ■ 1 1 2½ R. Power Edinburgh 0 ½ 0 ■ 1 1 2½ 9 R. Bellin England 0 0 0 1 ■ 1 2 M. Rosenberg Glasgow ½ 0 0 ■ ½ 1 2 11 D.A. Watt Glasgow 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ■ 1½ 12 M.J. Freeman Motherwell 0 0 0 0 0 ■ 0 Open (5 rounds)
C.J. Lennox 5; R. Clapham, M.C. Gallacher 4; W. Ballantyne, A.G. Dawson, I. Marks, A. Scrimgour 3½; R. Bhopal, R.M. McAndrew, G.D. Pyrich, J.W. Taylor, M.C. Tyre, R.D. Waugh, A.F. White 3; C.J. Hamilton, T. Kinninmont, A. Penman, A. Taylor 2½; T. Borland, J. Doyle, J.N. McDonald, A. McGowan, N. Reid, J. Robertson, S. Whitehill 2; P. Griffiths, S.C. Hamilton, R. Hart, H.C. Porterfield 1½; D. Thomson, W. Johnston 1; J. Dryburgh 0.Glasgow Congress 1972 - Open
Far left could be S.C. Hamilton, then Tom Borland recording a move against Jim Robertson. Nearest camera could be R. Clapham v W. Johnston, then A. McGowan.
Corrections/clarifications welcomed.Reserves (6 rounds)
B.A. Cornes, P. McGill, W. Marshall, A. Weston, G. Moore 5; T. Donohue, I. Hargreaves, S. Rivett...61 players.President's Prize (6 rounds)
J. Graham 6; J. Rennie jnr, B. Miller 5; H. Glen, M. Mills, B. Shaw 4½; Miss Christine Elder won the 'Best Lady' prize (3½) etc., 44 players.Under-17 (6 rounds)
J. Anderson, J. Brannan 5; P. Carpenter, R. Law 4½; G. Mitchell, G.M. Park, D. Paterson, M. Pinder 4 etc., 24 players.Under-16 (6 rounds)
M. Thom 5½; D. Galbraith, M. Joyce 5; D. McGregor, J. Lindsay 4½, 40 players.
1st Girl place - Miss J. Moakler, then Miss M. Blaney and Miss J. Chambers.Under-15 (6 rounds)
A.B. Duncan, R.M. Herbert 5; G. Moultrie, R. Ross, G. Singh 4½. 26 players.Under-14 (6 rounds)
J. Coffey, B. Dunn, D. McNish, J. Mason 5; G. Harper, G. Murty 4½. 34 players.Under-13 (6 rounds)
T. Upton 5½; C. Morrison, F. Shaw 5; A. Muir 4½. 33 players.Under-12 (12 rounds)
A. Coffey 11; J. Findlay 10; A. Dick 9½; A.C. Tyre 9. 29 players.
Glasgow Congress 1972: Under-13
Andy Muir is front left. Tim Upton wearing black blazer.
***
1973 - 12th Glasgow Congress
There were 379 competitors, a record for the Congress, in the somewhat cramped conditions of Langside Hall during the weekend September 22-24.
Generous financial support from Glasgow Corporation, chess organisations and individuals allowed for a new element this year, a Glasgow International Tournament, which featured Grandmaster Robert Hübner of West Germany and International Master Hans Ree of the Netherlands, as well as visiting players from England, Wales and Ireland. The event continued to be a feature of the Congress through 1976, and full details of all four tournaments can be found here.
Glasgow International 1973 R. Hübner Germany H. Ree Holland R.M. McKay Scotland O. Hindle England B. Kernan Ireland M. Stean England D. Levy Scotland I.J. Sinclair Scotland H. Williams Wales N. Young Scotland P. Jamieson Scotland K. McAlpine Scotland Running alongside was the 4th Junior International - won by Scotland's Stephen Swanson - added further interest to the weekend.
4th Glasgow Junior International 1973 A B B B T D G W D J S. Swanson Scotland ½ ½ 1 G. Abravanel France 1 1 ½ 0 1 3½ C. Brixel W. Germany ½ 0 1 1 D. Bentley Scotland 0 ½ 1 1 3 J. Kinlay England 0 1 ½ 3 S. Balmer Scotland ½ 0 ½ 1 A. Taylor Scotland 1 ½ 0 1 2½ D. Denny Ireland 0 1 1 0 2 D. Goodman England 0 1 0 1 2 K. Williams Wales 0 0 1 1 T. Donohue Scotland 0 0 1 M. Joyce Scotland 0 0 0 1
Stephen Swanson
Gerald Bonner is on the rightOpen (5 rounds)
P. Giulian, H.D. Holmes, M. Rosenberg 4
D.J. Banks, J. Doyle, S.C. Hamilton, W. Kelly, I. Meiklejohn 3½
C.J. Hamilton, C.J. Lennox, A. Scrimgour, D.A. Watt 3
M.C. Gallacher, N. Gordon, W. Johnston, C. Jones, J.G. McDonald, J.N. McDonald, I. McNab, I. Marks, G.D. Pyrich 2½
T. Kinninmont, D. McGregor, I. Mavor, N. Reid, J. Robertson 2
R. Walker, P. Walsh 1½
P. Griffiths, H. Peffers, L.J. Stirling 1
1973 Glasgow Congress - Open winners
From left to right:
Hugh Holmes; Philip Giulian; Michael Rosenberg.
