Minor Pieces

Here’s a match from 1892 between Twickenham Chess Club and the National Liberal Club Chess Club (sounds a bit like Battersea Power Station Station, doesn’t it?).

There are some familiar names among Twickenham’s successful players, but you’ll also see that their strongest player Mr G E Wainwright, an amateur champion of the British Chess Association, was absent.

A name we haven’t seen in other matches, but a very significant one. Players like Ryan, Britten and Fox were strong club players (round about 2000-2200 by today’s standards, I guess), but George Edward Wainwright was a genuine master standard player.

Here he is, from a few years later. Very few photographs seem to have survived.

George Edward Wainwright was born in Redcar, a seaside resort in North Yorkshire, on 2 November 1861.  His father, David, was originally a chemist but later became an independent minister of religion. David sadly died before young George reached his first birthday, and the family moved to Bradford, where his mother Annie (Ann Eliza Tetley) worked as a schoolteacher. At some point before the 1891 census they moved north to the spa town of Ilkley, whose Moor is famous in song. (Ilkley is also famous for its splendid new chess centre, one of whose instigators is Andrew Wainwright. I have no idea at present whether or not he’s related.)

George was a pupil at Bradford Grammar School, where, I’d assume, he learnt chess. In June 1880 he represented his school in a match against the Old Boys. He won an exhibition to University College Oxford later that year, and, the following year was awarded a Classical Scholarship involving five years of study.

He was the Treasurer, and later President, of the chess club there and played five times in Varsity matches: on board 6 in 1881 and on board 2 in the subsequent four years. It looks like he improved very rapidly in his first year at Oxford. In March 1882, the University team played a series of matches in which he scored 8½/9, including two wins on top board against the Rev Charles Ranken in a match against former Oxford students.

This game comes from the 1883 Varsity Match. If you want to play through any game in this article online you can paste the pgn here.

[Event “11th Oxford – Cambridge Varsity m”]
[Site “London ENG”]
[Date “1883.03.17”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Raymond, Edward Lancelot”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a6 6. b5 axb5 7. Bxb5 Nd4 8. Bb2 Nxb5 9. axb5 Rxa1 10. Bxa1 d6 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Ne7 13. O-O O-O 14. Qh5 f5 15. Nd2 Qe8 16. Qg5 Qf7 17. Nxf5 Nxf5 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. c4 Be6 20. Kh1 Qd7 21. Re1 Rf7 22. Ne4 Kf8 23. Qh4 h6 24. f4 c6 25. Ng5 Bxc4 26. Nxf7 Bxf7 27. Qg3 Bh5 28. f5 Bd8 29. bxc6 bxc6 30. Re6 d5 31. Rd6 Qc7 32. Bxg7+ Ke8 33. Be5 Qf7 34. Rxc6 Qxf5 35. Qg8+ Qf8 36. Re6+ Be7 37. Rxe7+ 1-0

After Oxford, it was time for George to find a job – and a wife. On 7 September 1886 he married Alice Margaret Pictor, from the village of Box, in Wiltshire, six miles or so from the city of Bath. The young couple settled in Chiswick, where their first two children, George Edward junior (1887) and Philip Francis (1889) were born.

Here, from shortly before his marriage, is a game from a club match.

[Event “St George’s v City of London”]
[Date “1886.04.04”]
[White “Lewis, Frederick Hyman”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 Bg4 9. Be3 O-O 10. h3 Bh5 11. Nbd2 f5 12. Nb3 f4 13. Bc1 Ng5 14. Be2 Ne4 15. Nh2 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Bd6 17. Nf3 Qd7 18. c4 dxc4 19. Qxe4 cxb3 20. Qd5+ Qf7 21. Qxf7+ Rxf7 22. Bd2 a5 23. Rfe1 Rf5 24. Rac1 a4 25. Bc3 b5 26. Ne5 Bxe5 27. dxe5 Ne7 28. Rcd1 c6 29. Rd7 Nd5 30. Bd4 Re8 31. e6 Ne7 32. Be5 f3 33. gxf3 Rg5+ 34. Kh2 Nd5 35. f4 Rg6 36. f5 Rg5 37. Rg1 Rxg1 38. Kxg1 Ne7 39. Rc7 Nxf5 40. Rxc6 Nh4 41. Bc3 Nf3+ 42. Kg2 Ng5 43. Rb6 Nxe6 44. Rxb5 Nf4+ 45. Kf1 Rd8 46. f3 Rd1+ 47. Kf2 Rh1 48. Ke3 Ne6 49. Ra5 Rxh3 50. Rxa4 g5 51. Rb4 h5 52. Kf2 Rh2+ 53. Kg1 Rc2 54. Rxb3 Nf4 55. Bf6 Kf7 56. Be5 Ne2+ 57. Kf1 1/2-1/2

