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History of the Bradford Chess Club 1853 - 1953

Part 1 of 4

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BY THE PRESIDENT

Those of us who are members of the Bradford Chess Club, living in this its Centenary Year, pause for a while to contemplate the remarkable fact that this club, formed by a few enthusiastic lovers of the game of chess on a winter's evening in November, 1853, has continued an unbroken course for a hundred years. There is a very natural desire amongst the present members of the club to mark this memorable record. This desire is prompted partly by a love for the game, partly by a feeling of pride in the club and partly by a respect for those who at different times in the last hundred years have constituted The Bradford Chess Club. I myself cast my mind back in Bradford chess circles some thirty years. Many well known names of this period leap to my mind. I recall them with respect; some indeed with affection. I refrain, however, from mentioning their names; for were I to do so I should almost certainly omit some by inadvertence, and in any case the list would be only a personal one.

My reflections upon the game of chess as it is played in Bradford circles impress upon me the fact that to some players this King of Games is a very serious matter-almost a way of life; yet to the great majority of players, it is fortunately still just a game, as may be witnessed by any interested observer who cares to visit the club's headquarters at the Bradford Central Cafe any day during a lunch hour. For here, at this time of day, chess is played with an air of abandon, untrammelled by convention or orthodoxy. The players follow their own whims and fancies, exploring the whole 64 squares of the chess board as expectantly as Captain Cook explored the uncharted Pacific Seas, putting in here and pulling out there, now meeting with disaster and now with success, yet ever moving with high adventure and commendable endeavour.

Since the end of the Second World War, the record of the Bradford Chess Club in competitive chess has been a creditable one, as a glance at the official records will show. Whilst the club's teams have always included a majority of seasoned and experienced players, some indeed whose reputations have passed beyond local boundaries, the club has been fortunate in having a constant infusion of youth. It has pursued the policy of encouraging young players. It is no accident that during this Centenary Year the club's first and second ranking players are aged 21 and 18 respectively and are both still pursuing their educational studies. Playing on the first and second boards during the present season, these two young players have engaged the very cream of Yorkshire chess and have more than held their own.

It is a considerable source of gratification to me as I am 'sure it is also to all present members of the Bradford Chess Club, that to mark the occasion of the club's Centenary, Mr. Charles H. Leach, assistant editor of the "Telegraph and Argus", has written a history of the club in the pages which follow this foreword. No one is more competent than Mr. Leach to undertake this work. He is not only a lover of chess but also a very worthy exponent of the art. He has always taken a great interest in the club. For some years he played with the first team and for three years 1938-39, 1939-40 and 1945-46 - he was the club's secretary.

I express with confidence the hope and belief that this little book relating the history of the Bradford Chess Club will prove to be of interest and value to lovers of chess not only in Bradford and district, but also wherever the game of chess is played.

23rd April, 1953, GEORGE R. LAWSON, President.

HISTORY OF THE BRADFORD CHESS CLUB

On 8th November, 1853, fifteen professional and business men, all of them well known in Bradford, met in the ante-room" of the Exchange and, say the minutes of the meeting, decided "that a club be now formed to be called the Bradford Chess Club".

Who was primarily responsible for the calling of the meeting I have been unable to discover. It is merely recorded that it was convened by circular. Probably it resulted from discussions by men who met at the Exchange and who, inspired by the fact that England had become the chess centre of the world and that a number of cities and towns in Yorkshire had formed clubs, felt that it was time Bradford did likewise.

It is surprising indeed that the club was not formed many years earlier. In January, 1841, the Yorkshire Chess Association, the first of its kind in the country, was formed at Leeds, and before the Bradford club came into being the association had held meetings at Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds and Wakefield. In 1852 the association extended its area and changed its title to "The Northern and Midland Counties Chess Association", and this ultimately led to the formation of the British Chess Association.

Yorkshire, and particularly the West Riding, was therefore a pioneer in the organisation of chess activity, and the founders of the Bradford club did not lack encouragement. Some of them no doubt had also been inspired by reports of the feats of the brilliant Howard Staunton, the first recognised champion of the world, and by descriptions of the first great international tournament, which had been held in this country in 1851. Probably copies of Staunton's comprehensive volume "The Chess-player's Handbook" had by that time reached Bradford, his "maxims and advice" had been absorbed, and his detailed analyses of the openings given great study.

How impressed they must have been by the opening sentence in Staunton's preface, which said: "Wide as is the field of theory which comprehends the manifold varieties of openings and endings in the game of chess, its every part has been explored in modern times with so much skill and perseverance that little now remains for a follower in this walk beyond the adaptation and arrangement of materials which have been garnered by his pre­decessors."

