James B. McGibbon

1904 - 1965

James Bole McGibbon was born 4 November 1904 in Govan, Glasgow.

He is first mentioned in chess reports in 1928, when he is shown playing for the chess club associated with the Pollok Street United Free Church in the Tradeston area of the city. In a friendly match against Glasgow CC in October 1928, he drew with the veteran Peter Fyfe.

 He must have improved steadily; in 1932 he was champion of the church chess club and in 1933 he led the club to the Spens Cup final, which they lost to Bon Accord. Soon after, the club simply referred to itself as Pollok CC.

McGibbon stood out at the time because of his relative success against Fairhurst, the strongest player in the country. In the opening round of the 1934 Scottish Championship, McGibbon held Fairhurst to a draw, the first game that Fairhurst failed to win in  three consecutive championships.

J.B. McGibbon - W.A. Fairhurst
Scottish Championship 1934, Glasgow (1)
Played 29 December 1933

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg2 Bd6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. O-O Bb7 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. e3 Nd7 12. Qc2 Rfc8 13. Qa4 Qe6 14. Rac1 c5 15. Rfe1 Nf6 16. Nd2 Bc6 17. Qb3 c4 18. Qc2 b5 19. e4 dxe4 20. Ncxe4 Nxe4 21. Nxe4 Qd7 22. Nxd6 Qxd6 23. Bxc6 Rxc6 24. Qe4 Rd8 25. Rcd1 Qd5 26. Qe7 Re6 27. Rxe6 fxe6 28. Re1 Qxd4 29. Qxe6+ Kh8 30. Qe7 Qd2 31. h4 b4 32. Re2 Qd3 33. Re3 Qd1+ 34. Re1 Qd6 35. Qf7 Qd3 36. Re7 Qd1+ 37. Kg2 Qd4 38. h5 Qf6 39. Re8+ Rxe8 40. Qxe8+ Kh7 41. Qe4+ 1/2-1/2

At the start of season 1934/35 McGibbon was playing for Glasgow CC, perhaps having been persuaded to join the club by Fairhurst. Mieses visited the club in November 1934, during which time McGibbon and Ponce drew a consultation game with the master.

 McGibbon registered further successes against Fairhurst in two tournaments running concurrently in 1934/35. He again drew with Fairhurst, this time in the fourth round of the West of Scotland Championship, the first local game of the season which Fairhurst failed to win, according to the Glasgow Herald chess column of 15 December 1934. And soon after, playing in the Glasgow CC championship, he inflicted on Fairhurst only his second defeat since arriving in Scotland in 1931. In fact, the Glasgow Herald chess column of 2 February 1935 reported that out of five serious games against Fairhurst, McGibbon had scored four draws and a win.

W.A. Fairhurst - J.B. McGibbon
Glasgow CC Championship 1934/35 (4)
Played 4 December 1934

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 f6 6. Bf4 Nc6 7. Nc3 c4 8. e3 Bb4 9. Be2 Nge7 10. O-O a6 11. e4 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nd5 13. Bg3 b5 14. a4 Bf5 15. axb5 axb5 16. Rxa8 Qxa8 17. Nd6+ Bxd6 18. Bxd6 Qd8 19. Nh4 Be6 20. Bg4 Bxg4 21.
Qxg4 Qxd6 22. Qxg7 Qf8 23. Qb7 Nce7 24. Qxb5+ Kf7 25. Qxc4 Qc8 26. Qe2 Rg8 27. Qh5+ Kg7 28. Re1 Kh8 29. g3 Qg4 30. Qxg4 Rxg4 31. Nf3 Rg8 32. Re2 Rb8 33. Rd2 Kg7 34. Kf1 Kf7 35. Ke1 Rb3 36. Nh4 Ke6 37. Kd1 Nb4 38. Re2+ Kd6 39. f4 Nec6 40. Nf5+ Kd5 41. Rd2 Rd3 42. Rxd3 Nxd3 43. Ke2 Nxb2 44. Kf3 Nc4 45. Kg4 Ke4 46. d5 Nd8 47. Ne7 Nf7 48. Kh5 Ne3 49. d6 Nxd6 50. Kh6 Ndf5+ 51. Nxf5 Kxf5 52. Kxh7 Nf1 53. Kh6 Nxh2 54. Kh5 Nf3 55. Kh6 Kg4 0-1

McGibbon represented the Glasgow CC in the 1935 Richardson Cup final and participated in his second and last Scottish Championship in April 1935 in Aberdeen, finishing with 2½/5 (Fairhurst was not playing).

 The Glasgow Herald chess column of 9 March 1935 announced that a short match of six games had been arranged between Fairhurst and McGibbon. The first game was played 15 March, when McGibbon once again held the draw. However, Fairhurst won the next four games and no report of the sixth game has been found, including in Fairhurst's notebooks. 

While the match might have been arranged to encourage McGibbon by giving him some hard practice, one wonders whether it might have discouraged him, for after the Glasgow CC AGM on 31 May 1935, where he was awarded the Longwill Cup, his name disappears from chess reports.

On the 3rd of July 1936 Mr McGibbon, then living at 131 Weir Street, Tradeston, a short distance from the Pollok U.F. Church married for the first time. Perhaps that had a bearing on his withdrawal from the game.

He died on 29 June 1965 at 8 Seath Street, Glasgow.

Further information about Mr McGibbon would be welcomed.

Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotland

Added 9/2/2022