They are
holding their additional prizes from Cutty Sark Whisky.
Rosenberg
would later give up Chess to concentrate on Bridge, becoming one of
the most highly regarded players in the world.
(Gerald Bonner is
partly obscured.)
Photo: JBW Robertson.
Reserves (5 rounds)
W. Buchanan 4½; W. McDougall, B. Miller 4; I Hargrave, D. Kilgour, E. Mackinnon, M. Shepherd 3½
Walter Buchanan
Photo: JBW RobertsonPremier (5 rounds)
P. Carpenter 5; H. Glen, W. Robin, D. Taylor, I. Todd 4President's Prize (6 rounds)
B. Kilgour 5½; G. Morrison, I. Campbell, J. Forrest, E. Brodie 5Ladies (6 rounds)
Miss A.M. Hughes 4The following events were all of 6 rounds, except the Under-12.
Under-17: E.A.G. Perry, D. Robinson 5; D. Paterson 4½
Under-16: W. Hunter 5; Miss L. Houston, R. Ross 4½
Girls: M. Stephen
Under-15: J. Coffey, B. Dunn, I. Lamont 5; S. McGeoch, G. Morrison, B. McClement 4½ ,
Under-14: A. Gregg 5½; W. McCombie, T. Upton, P. Reville, R. McClinton, R. Slyder 4½
Under-13: J. Brown, A. Coffey, P. Galloway, N. Goodbrand, D. Percival 5
Under-12: A. Tyre 12/12; D. Walker, A. Mackay 10; J. Pitcairn 8Source: Scottish Chess Bulletin 34.
***
1974 - 13th Glasgow Congress
Despite the worries about Langside Hall being able to accommodate the ever-increasing number of competitors, the 1974 event, held September 28-30, remained faithful to this popular location. To deal with another record entry of 394, the organisers introduced four playing sessions in the Lesser and Upper Halls, which meant things were less crowded for the players, though it meant a very long day for the controllers.
International
Once again the generous financial contribution from Glasgow Corporation allowed for the inclusion of the International Tournament. The main personalities in this event, which commenced 26 September, were Grandmaster Olafsson from Iceland, World Junior champion Tony Miles, who had captured the title in August, and Fuller, the Australian Open champion. The home players also had to deal with Basman, Bellin and Cafferty.
It wasn't easy for Olafsson. He conceded a draw to Cafferty in the opening round. In his next game he felt it prudent to offer Sinclair a draw, which was turned down. Olaffson went on to win that game and his next three, although it took eight hours against Bellin in the last round.
Miles might have expected more after his recent success, but he started with losses to Jamieson and Findlay, and even lost a third to Fuller.
Glasgow International 1974 F. Olafsson Iceland MJ Basman England R. Bellin England B. Cafferty England R.M. McKay Scotland D.J. Findlay Scotland P. Jamieson Scotland M. Fuller Australia A.J. Miles England I.J. Sinclair Scotland S. Swanson Scotland N.J. Young Scotland
5th Glasgow Junior International 1974 J T M M G L M P D M H C.S. Crouch England ½ ½ 1 D.R. Johnston England 1 1 1 1 4 C. Trevelyan Wales 0 1 1 1 P. Marcel France ½ ½ 1 3 A. Muir Scotland 0 1 1 1 3 S.R. Gillam Scotland ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 R. Lau W. Germany 0 ½ 0 1 2½ D. McGregor Scotland 0 ½ 0 1 1 2½ E. Perry Scotland 0 1 0 1 2 T. Donohue Scotland 0 0 ½ 0 1 G. Morrison Scotland 0 ½ 0 1½ P. Hadden Ireland 0 0 0 0 0 1 Open (5 rounds)
T.S. Wickens 5
P.M. Giulian, J. Lumsden 4½
D.M. Jenkins, M. Rosenberg 4
R. Bhopal, R.E. Clapham, H.D. Holmes, A. Scrimgour, D.A. Watt, J.R.L. Webb 3½
W. Buchanan, V. Dilworth, A. Grant, W. Kelly, A. McGowan, N.A. Macleod, D. Tudhope 3
J.G. Anderson, J. Fagan, C.J. Hamilton, G. Hood, C.J.A. Jones, J.N. Macdonald, I.A. McNab, A. Taylor, D. Thomson, B. Wilson 2½
J. Doyle, N. Gordon, D. Hoskins, C.J. Mayze, I. Meiklejohn, H. Porterfield, G.D. Pyrich, R.H. Walker 2;
A further 12 competitors scored 1½ or less.Reserves (5 rounds)
J. O'Neil, H. Peffers 4½
G. Moultrie, W.H. Nichols, S.H. Collins, A. Reid 4
T. Borland, D.W. Burt, P.F. Walsh 3½Major (5 rounds)
J. Coffey 4½
B. Kilgour, T. Upton 4
S. Collins, T.J. Craig, J.S. Hamilton, A. Friend, J.D. Wallace 3½President's Prize (6 rounds)
J. Fraser 6; A.G. Reid 5; D.S. McLean, A. Coffey, I Lamont 4½The following tournaments were all of 6 rounds except for the Under-12.