The mysteries of the game had been plumbed to the depths! All that was required was study and practice. To the fifteen men who first provided Bradford chess players with the opportunity for practice we are indebted.. The club they formed has without in­terruption continued for a century. It has had its ups and downs. Once during its early years a member did propose that, owing to lack of enthusiasm and poor attendance, it should cease, but its enthusiasts rejected his advice. They had confidence in its future and in spite of many more periods of depression that confidence has been justified. While clubs have come and gone and some have suspended activities and then re-formed the Bradford Chess Club has continued in operation, and is one of the most notable in the country.

It has celebrated its centenary year by winning the Yorkshire championship-the Woodhouse Cup-a trophy it has held on 19 occasions. It has numbered among its members two British cham­pions, and it has provided the county with many of its finest players.

The founders of the club were men of enthusiasm. The first minute book itself shows that they considered they were forming a club of some permanence. It is a large, leather-bound volume with the title "Bradford Chess Club, Minute Book" printed in handsome gilt letters on the cover, and of such excellent quality that today it remains in perfect preservation and almost as plain to read as when the minutes were first written on its pages.

Before the close of the centenary year the book will be honoured by being given a place in the archives of Bradford's Central Library, where it will be well preserved and available, I suppose, for the writer of the bi-centenary booklet in 2053-for who would doubt that this vigorous club will continue long after its centenary is forgotten?

Those present at the first meeting were Mr. W. B. Addison, Dr. Bennett, Mr. Benjamin Broughton, Mr. George Gorrell, Mr. W. H. Greaves, Mr. A. Harris, jun. (who was appointed a vice-president), Mr. J. A. Heselton (who was appointed secretary-and an admirable secretary he was if his detailed and expressive minutes are a guide), Mr. Gilbert Keighley, Mr. Samuel Laycock (the first president), Mr. George Oxley, Mr. Robert Milligan, jun. (the first treasurer), Mr. George Nesbit, Mr. W. T. Outhwaite, Mr. J. C. Ramsden, and Mr. David Ramsden. Mr. Julius Schlesinger, who was appointed a vice-president, was not present.

After electing the officers the meeting was occupied for the rest of the time in preparing the rules, and the following week these were adopted and a copy was provided for each member. Whether they were printed or whether the secretary had to write them out is not stated. He certainly entered them neatly in the minute book, and today they can be read as easily as any other minutes that have been recorded during the club's history-and much more easily than some.

Club nights were fixed for one evening per week-Tuesday-from 1st October to 1st April, and the hours were 7 p.m. to 1 p.m. The entrance fee was lOs., and the annual subscription lOs., which in those days was expensive, and much higher in money value than today's annual subscription of £1 Ss. Although the members were permitted to pay in two instalments-5s. on the first Tuesday in October and 5s. on the first Tuesday in January-it would seem that it was not a club which members of the lower-income groups could afford to join. But it is the disciplinary rules that provoke the greatest interest today. The modern chess player will wonder why, for example, it was considered necessary to make a rule that no stakes or bets should be permitted. What member of the club today would ever dream of betting on a game?

And what qualms had the founders when they phrased Rule 10 which said : "That a spectator interfering with the game of any party shall be fined one shilling" ? Or Rule 11-"That any member conducting himself in an improper manner may be expelled the club, for which purpose a majority of votes at a special meeting shall be sufficient; notice of such meting and the object thereof having been previously given to all the members by circular from the secretary"? Or Rule 12-"That no intoxicating drink shall be admitted in the club room, nor shall smoking be allowed"?

Of what unbecoming conduct did they consider, a chess player might be guilty? Was it not so polite a game then as it is today? And why was the ban on drink and tobacco imposed? Did they fear that with such distractions the members might not pay sufficient attention to the game? It is a pity that the discussions on the rules which took place at the first two meetings are not recorded. Two years or so later a member did propose a little relaxation. At the annual general meeting on 6th February, 1856, at which only four members were present it was decided.

"That in consequence of the very small attendance the meeting be adjourned to 5th March."

And the minutes of the next meeting, which was attended by five members, state: "It having been suggested that it would be more conducive to the prosperity of the club that smoking should be allowed, it is proposed that Rule 12, so far as respects the prohibition of smoking, be rescinded, and to take into consideration the desirableness of providing news­papers for the use of the club on the evenings of the meeting." In accordance with the rules the proposal was placed on the club notice board on the next two Tuesday evenings and then, again in accordance with the rules, a special meeting was convened by circular at which the proposal was presented.

But, alas for the smokers, it was, on the proposition of a doctor member, defeated. The six members who were present had no faith in Milady Nicotine. They did not consider she would increase the membership. Indeed, after having scorned her they disconsolately decided "That a meeting be called by the secretary, to be held on the 20th April (the season terminating on the 30th) in order that some resolution may be come to as to whether it is desirable to continue the club another season in consequence of the continued small attendance of members and the little interest that appears to be taken in the welfare of the club."

