First Congress of the Scottish Chess Association

1884

The Scottish Chess Association, which had been founded in February 1884, held its first annual congress in the Bedford Hotel, 54 St. George's Place, Glasgow (at the corner of Buchanan St.), commencing Monday 21st July 1884, and ending on Friday, 25th July. [St. George's Place is now known as Nelson Mandela Place.]

The programme included three events: 1. Major (Championship Tournament); 2. Minor; and 3. Handicap Tournament.

The prizes were:
Major: 1st, Championship Cup, value £25, for one year, and £4 4s; 2nd £2 2s, and 3rd, £1 1s.
Minor: 1st, £3 3s, and 2nd £2 2s.
Handicap: 1st, £3 3s, and 2nd £1 11s 6d.

Major

Championship	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pts
1. John Crum	■	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	½	7
2. G.B. Fraser	½	■	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	1	6½
3. Sheriff Spens	0	0	■	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	6
4. D. Forsyth	0	0	0	■	1	1	0	1	1	1	5
5. D.Y. Mills	0	1	0	0	■	½	1	0	1	1	4½
6. G. Andrews	0	1	0	0	½	■	0	1	1	1	4½
7. J. Gilchrist	0	0	0	1	0	1	■	1	0	1	4
8. J.H.C. McLeod	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	■	1	1	3
9. J.D. Chambers	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	■	½	2½
10. P. Fyfe	½	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	■	2

Minor

Minor	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Pts
1. Dunlop	■	0	1	0	1	1	1	4
2. Phillips	1	■	0	1	½	0	1	3½
3. Maclean	0	1	■	½	½	1	0	3
4. Mavor	1	0	½	■	½	1	0	3
5. Pirrie	0	½	½	½	■	½	1	3
6. Mackenzie	0	1	0	0	½	■	1	2½
7. Berwick	0	0	1	1	0	0	■	2

Handicap Tournament

There were ten entries, including players who did not participate in either of the above events, with four classes of players:
Class I. Sheriff Spens, Fraser and Mills; Class II. Chambers, Forsyth and Fyfe; Class III. Favre, Maclean and Phillips; Class IV. McInnes.

Class I players gave odds to those in the other classes of Pawn and move, Pawn and two moves, and Knight respectively.

The tournament was won by Sheriff Spens, with G.B. Fraser second.

At the conclusion of play on Friday, 25th July the annual general meeting of the Association took place. Among the decisons made were that the next Congress should be in Edinburgh, and that a small amount of money should be voted to Mr Blackburne, who had arrived that day, for his coming to the Congress.

There then followed a dinner, followed by Blackburne giving a simultaneous display against 14 opponents, winning them all.

Sources:
British Chess Magazine 1884, pp. 320-323.

 

Alan McGowan