Under-17 I. Abrahams, B. Spears 5½; D.J. Walker 4½
Under-16 R. Betts, D. Houghton, C.A. McNab 5; P.F. Maiolani 4½
Under-15 K. Gardiner, S. Wilson 5; A. Beaton, M. Dougan, D. Stott 4½
Under-14 D. Percival, T. Quail 5; J. Brown, A. Holloway, N. Goodbrand, D. Miller 4½
Under-13 P. Seery 5½; D. Duncan 5; P. McDade, B. McKenzie, J. Pitcairn, G.B. Smith, I. Swan 4½
Under-12 S. Callison 10; N. MacDonald, P. McGhee 9; S. Levinson, M. McDade 8
Girls J. Moakler, M. Burn 3/6 in Under-16 tournament.***
1975 - 14th Glasgow Congress
Langside Hall, September 27-29. For the first time the 400 barrier was broken in a Scottish congress. Altogether, 423 competitors took part in the 12 events.
From Walter Munn's report in Scottish Chess Bulletin 40:
The ravages of inflation are only too apparent when one compares the cost of staging the 1975 Congress with that for 1973 - a 33% increase! In difficult times for all local authorities, the City of Glasgow District Council generously agreed to guarantee the same financial support as had been granted previously by the now defunct Glasgow Corporation. The organising committee augmented the funds with money-raising schemes, including a successful sponsored simultaneous display by the 1974 Scottish Champion, R.M. McKay.
With many international events scheduled to take place in Western Europe during the autumn, it proved extremely difficult to assemble a strong field for the 3rd Glasgow International Tournament. The Committee were indebted to David Levy whose last-minute endeavours assured foreign participation. Grandmaster Lombardy and I.M. Tatai proved popular visitors with players and spectators. When not engaged in play, Father Lombardy was often seen browsing over games in other parts of the building and never seemed to tire of signing autographs for the youngsters. He took a keen interest in the Junior International Tournament, and his tip for top honours in the future is Tim Upton, who has shown a very rapid improvement over the past twelve months.
International 1975
W. Lombardy USA V. W. Knox England C.J. Lennox Scotland R.M. McKay Scotland S. Tatai Italy B. Eley England D.N.L. Levy Scotland M. Macdonald-Ross England I.J. Sinclair Scotland P.M. Jamieson Scotland A.T. Ludgate Ireland S. Swanson Scotland
6th Glasgow Junior International 1975
L B B U M H W B B P D C Tot 1 G.E.J. Lambert England ■ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 4 2 P. Botto Wales 0 ■ 1 1 ½ 1 3½ D. Buchy France ■ ½ 1 1 0 1 3½ T. Upton Scotland ½ ½ ■ 1 ½ 1 3½ 5 A.J. Muir Scotland ½ ■ ½ 0 1 1 3 6 D. Holzapfel W. Germany 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 ½ 2½ P. Wallace Ireland 0 0 ½ 1 ■ 1 2½ 8 R. Britton England 0 0 ½ ■ 1 ½ 2 W. Buchanan Scotland 0 0 0 ■ 1 1 2 E.A.G. Perry Scotland ½ 1 0 0 ½ ■ 2 11 T. Donohue Scotland 0 0 ½ 0 ■ 1 1½ 12 A. Coffey Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 ■ 0 Open (5 rounds)
J.R.L. Webb 4½
R.S. Bhopal, R. Richmond 4
D. KIlgour, J. Lumsden, D. McGregor, D. McKerracher, A. Radlow, G.K. Rockett 3½
W. Kelly, L.G. Kirk, G. Morrison, K. Ponting, A. Reid, N. Reid, A. Scrimgour, D. Tudhope, R. Walker, D.A. Watt, T. Wickens 3
R.E. Clapham, B.J. Denman, D. Finnie, S. Gillam, P.M. Giulian, H.D. Holmes, W. Johnston, A.F. White 2½
A.P. Borwell, E. Gilmour, A. Grant, P. Griffiths, D. Houston, D.M. Jenkins, N. Lindsay, J. MacNeil, G. Moultrie, I. Mullen, P.V. Murray, G.D. Pyrich, J. Trocchi 2
A further seven competitors scored 1½ points or less.Reserves (5 rounds)
I.A. McNab 5
T. Borland 4½
R.H.K. Jones, G.G. Hood, P. Lambie, C. McNab 4
P. Carpenter, I.L. Lamont, C.B. Taylor, D.J. Walker 3½Major (5 rounds)
J. Williams 4½; P. Doig, D. McElroy, A. Sharp, S. Wilson 4President's Prize (6 rounds)
S. Donaldson, K.I. Hannah, W. McMillan, N. Smith 5
W. Bruce, A.D.C. Paterson 4½
Miss M. Forwell and Miss J. Moakler shared the Ladies' Championship - 4 points in this section.The following events were of 6 rounds, except for the Under-12.
Under-17 A. Beveridge, P. Maiolani 5; I. McGuffin, J. O'Donnell, A. Swanson 4
Under-16 A. Gregg, D. Stott, T.J. Weir 5; S. McGeoch 4½
Girls Miss M. Logue 4
Under-15 I.D.W. Nelson, T. McKee 5; J. Murray, D. Smith 4½
Under-14 P. Seery 5½; P. McDade, I. Swan 5; J. Hargreaves, A. McShane, S. Spingham 4½
Under-13 D. Duncan, P. McGhee 5½; A. Blackburn, Miss D. Logue, J. McCumesty, P.A. Motwani 5
Under-12 A. Gallagher, S. Mannion, A. Minnican, A. Mitchell, A. Sutherland 9***
1976 - 15th Glasgow CongressHeld at Langside Hall, September 25-27. There were 366 competitors.
International
Although the City of Glasgow Dictrict Council continued to give generous financial support to the Congress, it was not surprising, in view of the present economic climate, that the amount of the grant was reduced. Additional funds were received at a successful simultaneous display, which was given by Craig Pritchett earlier in the year. The total resources available, however, were only sufficient to cover the expenses of one foreign competitor and the relatively modest first prize of £100 was insufficient to attract any of the titled players from south of the border.
The organisers were again indebted to David Levy through whom arrangements were made for the participation of GM Westerinen. Further international flavour was added to the event when Chandler, the joint New Zealand champion, and E. Rayner, the joint Welsh champion, accepted invitations. D.E. Rumens, the leader in the Cutty Sark Grand Prix, was the only English competitor. It was anticipated that his uncompromising style of play would arouse considerable spectator interest.
Glasgow International 1976 D.E. Rumens England H. Westerinen Finland E. Rayner Wales S. Swanson Scotland P.M. Giulian Scotland C.W. Pritchett Scotland I.J. Sinclair Scotland M. Chandler New Zealand D.J. Findlay Scotland R.M. McKay Scotland J.Montgomery Scotland J.R.L. Webb Scotland Montgomery, who was making a brief return visit to Scotland before emigrating to Eastern Europe, provided stern opposition for the Finnish GM in round 1. It was the endgame before Westerinen gained a winning advantage. Giulian, the joint Scottish champion, defeated his countrpart from the antipodes, but Pritchett could only draw with Rayner. In the next round, Rumens and Westerinen moved into the lead with two points. The former ended Giulian's successful run, which had started back in May in the Renfrewshire Open, and McKay was unable to add a GM scalp to his collection.. The leaders were content to share the point in round 3, and were joined by Pritchett, who had beated Sinclair and Chandler. Unfortunately, he was unable to add to his score, losing first to the GM and then to Rumens. Rayner, however, with the same opposition in reverse order, was able to score two draws, with the result that there was a tie for first place. In the three previous years, the invited GM won the event outright. Rayner, who drew 4 of his games, shared third place with Swanson, who only played in the event at the last moment, and defeated McKay in the last round.
Source:
Scottish Chess, Nr. 44, December 1976, p 10. Report by Walter Munn
7th Glasgow Junior International 1976
B T B M U M M N K M R M Tot 1 W. Buchanan Scotland ■ 0 ½ 1 1 1 3½ S. Taulbut England ■ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 3½ 3 I. Barclay Wales ½ ■ 0 1 ½ 1 3 H.D. McPherson England 1 0 1 ■ ½ ½ 3 T. Upton Scotland ½ 0 ■ ½ 1 1 3 6 G. Morrison Scotland ½ ■ ½ ½ ½ ½ 2½ A.J. Muir Scotland 0 ½ ■ 1 0 1 2½ A. Norris Scotland 0 ½ ½ ½ ■ 1 2½ 9 L.G. Kirk Scotland ½ ½ 0 ■ ½ ½ 2 A. McCarthy Ireland 0 ½ 0 ½ ■ 1 2 L. Roos France 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ■ 2 12 C.A. McNab Scotland 0 ½ 0 0 0 ■ ½ For the first time for several years, West Germany was not represented in the Junior International event. Although the West German Federation had indicated that they would send a competitor, no-one appeared. At the last moment, McNab, who had entered the Open, agreed to fill the vacancy. The Scots started badly with Buchanan, Muir and Upton all losing, while the four others could do no better than draw. Hugh D. McPherson (England!) was the only player to win his first two games. Although held to a draw in the next round by Norris, he did not relinquish the lead until round 4 when he lost to the other Englishman Shaun Taulbut. Entering the last round eight of the other eleven competitors were within a point of Taulbut who had edged ahead with three points. He could only take a half-point from his game with Barclay, which enabled Buchanan, who won his last three games, to come from behind to share the prize money. The event was keenly contested but the quality of the games was disappointing.
Open (5 rounds)
C.S. Crouch 5
B.J. Denman, D. KIlgour, C.J. Morrison 4
A. Radlow, H.D. Holmes 3½
P.J. Carpenter, S. Gillam, S.C. LeBlancq, N. Reid, A. Scrimgour, V. Sigouin, A.W. Stewart, R.H. Walker 3. (40 players)Reserves (5 rounds)
J. Coffey, I. Lamont, J.C. Parkes 4½
H. Pos (Netherlands) 4
T. Borland, R. Yates, A.J. Beveridge, C. Bradley, P. Coleman, A.I. Lamond, G. McCamon, M.P. Roberts 3½
Glasgow Congress 1976 - Reserves
Left-right: Angus Lamond, A. Beveridge, J. Parkes, I. Lamont, J. Coffey, Tom Borland, M.P. Roberts
Photo: Tom BorlandMajor (5 rounds)
D. Gillespie, C.S.M. Thomson 4½
D.S. Bonthron, W. McMillan, T.J. Weir 4President's Prize (6 rounds)
D. Smith 5½
A. Shields, C. Thomson 5
P. McAloon, J. Molloy, D. Quinn, A. Sutherland 4½Ladies
Miss J. Moakler 3/6 in President's Prize event.The following events were of 6 rounds, except for the Under-12.
Under-17 A. Coffey 5½; S. Springham, S. Campbell 4½; C. Dixen, E. Spencer 4;
Girls F. McDougall 2½ in the Under-17
Under-16 K. McLean 5½; G. McNeil 5; A. Holloway, G. Johnston, A. Mathie 4½
Under-15 M. McDade 6; I. BOyd, P. McDade 4½; M. Coultas, J.P. Cubie, I. Gault, D. McIlroy, P. McGhee 4
Under-14 P. Strachan 5½; C. Daft, A. McClelland, T. Milligan 5
Under-13 A. Gallagher 5½; 2. A. Minnican 5; J. Doolan, J. Ross 4½
Under-12 S.R. Mannion, A.J. Mitchell 10½; A.R. Liddle 8
1976 Glasgow Congress Under-13
In the middle must be the winner, A. Gallagher. On the right is Alan Minnican, and on the left it is likely to be either J. Doolan or J. Ross, as these players shared 3rd and 4th.
Photo: J.B.W. Robertson
1976 Glasgow Congress Under-12
The joint winners of the Under-12 tournament are holding the trophy; Stephen Mannion (left) and A.J. Mitchell (right). In the middle is likely to be A.R. Liddle, who was 3rd.
Photo: J.B.W. Robertson.
***1977 - 16th Glasgow Congress
Held at Langside Hall, September 23-26. There were 358 entries, eight fewer than in 1976, but for the first occasion there were over 200 competitors in the adult events.
After four consecutive years, the International Tournament, which attracted Grandmasters Hübner, Olafsson, Lombardy and Westerinen to Glasgow, disappeared from the programme of events. Glasgow District Council, again forced to cut back its financial contribution, decided to withdraw the grant for this event but to continue support for the general congress and the Junior International.
8th Glasgow Junior International 1977
P A C M M I M P U M N F Tot 1 H.J. Plaskett England ■ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 3½ 2 V. Ahmels West Germany ■ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 3 E. Curtin Ireland 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 1 3 P. McInally Scotland ½ 1 ½ ■ ½ ½ 3 G. Morrison Scotland 0 ½ ■ 1 ½ 1 3 6 N.W. Ivell England ■ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 2½ C.J. Morrison Scotland ½ 0 1 ■ ½ ½ 2½ M. Pein England ½ 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 2½ T. Upton Scotland ½ ½ 0 ■ ½ 1 2½ 10 A.J. Muir Scotland 0 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 2 A. Norris Scotland 0 ½ ½ ½ ■ ½ 2 12 D. Flower Wales 0 0 0 0 ½ ■ ½ At the eleventh hour the French Federation found that it was unable to send a representative to the 8th Junior International Tournament, but the vacancy was quickly filled by M. Pein, the joint British Under-18 champion, who joined the other English nominees, H.J. Plaskett, winner of the London Under-21 title, and N.W. Ivell, the British Under-16 title holder. Scotland seemed well represented by the five seasoned Glorney Cup players, but it was the much less experienced P. McInally who took most points from the visitors.
Open
With a view to retaining the interest of the leading players from Scotland and south of the border, the prize money for the Open was more than trebled to just over £400. The event became a six-round Swiss spread over four days and, contrary to the current trend at week-end congresses, adjournment sessions were retained.Of the eighty-six competitors who entered, twenty-four were graded 2000 or over and eight of them were rated over 2200. It seemed likely that the winner would come from this group which included four Scots, Findlay, McKay, Sinclair and Pritchett, the American Kopec, the Dutchman Luberti, and two Englishmen - Rumens, the joint winner of the 1976 Glasgow International, and Crouch, the holder of the Open title.
The principal talking point of the early rounds was the poor form of Rumens who had entered by telephone on the morning of the first round. He adjourned his first two games and lost the third after a long second session which lasted well into the Saturday evening. When the game finished he remarked to the controller that he did not wish to play any more chess. He was told that as it was so late, his opponents, who had been waiting to complete their games from rounds 1 and 2, had been sent home. On hearing this he decided to resign one of the games and offer a draw in the other. He then left the hall and nothing further was heard from him until the controller received a message, from one of the other competitors, half an hour after the start of round 4, that Rumens had returned to London. At the time of writing no explanation for the sudden departure has been received and his entry fee remains outstanding.
Meantime, Lennox, Orr, Pritchett and Swanson had each amassed three points. Luberti, however, lost in round 1 to R. Walker and in the second round Crouch and McKay were held to draws by Holmes and A. Coffey respectively. The Kopec v Giulian encounter in round 3 was also drawn. Round 4 was a good one for Polytechnic members Pritchett and Swanson who both won and kept a half-point ahead of Giulian, Kopec and McKay. The penultimate round Polytechnic clash was drawn and this allowed McKay, who beat Giulian, and Kopec, who defeated Sinclair, to catch up.
In the final round Pritchett and McKay soon ceased hostilities. A fifteen move draw at least assured both of some financial reward for their week-end labours. In contrast, the other game was still in progress when the prizegiving commenced but Swanson ultimately resigned just in time for Kopec to receive the first prize at the official ceremony.
