Chess

ALAN McGOWAN, the Chess Scotland historian based in Canada, mentions some connections with Glasgow’s historic Trades Hall, in Glassford Street, which was recently announced as the venue of the 119th Scottish Championships, to be held in July.

In 1941, The Virginians Club was formed by the “frequenters of the Trades House Restaurant, Glasgow”. Formal chess competition had been suspended during the war and the restaurant was a regular meeting place for chess players. The club continued into the 1950s, and its name will be a reference to nearby Virginia Street, which recalls Glasgow’s links with the tobacco trade of North America.

In the previous century, one of Glasgow’s most prominent citizens, Henry Glassford Bell, the poet, author and lawyer, made the annual speech at the Trades Hall dinner in connection with his position as sheriff. Bell was considered one of the strongest chess players in Scotland and was a member and president of Glasgow CC. The Hastings Congress, which finished earlier this week, also has strong historic credentials as the oldest surviving international tournament in the world, first staged in 1895. Fischer and Kasparov are the only world champions missing from its illustrious roll call.

In a wonderfully hectic New Year’s Day encounter, 21-year-old Calum MacQueen of Giffnock triumphed against young French master Adrien Demuth (IM 2442). From the diagram, MacQueen (White) to move 45 Nh5! Re6 46 Qf4+ Kh7 47 Qf7+ 1–0. The whole game can be downloaded from hastingschess.com.