Fortunately the next meeting, which was attended by seven members, was not so dispirited, and it was decided to meet for another season. But smoking was still not allowed until, early in 1859; again on the grounds that permission to smoke would attract more members, a resolution removing the ban was proposed and finally adopted.

In 1874 when the rules were revised the ban on alcohol still remained, but at the annual meeting six years later even this was removed, after a lively discussion, by nine votes to two. The reasons put forward in favour of the deletion of the rule are not recorded. Perhaps, as in the case of smoking, the members thought that permission to drink a glass of ale would increase the membership, for once again the club, although its finances were in a reasonably healthy condition, lacked enthusiasm.

Its programmes for a number of years had been attractive. It had had matches with neighbouring towns, and with Manchester; it had had simultaneous and blindfold displays by master players, including Blackburne, who, it has been said, was in some ways the most famous of all chess players; it had staged a Yorkshire v. Lancashire match, and it had been given lectures on the game by one of its leading members.

Yet enthusiasm had waned, and in the annual report of 1880, the year in which it was decided to remove the drink ban, it was plainly stated that "Your committee cannot congratulate you on a very successful past year, neither as regards the addition of numbers nor as regards im­provements in the playing strength of the club, nor yet on the attendance at practice."

During the first thirty years of the club's existence reports of success and decline seemed to alternate. In the early years the membership was about thirty. It might have been more if the club had not been so selective. Its original rules laid down "That new members be elected by ballot, their names having been exhibited in the club room two Tuesday evenings preceding the ballot, and one adverse vote in five to exclude: the ballot to be declared by the secretary at ten o'clock." On ballot nights each member who wished to take part placed into a bag a white ball if he was in favour of the nominee, but a black ball if he was against.

At the inaugural meeting three members were proposed, but a fortnight later only two were elected. One of them received fourteen white balls and the second thirteen. The third man, who was well known in Bradford and of some standing, received nine white balls and four black, and was rejected. A month or so later two more candidates for membership were blackballed.

Little wonder that the membership did not increase as quickly as might have been expected in a large borough-Bradford had not then become a city-which had a population of over a hundred thousand and which was growing rapidly. Before a person dare permit himself to be nominated he had to be pretty sure that he was on good terms with the members. To be rejected must have been very humiliating.

Still, in spite of its fluctuations, the club grew in influence. In 1860 the West Yorkshire Chess Association, which was formed in 1856, honoured Bradford by holding its annual meeting at St. George's Hall, the saloon of which, said the "Bradford Observer's" report, "never before presented such an assemblage of intellectual= looking gentlemen". The Bradford club, which was responsible for the arrangements, engaged Harrwitz, one of the celebrated players of the day, and he proved a great attraction both at the meeting and during the following week, when members of the club had an opportunity to play him blindfold and simultaneous games.

"There is reason to believe," says the club's annual report of that year, "that at no meeting the association has yet had has there been present so many of the best players of the West Riding". Thus the secretary, Mr. Heselton, wrote with enthusiasm

"That the past year has been in some respects probably the most important in the history of the Bradford Chess Club. It commenced with a state of prosperity which it had never before experienced, both in regard to its financial condition and the number of members in regular attendance, and if the committee cannot at present give so favourable a report as at the commencement of the year they can say it has been a successful one and that the club is now in a flourishing condition." Unhappily the following year was not so good. There had been a decreased attendance, but the committee was not disheartened.

"Whether this has to be regarded," it said, "as the manifestation of decreased interest on the part of the members or as an alternation of prosperity and decline, which all institutions experience, is left to individual judgment. The committee entertains a hope that it has no permanent cause." And then follows this memorable pronouncement: ,

"The committee wishes to entertain the conviction that each member of the club estimates the game of chess above a mere amusement and that the meetings held here from week to week are not for the trifling pastime that fills an idle hour but are conducive to the habitual discipline of the intellect, which none ought to neglect and which none at the present day can neglect with impunity. The Bradford Chess Club has passed through several periods of discouragement and decline since its formation, and it would be timid and unwise to doubt its renewed vitality. Yet it is deserving the study of all who feel an interest in its welfare whether these periods cannot be altogether avoided or at least separated by greater intervals.

Was ever a chess club annual report more beautifully phrased? But the members were unmoved. In 1863 the committee sorrow­fully reported that the hopes it had entertained of renewed activity had not been fulfilled. Instead there was, according to the annual report, "continued listlessness on the part of the members generally". Indeed the attendance on club evenings had frequently been so meagre "that a member will have come to the room and after waiting for some time left without an opportunity of play as no other member came".

"Such instances have been so frequent," said Mr. Heselton, " and the general attendances so small that a report obtained circulation some time ago to the effect that the club was about to be dissolved, although there was not the slightest truth in the rumour. It is to be regretted that it should have arisen and members would serve the interests of the club by contradicting it should they hear it again."

What could be done to restore the club's vigour? The committee members (how many of them attended the meetings is not revealed) pondered deeply over the matter. Someone suggested that there should be matches with other clubs, but, say the minutes, "the committee have not felt it prudent to entertain the proposals as the efficiency of several of the best players is not such that they can do justice to themselves or to the club".

No, that was not the solution. As the committee said, “There appears to be one and only one answer to the question. Let each member endeavour to attend more frequently and the results desired will follow."

That certainly had some little effect. There was an increased attendance, eight new members were enrolled (the minutes do not state what the total membership now was), and at the invitation of several members, "though it was not directly under the auspices of the club", Harrwitz came to Bradford for a fortnight and friends were invited to see the games.

In spite of the poor attendance on club nights in the two preceding years it was pleasing to note that Harrwitz considered that the playing strength of the club was greater than when he first came to Bradford, and, inspired by his praise, a match was arranged with Settle and was played at Skipton.

Bradford, which in three earlier matches with this team had been defeated, this time won handsomely. Seven games were won, one lost and three drawn. It is remarkable that so tiny a market town in Craven had previously been able to produce a team superior to one from the large borough of Bradford

The report on this year's working was the last which Mr. Heselton entered in the minute book as the club secretary. After eleven years' excellent service-one wonders whether without his encouragement the club would have continued through its periods of depression-he became a vice-president. The closing sentences of the report read:

"The present aspect of affairs induces the committee to congratulate the members of the club on its prosperity and to express the hope that the objects for which the club meets are to some extent realised. It is their desire, and, they trust, the desire of each subscriber, to see the study of the noble game advance in order that the intellectual exercise may be useful to all and may supplant the taste for more trivial enjoy­ments."

Progress continued. There was a steady flow of new members, the balance in hand reached £50-a considerable sum in those days ­more books were bought for the club library which had been formed, visitors' tickets were issued for temporary residents, friendly matches were held with the Huddersfield club, and a club competition inaugurated.

In 1865 the interest grew when the West Yorkshire Chess Associa­tion again held its annual meeting in Bradford, and when the chief guest was Lowenthal, the distinguished Hungarian player. One evening before the meeting he lectured in the Exchange Buildings on "Chess, its origin, history, progress and influence upon civilisation."

Those of us who love the game may wonder whether these terms are not a little exaggerated, a little conceited, but it is nevertheless enjoyable to read the praises which the lecturers and club secretaries of old expressed.

"The game which was once the pastime of kings," said Lowenthal, "has now made its way to the firesides of the people. I hope that it will daily become more popular, for it is not only intellectual but moral in its tendency. Cricket alone rivals it in sociality, and of all sedentary games it is the only one not tainted by gambling. True, in contests between celebrated players there are sometimes heavy stakes, but as a rule the victors are contented with the honour."

Whatever influence Lowenthal may have considered that chess had had upon civilisation, the fact remained that at the time of his visit to Bradford one or two clubs in Yorkshire were bemoaning the lack of influence it was having on their members. Although Bradford's club was flourishing, Mr. Benjamin Broughton, one of the founders of the club, who presided at the West Yorkshire Association's annual meeting, expressed regret that the Halifax club was no longer in existence and that the Leeds club was in a state of suspense.

"But," he said, "as we know that both those important towns possess many players of considerable strength we hope soon to see those clubs resuscitated, and that Phoenix-like still more vigorous clubs might arise from the ashes of the expiring ones"-a hope that was greeted with applause.

Unfortunately no records are available of the activities of the club for the next six years. Perhaps the coma which had suspended life in the Leeds and Halifax clubs had affected the Bradford officials, and in the minute book are eleven pages which have been left blank apparently in the hope that someone would sometime look up his notes and enter them as painstakingly as the earlier secretaries had entered theirs:

It was on 21st February, 1871, that the minutes were next entered, and they reveal that after another spell of depression the club was once again on the upward path. Membership was again increasing. Halifax and Leeds had been revived, and the former had been twice defeated in friendly matches with Bradford; and in several matches with the latter the results had also been "decidedly favourable"

Once again also the committee was engaged in preparing to entertain the West Yorkshire Chess Association and, more interesting still, to make arrangements for a Yorkshire v. Lancashire match to be played on the same day.

The committee members had several meetings. They were deter­mined to make the event a great success. They were anxious to spread the news throughout the two counties and the rest of the country that a battle of the Roses would be fought over the chess­boards at the Victoria Hotel, Bradford.