Open results
D. Kopec 5½,
W. Luberti, R.M. McKay, C.W. Pritchett 5
C.S. Crouch, D.J. Findlay, P.M. Giulian, C.J. Lennox, D. McGregor, M. Orr, S. Swanson 4½
D. Bryson, B. Cornes, S.R. Gillam, W. Gray, H.D. Holmes, D. Hoskins, S.C. LeBlancq, A. Reid, A. Scrimgour, J.L. Treasurer, R. Walker 4
C.H. Baird, T. Borland, W. Buchanan, A. Coffey, P.L. Condie, B. Kilgour, A.J. Lamond, J. Lumsden, N. Reid, I.J. Sinclair, A.H. Thomson, D.A. Watt 3½Major 'A' (5 rounds)
T. Milligan 4½; D.A. Bennett, J.D. Fraser, A. McLennan 4Major 'B' (5 rounds)
A. Kennedy, Mrs. M. McGhee 4½; M. Reynolds 4; M. Harkins, A. Holloway, R. Nixon, Miss L. Houston 3½President's Prize (6 rounds)
E. Spencer 5½; I. Clark, J. Colquhoun 5; S. Bell, M. Hanley, J. Herries, I. Miller, D. Stobo, J.L. Watson 4½Ladies Miss J, Moakler (3½ in President's Prize event).
The following events were of 6 rounds, except for the Under-12.
Under-17 S. Campbell 5½; P. McGhee 4½; J. Campbell 4. Seven players tied for 4th and shared £1 (!!!).
Girls F. McDougall with 3½ in the Under-17 event.
Under-16 P. Warwick 5; J. Docherty, I.S. Gayult, J. Junnor, S. Kelly, C.L. Hill 4½
Under-15 A. Gallagher 6; D.R. Bell, D. Wong 4½; D. Lawrence, A. McLelland, K. Reid 4
Under-14 A.W. Minnican 5½; J. Adams, D. McBryan, S. McCrory, N. Richter 5
Under-13 G.R. Wilson 5½; F. Parker 5; Miss R.E. Munn 4½; C. Blackwood, A.R. Liddle, S. Miller, D. Win 4
Under-12 A.J. Mitchell 13/13; J.R. Gemmell 12; E.J. Driver 9½Source Scottish Chess Bulletin Nr. 48.
***1978 - 17th Glasgow Congress
Langside Hall, September 22-25. There were 376 participants, with a record 220 in adult events.
9th Glasgow Junior International 1978
D M B M V M O J L Q M D Tot 1 K. Deckwerth West Germany ■ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 4 C.A. McNab Scotland 0 ■ 1 1 1 1 4 3 N.R. Benjamin England 0 ■ 0 1 1 1 3 P.A. Motwani Scotland 0 ■ ½ ½ 1 1 3 F. van Dooren Netherlands ½ 0 1 ■ 1 ½ 3 6 P. McInally Scotland ½ ½ ■ ½ 0 1 2½ E. O'Reilly Ireland 0 ½ 0 ■ 1 1 2½ 8 S.C. James Wales 0 ½ ■ 0 ½ 1 2 A.I. Lamond Scotland 0 0 ½ 1 ■ ½ 2 S. Quigley England 0 0 1 ½ ■ ½ 2 11 T.L. Milligan Scotland 0 0 0 ½ ■ 1 1½ 12 C. Dixon Scotland 0 0 0 ½ 0 ■ ½ The Dutch Chess Federation agreed for the first time since 1972 to send a representative, but the foreign contingent was cut back to two when, as in 1977, the French cabled at the last minute to say that their nominee was unable to travel.
Notable points about the tournament were Colin McNab's fine performance, and the comparitively poor form of the English boys, notably British Under-18 champion Quigley. The Dutch boy, van Dooren, had the misfortune to find a large sum of money missing from his wallet on the Sunday morning, which may have detracted from his play.
Open (6 rounds)
C.W. Pritchett, S. Swanson, J. Lumsden, M.J.L. Orr 5
A. Scrimgour, R.M. McKay, A. Morris [Norris?], D. Bryson, P. Giulian 4½Major 'A' (5 rounds)
A. Everingham 4½; T. Brisbane, A. Mathie, K. Munro, A.G. Stewart, D. Wong 4Major 'B' (5 rounds)
P. Seery 4½; K. Fryer, R. Fury, J. Parks, P. Reville 4President's Prize (6 rounds)
G. Black, A. Mitchell 5½; P. Strachan, G. Thomson 5The following events were of 6 rounds, except for the Under-12.
Under-17 P. McGhee 5; S. Callison, P. Warwick 4½
Girls Miss G. Ward
Under-16 J. McNally, K. Reid, G. Sharp 4½
Under-15 C. Gibson 6; j. Adams 5
Under-14 F. Parker 6; G.R. Wilson, A.G. Wright 5
Under-13 D. Johnstone 5½; A. Milligan, D. Holmes 4½
Under-12 F. O'Neill 10½/12; E. Driver 10; S. McLaren 9½Source: Scottish Chess Bulletin Nr. 52.
***
1979 - 18th Glasgow Congress
Langside Hall. There were 380 entries, the largest number since 1975.
