Scottish Championship 1892

Played in the rooms of the Edinburgh Chess Club, April 14-19.

Championship

		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Points
1.	D.Y. Mills	■	½	1	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	9½
2.	G.E. Barbier	½	■	1	1	0	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	8½
3.	W. Seligmann	0	0	■	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	0	1	6
4.	J.D. Chambers	0	0	½	■	0	1	1	0	½	1	1	1	6
5.	G.B. Fraser	0	1	0	1	■	0	1	1	1	-	-	1	6
6.	Sheriff Spens	1	0	½	0	1	■	0	1	0	1	-	1	5½
7.	Galloway	0	0	0	0	0	1	■	0	1	1	1	0	4
8.	D.M. Latta	0	½	½	1	0	0	1	■	-	0	-	-	3
9.	W.W. Robertson	0	0	½	½	0	1	0	-	■	1	-	0	3
10.	D. Forsyth	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	■	0	1	2½
11.	J. Gilchrist	0	0	1	0	0	-	0	-	-	1	■	-	2
12.	C.F. Knight	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	-	1	0	-	■	2

 

(It appears that those games marked – were not played.)

The British Chess Magazine, in listing the competitors, included Peter 'Knight' as one of those representing Glasgow. This was likely C.F. Knight.

This was the third occasion on which Mills won the championship, his previous victories being in 1885 and 1887. He would go on to win further titles in 1895, 1896, 1897, 1899 and 1900, a total of eight victories.

Between 1896 and 1903 he competed in every Cable match played between Great Britain and the United States without losing a game.

Mills worked in the insurance business and this brought him to Edinburgh when he joined the Scottish Equitable Life Assurance Society. He was clearly the strongest player in the country during his stay here, but he was also active in organizational matters, being the secretary of the Scottish Chess Association for many years.

From Chess Monthly , May 1892, page 260:

‘Nearly all of the competitors complained of the severe physical strain. Each had to play eleven games, and practically the whole were played off in three days. Probably this explains the disappointing form shown by one or two of the competitors. Those physically strongest and most phlegmatic have a great advantage in such a grinding mill. At the same time, no one would suggest that there is anything fluky in the victory of the prizewinners. They are both players who have done no more than justice to their reputation.'  

Sheriff Spens - Peter 'Knight' (C.F. Knight?)
Scottish Championship, Edinburgh 1892
King's Gambit

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 Be7 4. Bc4 Bh4+ 5. g3 fxg3 6. O-O gxh2+ 7. Kh1 d5 8. Bxd5 Nf6 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Nxh4 Rf8 11. b3 Kg8 12. Ba3 Rf7 13. d4 Bg4 14. Qd3 Nc6 15. c3 Nxe4 16. Rxf7 Kxf7 17. Qxe4 Qxh4 18. Nd2 Kg8 19. Rf1 Qh5 20. Qf4 Qd5+ 21. Ne4 h5 22. c4 Qxd4 23. Qf7+ Kh8 24. Ng5 1-0

Minor Tournament

		1	2	3	4	5	Pts
1	Thomas Tarrant	■	1	0	0	1	2
2	Robert Macaulay	0	■	0	1	1	2
3	Robert Boyd	1	1	■	0	0	2
4	Robert McNab	1	0	1	■	0	2
5	James Phillips	0	0	1	1	■	2

 

The first four were from Edinburgh, the last named from Helensburgh.

Handicap Tournament

There were 16 entrants:-
Class 1: Barbier, Chambers, Finlayson, Forsyth, Fraser, Galloway, Gilchrist, Latta, Mills and Spens.
Class 2: Boyd, Robertson, Seligmann and Tarrant.
Class 3: Macaulay and Phillips.

The final was contested between G.B. Fraser (Dundee) and J.M. Finlayson (Glasgow).

Sources
BCM 1892, pp189-190.

Alan McGowan
Archivist/historian, Chess Scotland

updated 24/2/2023