Advertisements were inserted in three issues of the "Bradford Observer", in two of the "Leeds Mercury", two of the "Yorkshire Post", and one each of the "Manchester Guardian", the "Man­chester Examiner" and the "Liverpool Mercury". Circulars were sent to the "Illustrated London News", "Land and Water", "Era" and the "Field", and also to Schiller Verein (the German society in Bradford), the Mechanics' Institute and the Bradford Library.

That was eighty-two years ago. Perhaps we consider we have advanced in the organisation of chess activities since then, but are we as publicity-minded as they were? Do we strive to arouse the same public interest in the game as they did?

History of the Bradford Chess Club 1853 - 1953

Part 2 of 4

THE IVORY CHESSMEN

It was decided to give £5 from the club funds towards the expenses of the association and to pay the rest by subscription. Equally generously a handsome set of chessmen and board were bought for presentation to the winning team. They cost eleven guineas, towards which the club paid £5 and private subscribers the remainder. Little did the Bradford members think of the trouble that set of chessmen was to cause them.

The great day was Saturday, 20th May. Attending the annual, meeting were representatives of the clubs of Bradford, Dewsbury, Halifax, Huddersfield, Leeds, Morley, Northallerton, Wakefield, Bolton, Liverpool, Manchester and Wigan. Bradford's representa­tives were the Mayor (Mr. M. Dawson), the president of the Associa­tion (Mr. B. Broughton) and Mr. J. Child, Mr. J. A. Heselton Mr. M. E. Werner, Mr. Richard Reaney, Mr. W. C. Ferrand, Mr. T. Fieldsend, Mr. F. Landolph, Mr. James Barker, Mr. Joseph Petty, Mr. William Fieldsend, Mr. Robert Paterson, Mr. A. K. Briggs, Mr. F. W. Broughton, Mr. A. Rowsby, Mr. M. Ramsden, Mr. George Richardson, Mr. A. Menssing, Mr. A. Sussmann, Mr. E. Fattorini, Mr. S. E. Sichel, Mr. D. Mills, Mr. H. Stanhope, Mr. G M. Wilson and Mr. Thomas Semon. Of these Mr. Petty and Mr. W. Fieldsend played in the county team of ten players.

Play began shortly after twelve o'clock, and continued until the tea adjournment at six, after which the president gave a brief address and others expressed their thanks to the Bradford club for, according to the "Observer" report, "the hospitable and handsome entertainment they had given to the strangers".

"The company (continues the report) then returned to their games at chess. The county match was a most exciting contest and some of the games lasted such a length of time that, by the time the Lancashire players had to leave, they were not concluded. Several of them, there­fore, had to be drawn. It was agreed that it should be left for future consideration whether the match should be considered drawn, or the players should meet at times and places to suit their own convenience and play it out. The prize for the winning county was given by the Bradford Chess Club. It consisted of a set of the best African ivory chessmen of the Staunton pattern and club size, with a chessboard and casket. The casket was made of a black substance resembling ebony, and was beautifully carved, so as to be emblematical of the game."

On each board there were two games, but only nine of the twenty were concluded, and of these Yorkshire won five and Lancashire four. Unfortunately for the Bradford club the match was eventually declared a draw. The handsome ivory chessmen were taken back to the clubroom and as efforts to arrange another county match did not succeed, the set remained in the club's possession. Eventually a prominent member of the club took the chessmen and board home for safe-keeping, and thereby hangs a tale.

The member resigned-the reason is not stated in the minutes and when, in 1874, the committee asked him to return the chessmen he refused to do so. He ignored the first letter addressed to him on the subject but in reply to a second one he stated that, as the prize was put into his hands to be held until another match between Yorkshire and Lancashire was played, he felt justified in keeping it, but when there was a match he would hand it over to the winning county. A long correspondence followed. There was a personal interview with the gentleman, but without effect. He refused to budge. The club was indignant. It passed the following resolution:

"That Mr. Adolphus Menssing, the president of this club, be and he is hereby appointed for the purpose of taking proceedings on behalf of the club against Mr. XXXXXX to recover from him a set of ivory chessmen and board in his possession belonging to the club and detained from the club by him and to recover damages for his wrongful detention thereof and for the purpose of taking all such proceedings on behalf of the club for and in respect of the detention or conversion thereof as may be advised and that he be indemnified out of the funds of the club in respect of such proceedings." Obviously they meant business. Legal proceedings were in their minds and the minute must be phrased in legal fashion. And in keeping with the solemnity of the occasion the president, two vice­presidents, the treasurer and the secretary each signed his name below the resolution after it had been written in the book. A solicitor was consulted. He was told that the club was determined to sue the member in the County Court, and he considered that it had a good case.