10th Glasgow Junior International 1979
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Junior International Tournament it was decided to invite four competitors from outside the UK, plus the usual contingent of 1 from Wales, 1 from Ireland, 2 from England and 6 Scots. As it transpired, only three foreigners faced the starter, with Mannion coming in as an 11th hour substitute to give an even number.
M A K C C D M M B T D J J M Tot 1 P.A. Motwani Scotland ■ 1 1 ½ 1 1 4½ 2 K. Arkell England 0 ■ ½ 1 1 1 3½ R. Kuyf Netherlands 0 ■ 1 ½ 1 1 3½ 4 G. Clark England ½ ■ 0 ½ 1 1 3 M. Condie Scotland 0 1 ■ ½ ½ 1 3 J. Delaney Ireland 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 1 3 C.A. McNab Scotland 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 1 3 T.L. Milligan Scotland 0 0 ■ 1 1 1 3 9 C. Brumm West Germany 0 ½ 0 ■ ½ 1 2 C.S. Thomson Scotland 0 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 2 11 D.H. Duncan Scotland 0 0 0 ■ 1 ½ 1½ J.F. Jourdain Belgium 0 0 0 ½ ■ 1 1½ 13 S. James Wales 0 0 0 0 ■ 1 1 14 S.R. Mannion Scotland 0 0 ½ 0 0 ■ ½ The home country was strongly represented by FIDE Master Motwani and last year's joint winner McNab. It was the former, Motwani, who dominated thefive others to a share of 2nd place. Neither event. Unruffled, Scotland's first World Title Holder (at Chess) efficiently moved to a 4/4 score and had little difficulty in securing the necessary ½ point in the last round against Gary Clark, the English no. 1 Arkell of England and Kuyf of Holland just eased ahead of five others to a share of 2nd place. Neither Brumm (West Germany) or Jourdain (Belgium) was particularly impressive, but Delaney (Ireland) lost only to Motwani. Wales sent another member of the James clan, but he was less successful than SC last year.
There was a major shock in the first round of this event when Condie recorded a fine win by crushing the strong English professional Clark (who, incidentally, commented that the prize money was 'chickenfeed'!). Nothing else happened that was worthy of comment from a shock - horror viewpoint, but some of the statistics are worthy of note. It was not until round 4 that there was a pairing involving 2 Scottish players - and in the last two rounds only 3 such pairings took place. The score between Scotland and the 'rest' was 14½-14½. The other point of note is that there was only 1 draw in the first 3 rounds. It also proved very difficult to extract game scores from Kuyf, whereas the Belgian, Jourdain, was a model of helpfulness. McNab's result was somewhat disappointing, and if the Irish player's name looks familiar, it could be because he is the brother of Paul Delaney who played in the Glasgow 800 event.
Open
With the prize money totalling over £500 for the first time, the Open tournament attracted a record entry of 88. Twenty-three were graded over 2000 with six of them above the 2200 mark. It would add some variety to the pairings for the final rounds if one or two strong players from south of the border would venture north, but the strength of the local opposition is now such that success cannot be guaranteed and, understandably, few can afford to be out of pocket after the week-end. Pritchett and Freeman, currently resident in England, made welcome return visits and it was good to see Montgomery and Davis back in the lists after a long absence. The only 'foreigner' in the leading group was the Irishman Orr, who is a weel kent face at the Congress.
Open results (6 rounds)
C.W. Pritchett 5½
W. Buchanan, A. Reid, S. Swanson, A.F. White 5Major 'A' (5 rounds)
J.C.T. Thomson 4½; J. Hamilton 4; G. Lyall, R. Berry, D.J. Bone, A. Minnican 3½
Ladies Miss M. Stephen
Major 'B' (5 rounds)
R. Dickson 4½; F. Parker, D. Reid, P.J. Warwick 4
President's Prize (6 rounds)
M. Dyer 5½; M. Hanley 5; I. McLeod, R. Smith 4½The following events were of 6 rounds, except for the Under-12.
Under-17 A.J. McClelland 5; J. Adams, A. Gallagher, C. Gibson, D. Lawrence 4½
Girls Miss M. Lawrie
Under-16 J. Ross 5½; N. Mooney 5; J. Quinn 4½; A. Howe, C. Stuart 4
Under-15 A. Liddle, G.R. Wilson 5; P. Battersby, A.J. Hunter, A. Matko 4½
Under-14 A. Gleeson, K. Maguire, M. Mennie 5; P. McDade, P. Martin, J. Moakler, A.G. Milligan, J.D.R. Winning 4½
Under-13 D. Griffin, F. O'Neill 5½; S. McLaren, K. Kerr 4½
Under-12 P. McCartney 11/12; P.D.J. Hampton 10; C. Caird 9½; S. Farrley 9Source: Scottish Chess Bulletin Nr. 54
***1980 - 19th Glasgow Congress
Langside Hall, September 26-29. There were 402 entries, the second highest on record. The twenty competitors who disappeared at various stages throughout the weekend, without informaing the controllers, will not be given the opportunity to repeat the performance next year.
It did not prove possible to retain the 14-player set-up for the Junior International Tournament, which was introduced last year. The Glasgow District Council were unable to maintain the level of grant support, due to local government cutbacks.
For the first time for some years, the Dutch Chess federation declined an invitation to take part, but Belgium and West Germany were represented together with the four home countries.
