Minor Pieces

In January 1924 there was some big news for chess players in the Richmond area. A new chess club, the Barnes Village Chess Club, was to be formed.

None of the names at this meeting are familiar, but they soon started playing matches against other local clubs.

Here they are a year or so later, visiting their Richmond neighbours at the charming Cosy Corner Tea Rooms, as well as entertaining Ashford, who may well have travelled by train on the Waterloo line, but not stopping at Whitton or North Sheen: those stations were only opened in 1930.

And, look! They have two pretty strong veterans on the top two boards, no doubt delighted when a new club opened on their doorstep.

Here they are again, more than forty years earlier, playing again on the top two boards for the City of London Chess Club Knight Class in a match against Oxford University.

Messrs Hooke and Taylor were playing in the Knight Class of the City of London Chess Club: they’d have received odds of a knight when playing master strength opponents in the club handicap tournament. The Morning Post (4 December 1882) reported: “The result was a surprise to both parties, and appeared to puzzle the winners just as it did the losers.”

Mr Hooke’s opponent was the very interesting Charles Dealtry Locock, who will feature in future Minor Pieces. Mr Taylor faced George Edward Wainwright, a familiar name to Minor Piece readers.

This wasn’t the first appearance of Mr Hooke in the chess news. His first appearance was in the 11th Counties Chess Association Meeting at the Manor House Hotel, Leamington in October 1881, where he played in the second class section, winning this game. Click here to paste the pgn and play through the game.

[Event “Counties Chess Ass 2nd Class Leamington”]
[Date “1881.10.??”]
[White “Bowley, Albert Alexander”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “0-1”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 f5 4. dxe5 fxe4 5. Ng5 d5 6. e6 Bc5 7. Nf7 Qf6 8. f4 exf3 9. Qxd5 fxg2 10. Bxg2 Bxe6 11. Qxc5 Bxf7 12. Bxb7 Nd7 13. Qe3+ Ne7 14. Bxa8 O-O 15. Bg2 Nf5 16. Qf2 Re8+ 17. Kf1 Ne5 18. Nc3 Ng4 19. Qc5 and Black mated in 3 moves 0-1

The up-and-coming Joseph Henry Blake from Southampton shared first place in the second class section with George E Walton from Birmingham. The information as to where Hooke finished and how many points he scored seems not to be available. The first three places in the top section were filled by members of the clergy: Charles Edward Ranken, John Owen and William Wayte.

Earlier in 1882 he’d beaten Captain Mackenzie in a simul. He’d also travelled to Manchester for the 12th Counties Chess Association Meeting, where he finished fourth in Class 2 with a score of 7½/11. Here, then, was an ambitious and fast improving young player, keen to play whenever the opportunity arose.

By 1884 George Hooke and John Taylor had both graduated to Class 3 (pawn and two moves). In this match they met a team from Cambridge University.

Mr Hooke again faced an interesting opponent in John Neville Keynes, the father of economist and Bloomsbury Group member John Maynard Keynes. By contrast, Mr Taylor’s opponent, Rev William Pengelly Buncombe, spent much of his life as a missionary in Japan.

Let’s deal quickly with Mr Taylor. John H Taylor was Irish, born in County Westmeath in 1853, and, by profession a railway accountant, a not uncommon occupation at the time. He was active in the City of London Chess Club in the 1880s and 1890s but seemed to drop out of chess until the Barnes Village club opened its doors, when, in retirement, he threw himself into their activities, right up to the end of his life in 1937.

Mr Hooke was rather stronger, and rather more interesting. He’s most famous for a game he lost against the aforementioned Mr Blake, which has been much anthologised, often with the missed brilliancy on move 9 substituted for the actual conclusion, and often also with an incorrect year. Here’s its first appearance in print.

And here it is for you to play through yourself.

[Event “Casual Game: London”]
[Date “1888.??.??”]
[White “Blake, Joseph Henry”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 f5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 exd4 6. Qxd4 Bd7 7. Ng5 Nc6 8. Bf7+ Ke7 9. Qd5 h6 10. Bg6 Ne5 11. b3 hxg5 12. Qxe5+ dxe5 13. Ba3+ Ke6 14. exf5# 1-0

You’ll observe that the annotator, not having the benefit of Stockfish to consult, mistakenly refers to Blake’s 11th move as a very fine move. It was a creative try which worked over the board, but Hooke could have won by playing, amongst other moves, 11… Qc8 or Qb8, making room for his king on d8. I’ve always found the 9. Qxf6 variation particularly attractive, with the knights returning to f3 and c3 to deliver mate.

Joseph Henry Blake was another prominent figure with a very long chess career, the latter part of which took place in Kingston. With any luck he’ll be the subject of some Minor Pieces in future.

George Archer Hooke was born in Chelsea on 28 February 1857, the third of twelve children of William Hooke and Harriet Sanders, six of whom tragically died before reaching the age of 20.

Here, from the family archives, is a photograph of William.

The family are elusive in the 1861 census, but in 1871 we find William working as the manager of a furniture depository living in the Parish of St George’s Hanover Square with his wife and eight children. They have no servants living in, which suggests the family was not especially wealthy.

By 1881 they’re at a different address, but still in the same parish. William seems to be in very much the same job. There are six children at home, along with a granddaughter. George, still living at home, is working as a 3rd Class Clerk in the Seamen’s Registry Office of the Board of Trade. He would remain there for the rest of his working life.

It must have been round about that time that he joined the City of London Chess Club, having learnt the game from his father at the age of about 12. He would soon join the North London Chess Club as well.

Moving into the middle of the 1880s, here’s a game from a match between the City of London and St George’s Chess Clubs, in which he faced the Hon Horace Curzon Plunkett, MP, rancher, agricultural reformer and uncle of writer and chess player Lord Dunsany. (He was ranching in Wyoming at the time: this must have been one of his visits back to London.) As the game was unfinished at the call of time it was adjudicated by Zukertort. His verdict was a draw, but Stockfish disagrees, thinking Hooke had a winning position.

[Event “St George’s v City of London”]
[Date “1885.01.??”]
[White “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Black “Plunkett, Horace Curzon”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]

1. Nf3 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. c4 c5 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Be2 Be7 7. b3 b6 8. Bb2 O-O 9. Rc1 Bb7 10. O-O Rc8 11. h3 a6 12. Bd3 Bd6 13. Kh1 Bb8 14. Ne2 Ne7 15. dxc5 dxc4 16. Rxc4 Rxc5 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Qc2 Rxc4 19. Qxc4 Qd6 20. Rd1 Ng6 21. Bc2 Qe7 22. Be4 Bc8 23. Ned4 f5 24. Bc2 Qf6 25. e4 fxe4 26. Bxe4 Rd8 27. Rc1 Bf4 28. Re1 b5 29. Qc6 Kg7 30. g3 Be5 31. Ne2 Ne7 32. Qb6 Nd5 33. Bxd5 Rxd5 34. Kg2 Rd3 35. