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Sunday Times National Schools Team Tournament
This very important tournament began life in 1957, with the announcement of support from the Sunday Times. The competition was open to all schools and any school could enter more than one team. Play was on a knock-out system for teams of six, and began in the Autumn of that year, with the semi-finals and finals held in London in July 1958.
The first year attracted entries from 240 schools, but such was the growth in interest in the competition that in the 1970s there were 1000 schools taking part. After the teacher strikes of the 1970s, however, there was a continuous decline in the number of schools participating.
An important aspect of the organisational rules was the age handicap system, which allowed younger teams to have good chances even against experienced opponents. This would become particularly relevant with regards to the first win by a Scottish school.
Two Scottish schools have won the tournament.
1969 The High School of Dundee team travels to London for the final stages of the 1968-9 competition, the semi-finals and final held at the St. Ermin's Hotel, July 25th and 26th. The team members were Christopher Jones, Peter Walsh, Andrew Baruch, Douglas Tudhope, Timothy Walsh (younger brother of Peter), and John Ferguson. [Norman Melvin was involved in earlier matches.] They were accompanied by Mrs Nancy Elder, a teacher and chess instructor at the school, and many times Scottish Ladies' Chess Champion, who did so much to help and encourage junior chess players in the school in particular, and in Dundee in general. Her efforts were crowned with success.
In the semi-final the Dundee team faced King Edward's School, Sheffield, the result being a 3-3 draw, with the age handicap favouring Dundee.
1. C.J.A. Jones 2. P.W. Walsh S. Mallaband 3. A.J.D. Baruch R.W. Bailey 4. D.S. Tudhope A.J. Spencer 5. T.J.D. Walsh S.J. Lorber 6. J.A. Ferguson P.G. Edwards The final was against King Edward's School, Birmingham, considered to be the favouries. (Note that on Board 2 Peter Walsh faced future International Grandmaster Tony Miles.)
1. C.J.A. Jones 2. P.W. Walsh A.J. Miles 3. A.J.D. Baruch M.A. Hunt 4. D.S. Tudhope G.L. Gretton 5. T.J.D. Walsh C.C. Maltby 6. J.A. Ferguson A.V. Unitt CHESS reported:
"had the Dundee Board 3 not agreed a draw in a still winning position (after having missed a few clear wins on the way), the end would have come earlier. As it was, when time was called Birmingham were 3-2 up, and all depended on the top board where Dundee were a pawn up in a difficult queen and pawn ending. Indeed, so difficult was the position that the adjudicators, for the first time in the history of the event, demurred from giving a verdict, and deferred to the B.C.F adjudication panel thus preventing a result being reached on the spot."
The adjudicators on the spot were C.H.O'D. Alexander and Bernard Cafferty.
As it was, the BCF's verdict was a win for Dundee, producing a tied score of 3-3 and giving Dundee the title, again because of the age handicap system.
Sources: BCM 1969, p 257; CHESS, September 1969, pp 18/19; SCA Bulletin Nr. 27; The Story of Dundee Chess Club, by Peter W. Walsh (1984).
1971 Ayr Academy won the competition, having been second in the 1970 event.From Scottish Chess Nr. 31, May 1972 (E. Stevenson):
'The semi-finals and final were again very closely contested, with the general standard of play being very high. Manchester Grammar School and Ayr Academy were expected to defeat Ilford and Plymouth respectively, and this in fact happened by scores of 4½-1½ and 4-2 in the semi-finals....Ayr started well with fine wins from Caldwell and Taylor and held on to win fairly comfortably.
The final was a tense and exciting struggle. Ayr started superbly with Penman winning very coolly against Kimber. Things seemed to be evening out on the other boards when Muir and Findlay won and Taylor lost. The score of 3-1 was a winning margin (on board count) and with the tension off on the other two games, these rapidly went Manchester's way. Nevertheless, credit must go to both Mestel and Brierley for the way they engineered their wins...'
1. D.J. Findlay 2. D.C. Bentley A.J. Mestel 3. A.D. Penman A.J. Kimber 4. I.A.M. Muir P.S. Sheard 5. C.W. Caldwell D.S. Brierley 6. A.G. Taylor J.R. Doyle
1972 Ayr Academy win for the second year in succession. Again, the semi-finals and final were held at the St. Ermin's Hotel in London, on July 21 and 22.
In the semi-final Ayr defeated Trinity School, Croydon, 4-2.
1. D.J. Findlay 2. D.C. Bentley A.G. Bate 3. A.D. Penman S.J. Threlfall 4. I.A.M. Muir C.C. Bonser 5. C.W. Caldwell I.G. Hopkins 6. A.G. Taylor G.F. Liddiard The final was against Dulwich College, London.
1. D.J. Findlay 2. D.C. Bentley J.P. Sommerville 3. A.D. Penman S.G. Thomson 4. I.A.M. Muir A. Mazoombar 5. C.W. Caldwell N.P. Alexander 6. A.G. Taylor M.K. Jones
From Scottish Chess Nr. 32, September 1972: In the final, Dulwich had some early pressure, but after a few hours' play, when they had failed to convert good positions on the top two boards into wins, the writing was on the wall and the lower boards gave Ayr the title. Only a blunder in a won position on board three allowed Dulwich to reach a score of respectability.
Paisley Grammar School finished 4th in the 1974 competition and 3rd in the 1977 event.
Additional source: CHESS, August 1972, p 313.
Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotlandupdated 21/10/2023