11th Glasgow Junior International 1980
M D H M R C S S W M F M Tot 1 P.A. Motwani Scotland ■ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 4 2 D.H. Duncan Scotland 0 ■ 1 1 ½ 1 3½ 3 P. Heaven Wales ■ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 3 P. Moulin Belgium 0 ■ ½ ½ 1 1 3 F. Rovekamp West Germany ½ 0 ½ ■ 1 1 3 6 M.L. Condie Scotland ½ 0 1 ½ ■ ½ 2½ G. Senior England 0 ■ ½ ½ ½ 1 2½ A. Sutherland Scotland ½ 0 ½ ½ ■ 1 2½ P.K. Wells England 0 ½ ½ ½ ■ 1 2½ 10 T.L. Milligan Scotland 0 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 2 11 R. Frew Ireland 0 0 0 ½ ■ ½ 1 12 S.R. Mannion Scotland 0 0 0 0 ½ ■ ½ Paul Motwani, who strolled to victory last year, repeated the performance although his winning margin was cut by a ½ point. He became the first person to win the event outright on two occasions. Stephen Swanson shared first place in 1972 and was champion the following year.
The British Under-18 title holder P.K. Wells disappointed with only one victory and the other English representative, G. Senior, with 1/3 was never in contention. David Duncan had a very good tournament and his last round win over Mark Condie gave him second prize, and deservedly so. Three visitors shared the remaining prize money.
(Scottish Chess Bulletin editor: Gary Senior reported on this event for the BCF Newsflash, and it was good to see some complimentary 'outside' view of the accommodation and playing conditions and even the 'strict Scottish no-talking rule.')
Open
Although the total entry for the Open of 80 was slightly down on last year, it was undoubtedly the strongest yet held with 25 players graded over 2000, with twelve of them over 2200. Of all the players currently active in Scotland graded over 2200, only Bonner and Sinclair were missing from either the Open or the Junior International. The former, as Congress Chief Contrller, had a good excuse.The total prize fund was £570 of which £250 was allocated for the winner.
H.D. MacPherson made a welcome return visit to the Congress. He was one of the English representatives in the Junior International in 1976.
R.M. McKay 5½/6
D. Kopec, H.D. MacPherson, C.W. Pritchett 5
P.M. Jamieson, D. Kilgour, C.A. McNab, C.S.M. Thomson 4½Major 'A'
J. Vickers 4½/5; R. Beacon, A.M.B. Hussein, M.E. McGhee, E. MacKinnon 4Major 'B'
A.G. Wright 5/5; T. Hutton, J. Moakler, C.T. Winn 4Ladies Miss G. Ward
President's Prize
J.S. Kelly 5½/6; D. Gardner, A. McKay, R. Murphy 5Under-17 I.M. Jamieson, J.M. Ross 5/6; G. Stuart, S. Cuffe, A. McGhee 4
Under-16 R. Paul 5/6; C.D. Blackwood, A.R. Liddle, A. Nisbet 4½
Under-15 G.D.R. Winning 5½/6; J.R. Gemmell, A. Gibson, M. Mennie 5; F. Banaghan, P. Martin 4½
Under-14 F. O'Neill 5½/6; W.T. Craig, S. McGuinness 5; J. Armstrong, D. Kerr 4½
Under-13 K. Scott 5½/6; T. Crone, S. McCrossan 5; C.M. King, R. McNeil 4½
Under-12 D.F. Bain 11/11; A. Kerr 8; A. Topen 7½; A. Coyle 7
Under-11 D. Glassey 10/11; P. Johnston 9; G. Murray 8; T. Matko, C. Tomlinson 7
Girls Miss A. CondieSource: Scottish Chess Bulletin Nr. 60.
***1981 - 20th Glasgow Congress
Langside Hall, September 25-28. Entries were 385; 197 in adult events and 188 in junior tournaments.
Open D.G. Byrne, C.A. McNab, G. Morrison, A.J. Norris 5/6
Major 'A' M. Dickson 5/5; B.W. Chalmers 4½; M. Mitchell 4
Major 'B' C.T.W. Beveridge, G.R. Brown, R. McCormick, R. Paul 4/5
Ladies Miss L. Houston, Miss G. Ward
President's Prize I. MacLean 6/6; J. McLean, G.A. Morton 5; J.P. Connolly 4½
Under-17 F. Parker 5½/6; A.M. Bennett 5; A. Liddle, J. McAdam 4
Girls Championship A. Condie, A. McLure
Under-16 R. Michie 5/6; J. Gemmell, R. Neely, B. Noon 4½
Under-15 S.G. Robertson 5½/6; J. Armstrong 4½; W. Craig, K. Dolan, D. Kerr, N. McLure, E. Driver, P. Harnes 4
Under-14 P. Ward 6/6; A. Gilfillan, A. McAuley 5; N. Dobbie, S. Wasko 4½
Under-13 D. Bail 6/6; S. Murray 5; J. Donoghue, D. Harvey 4½
Under-12 D. Glassey, F. McKenzie 10/11; C. Fury 8; G. Reid 7
Under-11 N.A. Payne 11/11; S. McQuillan, D. Ritchie 9; G. Shields 7Source: Scottish Chess Nr. 66
Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess ScotlandUpdated 08/08/2022