Hugh Douglas Holmes

Born: 22 April 1940, Glasgow.

• Associated with Cathcart CC (Glasgow), Glasgow CC and, from 1971, Bon Accord CC, Aberdeen.
• Glasgow CC Champion 1965 (shared), and 1969.
• Member of Scotland team at Havana Olympiad 1966.
• Played in the Scottish Championships 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970.
• Scottish Correspondence Champion 1974-75.

Hugh also played in several British Championships, including 1964, 1965 and 1969.

Here is Hugh's first round defeat of Jonathan Penrose at the British Championship 1964. Penrose had already won the British Championship from 1958-63, and would go on to win from 1966-69, a record ten times.

Hugh D. Holmes - J. Penrose British Championship, Whitby (1), 1964.

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 d6 3.Nf3 Nbd7 4.e3 c6 5.c3 g6 6.Nbd2 Bg7 7.h3 0-0 8.Bc4 Qe8 9.0-0 e5 10.Bh2 Qe7 [10...e4 could have been answered by 11.Bxd6] 11.e4 White's treatment of the opening is old-fashioned, rather on the lines of the Colle system - but he gets quite a good game. 11...b5 12.Bb3 Bb7 13.Qe2 Ne8 14.dxe5 dxe5 15.a4 Nd6 16.Qe3 Kh8 "Trapping" White into going for a pawn and losing the exchange. 17.axb5 cxb5 18.Rxa7 Bh6? [Perhaps Black had originally planned 18...Bxe4 but thought this better; it concedes a second pawn for the exchange in a situation offering his rooks no scope.] 19.Qxh6 Rxa7 20.Nxe5! Raa8 [Of course not 20...Nxe5 21.Bxe5+ Qxe5?? 22.Qxf8#] 21.Nxd7 Qxd7 22.Qf4 Ne8 23.Nf3 Kg7 24.Nd4 b4 25.Rd1 Qe7 26.Qe5+ Qxe5 27.Bxe5+ Kh6 28.f3 bxc3 29.bxc3 Ra5 30.Bf4+ Kg7 Here White over-cautiously proposed a draw. Penrose, though he had only two minutes for his next ten moves, declined. Very rashly. Possibly he considered he must beat this opponent? 31.e5 Nc7 32.e6 Nd5 33.Bd6 Rd8? 34.Bxd5 Bxd5 35.Bc7 Raa8 36.Bxd8 Rxd8 37.exf7? 37.Nc6 would have won outright: 37...Rd6 (or 37...Rc8 38.Ne7) 38.e7. There was another quick win by 37.c4 for any bishop move in reply would lose the exchange by a knight check. 37...Rc8 38.f8Q+ Kxf8 39.Rd3 Bc4 40.Re3 Ra8 41.Kf2 Ra2+ 42.Kg1 Rd2 43.Ne6+ Kg8 [Holmes had satisfied himself in adjournment analysis that the rook and pawn end-game after 43...Bxe6 would be won. He holds on, giving nothing away: his pawns must tell.] 44.h4 h6 45.Nd4 Kf7 46.Nc6 Kg7 47.Ne5 Ba6? 48.Nxg6 Kxg6 49.Re6+ Kh5 50.Rxa6 Rc2 51.Rc6 Rd2 52.Kh2 Rf2 53.Rc4 Rf1 54.Kh3 Rh1+ 55.Kg3 Kg6 56.Rc6+ Kh5 57.Kf4 -- Black resigns as 58.g4+ mates. Penrose unrecognisable! 1-0

He faced Penrose again in round 1 of the 1969 British Championship, when the score was reversed. Incidentally, in this tournament of 11 rounds, Hugh had only four games with the white pieces, and seven with black.

Source: CHESS, October 7 1964, pp 33/4; Hugh Holmes.

Alan McGowan Historian, Chess Scotland