George had obtained a clerical job in the Civil Service, working for the Local Government Board, which supervised public health, poor relief and local government, and was also responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths. There’s a suggestion in an obituary that he was working on Births, Marriages and Deaths at Somerset House for at least part of his career. I’d assume that some LGB employees would have been based within local government throughout the country, and, if we follow his movements, this might have been the case with George Edward Wainwright.

At some point round about 1890 the family moved to Teddington, and it’s there we find them in the 1891 census. They’re living in a house called St Ronan’s in Kingston Road. This seems to have been next door to the Catholic church close to the junction with Fairfax Road and opposite Normansfield Hospital. (The wonderful theatre is often used as a venue for operas and concerts, and the Museum of Learning Difficulties, well worth a visit, features an information board about Reginald Saunderson.)

As you’d expect, George junior and Philip are there, along with George’s mother Ann, a retired schoolmistress, a 21-year-old cousin named Nelly Fenton and two young servants, Annie Beauchamp and Emily Riley. Although he’s just described as a clerk, he’d already, because of his academic qualifications, be pretty high up and doing well for himself. Alice, of course, was also at home, heavily pregnant with the couple’s only daughter, who would be born that May and given the names Constance Margaret. A third son, David, would be born in 1894.

If George walked back up Kingston Road towards Teddington, he’d soon have what would later become Bushy Park Road on his left (an OS map from a few years later shows it under construction), where, some 40 years later, the Misses Ada and Louisa Padbury would sell ham and beef. A turning on the right a bit further up named Cornelius Road was not at that point built up, but in the 1900s would acquire houses and a new name in honour of the reigning monarch: King Edward’s Grove. It was there that, in the 1920s, one of his future opponents, Edward Guthlac Sergeant, would briefly make his home, and also where the Misses Padbury would move after retiring from their Ham and Beef Stores. Their great nephew would spend the first two years of his life there as well,  but that’s another story for another time and place.

George had been very active in chess circles through the later 1880s, most notably winning the British Amateur Championship in 1889. On moving to Teddington, he would have wasted no time joining Twickenham Chess Club. But with a growing family, and, you would imagine, increasing responsibility at work, he played less often during the 1890s, contenting himself with club and county matches.

On 7 April 1894, for example, he was on Board 19 in a 108-board match between the South and North of England, where he drew his game against our old friend (and possibly my distant relation by marriage) Edwin Marriott.

Lots of great names there on both sides, some of whom will be featured later in this series, but Wainwright’s position on board 19 suggests that he wasn’t regarded as any more than a strong amateur at that point. He was still, in 1894, representing Middlesex, but he was soon to move, and to leave Twickenham Chess Club.

By 1895 he was living in Guildford, joining the local club and now representing Surrey in county chess.

This game from a county match demonstrates that George was a player with an enterprising style and considerable tactical ability.

[Event “Surrey v Kent”]
[Date “1896.12.12”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Williams, Grantham”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. Nf3 a6 7. Bd3 h6 8. O-O c6 9. e5 Be7 10. a3 c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Bb6 13. Qe2 Nc6 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15. Rac1 Nd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. Nb5 Bxf2+ 18. Qxf2 axb5 19. Bxb5+ Kf8 20. c4 dxc4 21. Rxc4 Qe7 22. Qb6 g6 23. Rc7 Qg5 24. Rxf7+ Kxf7 25. Qc7+ Kg8 26. Rd8+ Qxd8 27. Qxd8+ Kh7 28. Qe7+ Kg8 29. Bd3 1-0

The administrative headquarters of Surrey County Council moved from Newington (Southwark) to the newly built County Hall in Kingston in 1893: perhaps he was involved in some way. It’s also possible his job might have then taken him to Guildford, which would explain the move. Perhaps, though, he was commuting to the capital from nearby London Road station, which had opened in 1885. A train would have taken him directly to Waterloo, from where Somerset House was a short walk across the bridge.