So to court they went, but without success. "Judge Daniel," it is recorded, "while expressing sympathy for the club, said he was compelled to non-suit them, as the club was neither a registered society nor an organisation for the propagation of arts or sciences, and the club had to pay the costs of the proceedings". How much the costs were is not stated.

In 1883, ten years or so after the stubborn member had taken possession of the prize, the county teams met again. The club pondered: Should it ask the winning team to request him to hand over the prize? It felt that it could hardly do that. To announce before a match that there was a prize but the winners must go and get it would be ungracious. Should it then invite the gentleman to present the prize at the conclusion of the match ? That, too, did not appeal to the club. He was no longer a member of any chess organisation. To give him the distinction of presenting the prize and to have to applaud his speech would be too much for them. They took no action.

When in 1884 the Bradford and the Bradford Exchange chess clubs amalgamated, Mr. A. IIlingworth drew the attention of the new committee to the fact that the chessmen were still in the hands of the ex-member. He would be sorry to believe, he said, that the club had finally relinquished hope of obtaining them and he urged the new committee to give the matter their earnest consideration, particularly if another match was played between the counties.

That is the end of the story. I have been unable to discover any further reference to the chessmen in the club records. Some years ago a set of ivory chessmen, of the origin of which no member to whom I have spoken has any knowledge, was discovered among the club's property. Whether this is the 1871 set I cannot say.

It is surprising that in spite of the great interest which the county match of 1871 and the annual meeting of the West Yorkshire Chess Association aroused in Bradford, in spite of the publicity which it was given by the Press-the "Bradford Observer's" report of the meeting and the match filled almost a column-and in spite of the fact that Bradford now had a strong team, which gave an excellent account of itself in matches with other clubs, the membership was small.

At the annual meeting in February, 1873, the report stated that "the past year may be considered as one of the most successful ones which this club has witnessed". Yet the number of members was only _.35, which, said the report, "does not include four doubtful ones". The following year the number had dropped to 33—a decrease "accounted for by five gentlemen leaving England"—and, the members were once again informed that the attendance was "not all that might be wished for".

"The committee earnestly beg to impress upon you," said the annual report, "the necessity of regular attendance in that the strength of this club may increase, and that the town of Bradford may be renowned for its pieces in more senses than one, and take its place in the front rank of provincial clubs."

The meeting to which the report should have been read had to be. adjourned "owing to the small attendance in consequence of political excitement, etc.". , The political excitement was, of course, due to, the General Election when, following a Cabinet disagreement, Gladstone surprised the country and even some of his Government colleagues by dissolving Parliament. What the secretary meant by adding the "etc." I do not know.

On 21st February of that year Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister. On 24th February the adjourned annual meeting of the Bradford Chess Club was held and the report presented. the excitement had subsided. There were twelve members present, and they were evidently sufficiently calm to approve the report and the balance sheet (which showed "a balance in hand of £19 10s. 9d., not including £6 10s. unpaid subscriptions") without making any observations important enough to be entered in the minute book.' They also adopted unanimously the revised rules, one of which stated

"That the club meet every Tuesday and Friday evenings; the club­room to be open at 7 o'clock and no game to be commenced after eleven."

When the club was founded the rule stated that the room should be "closed at eleven". Why was it necessary, to make the alteration? Had some members objected to leaving at 11 p.m. if their games were unfinished? The new rule imposed no closing time. So long as a game was begun before eleven it would seem that the players could stay until its completion.

How many of them walked home at, say midnight, or were driven by their own coachmen or by hired cabbies? Many of them would not, of course, have to go so far as members have today, but I wonder what time they had to get up for business? The subscription and entrance fee remained the same as in 1853, but a member who entered on or after 1st April was only charged 5s. for that year in addition to the entrance fee. Under the original rules members were permitted to play draughts as well as chess, and in 1854 the club bought a set of draughts. The 1874 rules, however, withdrew the privilege. Rule 8 laid down that no game but chess could be played in the room.

Curiously enough it retained the old rule that any member conducting himself in an improper manner may ,be expelled and also the rule^, under which a spectator interfering with a game should be fined one shilling, but to this it added, "at the request of one of the players". There is nothing in the minutes indicating that there had during the first twenty years of the club's existence been a need for these rules, but the fact that they were repeated would suggest that the rulemakers still considered it wise to issue the warning.

Bradford's turn to entertain the West Yorkshire Chess Association's annual gathering came round again in 1877, and the committee endeavoured to make it as great a success as the earlier meetings in the town. The question of choosing an association president seems to have caused the committee members some little worry. A very well known and successful Bradford businessman was proposed and three members were instructed to see him and invite him to fill the office, but before the delegation had carried out its task the proposal was reconsidered and "it was further agreed that Bishop Ryan (the Rural Dean) should be invited". Even this did-not please. everyone, for one member protested, and insisted that his protest. a, should be entered in the minute book—"against the choosing of president outside of the club". The reason for the protest was "in order that the decision of the committee should not be used as a precedent".

