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Scottish Championship 1937
compiled by Alan McGowan
Glasgow Herald, Saturday, December 19, 1936
Entries close next Saturday for the 50th annual congress of the Scottish Chess Association, to be held in the rooms of Glasgow CC on December 31 and following days. As this is the Jubilee Congress of the S.C.A. a special effort is being made to make it memorable, and an exceptional entry is anticipated. Full particulars may be had from Mr J.M. Nichol, 5 Derby Street , Glasgow , C.3. who will receive entries.
The leading events are, of course, the three championship tournaments—namely, the Scottish, the Scottish Ladies', and the Scottish Boys'. Two rounds will be played daily in morning and evening sessions, except on the opening day, when no morning session will be held. The usual lightning tournament will be played, and other tournaments as may be arranged according to the entries.
Glasgow Herald, Saturday, December 26, 1936
Entries close to-day for the 50th annual Scottish Congress, which opens at 3 p.m. on Thursday in the Athenaeum. Entries are invited for the Scottish Championship (10s), Scottish Ladies' Championship (5s), Scottish Boys' Championship (2s 6d), Major Tournament (5s), and Minor Tournament (3s 6d).
For all events there are the customary handsome prizes, which vary according to the entries. With the three championship titles there is at stake the custody of the respective trophies, and for the “Scottish” there is also awarded (for keeps) the Spens gold medal. The boys' title is confined to boys not 17 years of age before to-day.
The annual meeting of the Scottish Chess Association will be held in the congress-room at 2.30 on Friday, January 1.
Scottish Championship 1937 1. W.A. Fairhurst 2. J. Montgomerie 3. Dr R.C. Macdonald 4. G. Page 5. A. Goldberg 6. C. van der Gaag 7. H.N.J. Walsworth
At the boards: nearest camera is George Page (right) facing A. Goldberg; next to them is Miss L.M. Hogarth (right) facing Miss A.M. Crum. Mrs F.F. Thomson was the third competitor in the Ladies' Championship.
Standing on the far right is W.A. Fairhurst, then Dr R.C. Macdonald and H.N.J. Walsworth. The next figure is unidentified.
Standing far left is thought to be J.R. Longwill, then van der Gaag. Third from left is Hugh Gemmell, a member of Glasgow CC.
Note part of the Glasgow Chess Club's extensive library, which was sold in the 1960s, and the portraits and illustrations, which have been "lost."
Photo: Courtesy of David Everington, Shropshire Chess Association (from Hugh Gemmell)Glasgow Herald, Saturday, January 9, 1937
The Scottish Championship was an interesting tourney in several respects, particularly in the advent of J. Montgomerie, a London Scot, who is undoubtedly an acquisition, and by the return to the fray—and the prize-list—of Dr Macdonald, Inverness, who first played for the title 40 years ago. The withdrawal of J.M. Aitken, Lochgelly, was much regretted, as it was felt that if he, too, had been playing, the tourney would have been even better. Mr Aitken withdrew because of an attack of flu, from which he has now recovered.
The title was retained by Mr Fairhurst, who displayed his usual impeccable form, and whose only indiscretion was his failure to discover any way of winning his game against Van der Gaag, the young Dutch player temporarily resident in Glasgow . Mention of the latter reminds us that there were three competitors for the championship entered from Glasgow, where the tourney was played, two Englishmen and a Dutchman. For the drift northwards of enterprising and able chess players we are grateful and hope that it will continue.
At the annual meeting of the S.C.A. Mr J.R. Longwill was added to the list of vice-presidents, and Miss Malcolm, Edinburgh, was elected president. New directors are Miss Crum and Miss Gilchrist, Edinburgh, and Mr J.A. Stewart, Glasgow. Mr Nichol remains as secretary and treasurer.
An invitation from Edinburgh Ladies' CC to hold the next congress in their rooms at Easter, 1938, was accepted.
The greetings of the congress were sent to Mr Peter Fyfe, who competed at the first S.C.A. congress held in 1884.
Immediate steps are to be taken to increase the S.C.A. fund for sending players to the biennial meetings of the F.I.D.E., of which the next is to be at Stockholm in August. A team of four players and one reserve for the team tournament, and one or two lady players for the women's championship of the world, could and should be entered for every meeting, and the fund is to help defray the players' expenses.
For the benefit of the fund a simultaneous display will be given next Friday evening in Glasgow CC rooms by Sir George Thomas. Players are invited to take boards at a minimum fee of 2s 6d, and should book their boards in advance with Mr Nichol, at the club.
Notes:
Aitken withdrew at the last minute, just before the start of the event. Walsworth, who had not planned to play, stepped in to take Aitken's place.Fairhurst and Montgomerie played in the final round. A win for Montgomerie, who still had an adjourned game to complete, would likely have made him the winner. After losing to Fairhurst, Montgomerie agreed to a draw in that adjourned game with Walsworth to take second place.
Montgomerie went on to represent Scotland in the Stockholm Olympiad later in 1937. In 1972 his delightful book The Quiet Game, was published by Davis-Poynter, with all royalties going to ‘The Friends of Chess'.
Fairhurst,W - Montgomerie,J [E12]
Scottish Championship, 1937
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 b6 3 c4 Bb7 4 Nc3 e6 5 a3 c5 6 d5 d6 7 g3 Be7 8 Bg2 0-0 9 0-0 Ne8 10 Ne1 e5 11 Nd3 f5 12 e4 fxe4 13 Nxe4 Nd7 14 f4 exf4 15 Bxf4 Ndf6 16 Ng5 Nc7 17 Qe2 Re8 18 Bd2 Bf8 19 Qf3 Bc8 20 Bc3 Be7 21 h3 Rb8 22 Nf4 h6 23 Nge6 Nxe6 24 dxe6 Bb7 25 Qd3 Bxg2 26 Kxg2 Qc8 27 Qg6 Rf8 28 Rae1 Qe8 29 Qd3 Qc6+ 30 Kh2 Rbd8 31 Ng6 Qe8 32 Nxf8 1-0Goldberg,A - Fairhurst,W [E11]
Scottish Championship Glasgow, 1937
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4 Bb4+ 4 Bd2 Qe7 5 a3 Bxd2+ 6 Nbxd2 d6 7 e4 e5 8 d5 a5 9 Be2 a4 10 Qc2 Nbd7 11 0-0 Nc5 12 h3 Nh5 13 Ne1 Nf4 14 Ndf3 Qf6 15 Kh1 Qg6 16 Ng1 Nb3 17 Rd1 Nd4 18 Qd2 f5 19 exf5 Bxf5 20 Qe3 Nc2 21 Qf3 0-0 22 Nxc2 Bxc2 23 Rd2 Be4 24 Qg4 Bxg2+ 25 Kh2 Qh6 26 Rfd1 Rf6 27 Qg3 Nxh3 28 Nxh3 Bxh3 29 Qxh3 Rxf2+ 30 Kg1 Qxh3 31 Kxf2 Rf8+ 32 Kg1 Qg3+ 33 Kh1 Rf2 0-1
Other sources:
Chess: 14 January 1937, page 177; 14 February 1937, page 222 (Fairhurst portrait).Updated 11/1/2020