With his family now growing he seems to have had more time for chess, and in 1898, as a result of games like the one below, he had come to the attention of the national selectors, being picked as a reserve for the Great Britain team in their third annual cable match against the United States of America.

[Event “British Chess Club v St George’s CC”]
[Date “1898.01.22”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Jones-Bateman, Ernest”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. d4 d5 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. f4 f5 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. O-O Bd7 8. Ne5 Be7 9. Nd2 Nxe5 10. fxe5 Ng4 11. Qf3 cxd4 12. exd4 Qb6 13. Re1 O-O-O 14. b4 h5 15. Nb3 g5 16. Bd2 Bb5 17. a4 Bc4 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. bxc5 Qa6 20. Bxc4 Qxc4 21. Reb1 Rdg8 22. Rb4 Qa6 23. Rab1 Rh7 24. c4 dxc4 25. c6 b6 26. a5 Qxa5 27. Rxb6 Qxb6 28. Rxb6 axb6 29. Qa3 Rd8 1-0

The following year, he was in the team facing a promising young tactician named Frank Marshall.

A long and exciting game ensued, in which our man was perhaps fortunate to escape into a fortress-like draw.

[Event “Cable Match/Nation ENG-USA”]
[Date “1899.03.20”]
[White “Marshall, Frank James”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]

1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nd7 3. f4 e6 4. Nf3 Ngf6 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 b6 7. O-O Bb7 8. Ne5 Bd6 9. Nd2 c4 10. Bc2 Qc7 11. Qe2 b5 12. e4 Nb6 13. Nxf7 Qxf7 14. e5 Bc7 15. exf6 gxf6 16. Bf5 Kd7 17. Bh3 Rae8 18. Nf3 Rhg8 19. Bd2 Bd6 20. Rae1 Nc8 21. Ne5+ Bxe5 22. fxe5 f5 23. Bg4 Ne7 24. Bh5 Ng6 25. Bg5 Rc8 26. Bf6 Qf8 27. Qd2 Rc6 28. Kh1 Rb6 29. g4 fxg4 30. Bg5 Qe8 31. Bh6 Kc7 32. Rf6 Bc8 33. Ref1 Kb8 34. Bf8 Rb7 35. Bd6+ Ka8 36. Rf8 Rxf8 37. Rxf8 Qxf8 38. Bxf8 Nxf8 39. Qg5 Bd7 40. Qe7 Rb8 41. Bxg4 Kb7 42. Bxe6 Nxe6 43. Qxd7+ Nc7 44. Qxh7 Rf8 45. h4 Rf2 46. h5 Rxb2 47. h6 b4 48. cxb4 c3 49. Qd3 c2 50. Qxc2 Rxc2 51. h7 Rxa2 52. h8=Q Re2 53. Qf8 a6 54. Qc5 Re4 55. Kg2 Rg4+ 56. Kf2 Rf4+ 57. Ke3 Re4+ 58. Kd3 Re1 59. Kd2 Re4 60. Kc2 Re2+ 1/2-1/2

It seems that, by now in his late 30s, George Edward Wainwright was approaching the peak of his powers over the chessboard.

The 1901 census located the family in the parish of Stoke next Guildford. George, described as a Principal for the Local Government Board, and Alice were at home, along with their three youngest children, George’s mother, a governess to help look after the youngsters, a cook and a housemaid. George junior, meanwhile, was boarding at Pilgrim House School, Westerham, Kent.

We’ll leave him there for the time being, a senior civil servant working for the Local Government Board, a family man, and an English international chess player renowned for his dashing attacks.

The story of George Edward Wainwright’s life and chess career will be continued in the next Minor Piece.

If you want more, and, if you enjoy attacking chess or British chess history you certainly should, historian Gerard Killoran, who lives in Wainwright’s home town, Ilkley, is currently working on a biography. I can’t wait to read it.

Sources:

ancestry.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk/British Newspaper Collection

MegaBase 2022

EDO historical chess ratings (Rod Edwards)

Yorkshire Chess History (Steve Mann)

chessgames.com

BritBase