He need not have made the protest. A deputation of three mem­bers waited on the Bishop but could not induce him to accept the post, so the committee thought deeply again and finally invited the Town Clerk of Bradford, Mr. W. T. McGowen, who readily con­sented. From the fact that no similar protest was made I assume that Mr.McGowen was already a member of the club.

This was the twenty-second annual meeting of the association and -the third to be held in Bradford. First, second and third-class tournaments were held, the entrance fee for each player was 2s. 6d.— a sizeable fee for. 1877—and the Bradford club gave in addition prizes to the value of four guineas in the first class, three guineas in the second, and two guineas in the third. The price of a tea ticket, which also gave the right of admission to the meeting, was 2s. 6d. for members of chess clubs and 3s. 6d. for non-members. It should have been a remarkably attractive meal at that price—and probably, was.

The "Observer" reported the meeting at length. Of the presidential address, which was given after tea, it said:

"Mr. McGowen expressed his great satisfaction at seeing sb many gentlemen present from neighbouring towns, to whom he tendered, in the name of the Bradford club, a hearty and sincere welcome. On leaving the other room just before tea he saw several gentlemen engaged in a deadly conflict, and he had no doubt many of them had, while at tea, been plotting and designing and laying all sorts of snares and traps For their opponents, just as on a larger scale the same was being done in matters affecting the well-being or destruction of those of our fellow citizens who were, engaged in a greater war. (Hear, hear.) Knowing therefore how eager the belligerents present were to fight each other again across the board, he would not detain them unnecessarily long ... One of the chief charms of chess, and one which was specially marked at those annual gatherings, was that however warm the contest might be, it was scarcely ever that one found the disputants themselves out of contempt with one another. (Applause.) That was one of the advantages which chess had over what might be called games of chance--cards and the like,—for in such games fortune sometimes favoured one player continuously fora considerable time, and then the temper of the other player was apt to get ruffled. But in chess it was a game of skill; the one who was unsuccessful knew that he had been either reckless of his own movements or had had a superior adversary to contend with, and in this world he did not think that anyone regretted being beaten in a fair field by a superior foe. (Applause.)"

As to which was the "greater war" to which he referred, we can only guess. The Russians and' the Turks were in conflict in 1877, but would Mr. McGowen refer to` those distant warriors as "our fellow citizens" ? But what glowing terms he used about the game of chess ! Surely they should have inspired many non-chess players who read, this report in the "Observer" to try to learn something of the game and to make application for membership of the Bradford club! Unfortunately they had little effect. As the years went by the membership fluctuated between 30 and 40, the reserve funds became almost exhausted, and in 1882 a special meeting to discuss the club's finances was called.

TWO CLUBS AMALGAMATE

Happily there were better days in store. Although the number of chess players in Bradford may not have been large, there were certainly some very enthusiastic ones among them, in particular Herr Cassel, the chess editor of the "Bradford Observer Budget", who was a member not only of the Bradford club but also of the Bradford Exchange Chess Club, which had then been formed, and who no doubt was also, interested in the Schiller Verein, which had a chess section.

At the West Yorkshire Chess Association annual meeting in Leeds in 1884 Herr Cassel proposed that chess club secretaries should meet to arrange match fixtures for the season, and in. order not to discourage the small clubs which might have been short of funds he suggested that the home teams should not be compelled to entertain the visitors. Let the well-to-do pay for their own meals! So enthusiastic was he about his scheme that he visualised a large number of matches each Saturday. "And the papers of Monday. morning in reporting the results of these matches," he said, "would declare how popular the game was becoming and how it was taking an equal place with cricket and football, to which position none who thoroughly knew the game would deny its right." There was no applause after the statement—only one "Hear, hear". Perhaps Herr Cassel's audience was taken aback by the suggestion that chess would equal in popularity those outdoor sports. But they did rise to enthusiasm and applause when he finally proposed the institution of a Yorkshire chess challenge cup.

"I do not see," he said, "why the chess clubs should not meet just. as the football clubs do and play for a cup. The early part of the season —November, December and January—might be spent in playing friendly matches; in February and March the more serious business of playing for the cup might be engaged in; and then when the annual meeting of the association came round that would form a splendid opportunity for the presentation of the cup to the victorious club."

The Mayor of Leeds, Alderman E. Woodhouse, who took a keen interest in chess and who presided at the meeting, agreed with Herr Cassel's proposals and very generously asked to be allowed to present the challenge cup. "I do not say that it will be worth a thousand guineas," he said with a smile, "but at any rate it should be a respectable piece of plate". And Alderman Woodhouse kept his word. He presented the very respectable piece of plate now known as the Woodhouse Cup. Bradford Chess Club, then, can justifiably boast that it was the enthusiasm of one of its members which led to the introduction of this first-team championship competition, which for long years has been one of the most notable in the country.

Herr Cassel also played a notable part in the amalgamation of the Bradford Chess Club and the Exchange Chess Club which took place that year, and was appointed the first secretary. A short time before the amalgamation the Bradford club had moved its head­quarters to the Talbot Hotel and to mark the occasion the president, Mr. A. Sussman (who, it is sad to say, died three days later), en­tertained the members of the two clubs to tea. About sixty chess players were present, and, according to Herr Cassel, a team of twenty-five could be selected which would be equal, if not superior, to any team in the country. Once again he spoke with great enthusiasm. How could they maintain this superiority? he asked. And then he gave the answer—amalgamation!"Since the establishment of the Yorkshire Challenge Cup", he declared, "all objections raised to the amalgamation of the two clubs has fallen to the ground. The united strength of both clubs, would make the fight for the cup easier." The members of both clubs agreed. Each club held a meeting. Amalgamation was approved without opposition, and on 17th June the new Bradford Chess Club held a special meeting to elect officers and revise the rules. Alderman F. Priestman, who had been a member of the Exchange Club, was elected president. At an earlier gathering, at which he had advocated amalgamation of the clubs, he had said that the game of chess was one which ought to be encouraged everywhere; it would keep the working men from the public houses and prevent gambling.

But where was the working man to be encouraged to play chess? The Bradford club, with its 10s. entrance fee and 10s. annual sub­scription, hardly offered him the opportunity in those days. I have, been unable to discover how long the Exchange Chess Club had been in existence before the amalgamation. Its minute books have not been preserved, but it must have had only a short life, for when, early in 1884, it applied for membership of the West Yorkshire Chess Association its spokesman, Mr. R. M. Macmaster, who was also a member of the Bradford club, said he supposed that "every player present knew that lately a new club had sprung up in Bradford". The youngster was full of vigour and self-assurance. Mr. Mac-master claimed that although its history had been short, it had been not altogether without brilliance, and he declared that if the associa­tion refused it admittance, it had sufficient confidence to challenge the association in a body. "Therefore," he added amid laughter, "it might not be altogether impolitic in the association to allow this enterprising club to be enrolled within its ranks." The application, which was unanimously approved, was seconded by a Leeds club representative, who said that as the Exchange club had defeated the Leeds club, be did not see how it could be kept out of the association.

That the Exchange club had every justification for its confidence was shown by the results of the competitions arranged between players attending the West Yorkshire Association meeting that day. There were five classes, with eight players in each of the first four and four in the fifth. The number of prizes "won or divided by the successful competitors were," said the "Observer" report, "allotted among the various clubs as follows: Bradford Exchange 4, Leeds 3, Wakefield 2, Dewsbury 2, and Sheffield L". Where was the Bradford Chess Club? When the youngster joined forces with the 31-year-old club great things were expected and in due course were achieved. A competition was arranged to ascertain the playing strength of each member. In the classified list of members issued in July, 1884, there were 30 in Class A, 32 in B, 38 in C, 19 in D and 26 in E—a total of 146, which is about twice the number of the club's membership in this its centenary year.

There were great days in store, with enthusiasm in the club competitions and success in the Woodhouse Cup, the Bradford club being the first winner of that trophy. To celebrate the amalgamation a social gathering of members and friends was held in July, 1884, and on 20th February the follow­ing year there was a ball at the Technical College. Chess had entered the social life of the town. And how quickly a ball could be arranged in those days!

The committee appointed to make the arrangements did not receive its final instructions until 13th February. It had to work speedily, but with caution, for the minutes announce, "The limit of the club's responsibilities to be £18".

The club must have been a very vigorous organisation at that time, and the secretarial duties must have been sufficient to require the services of two men, for the printed circular inviting members to "the annual chess gathering" to be held "on Saturday afternoon and evening, the 21st instant, when the president's trophy, a hand­some cup, will be competed for", was signed by two honorary secretaries.

Unfortunately the two officials did not keep the minutes so thoroughly as some of their predecessors had done when it was a one-man task. The minutes of a few of the committee meetings are entered in pencil. I have been unable to discover an annual report for 1885, or any reference to the outstanding achievement of being the first Woodhouse Cup winners; and the only reference to the first annual ball after it had been held is that "Mr. Starling read the report of the ball and conversazione, showing a balance of £3 13s. 3d. to be handed over to the treasurer". Was that a profit, or was it what was left out of the £18?

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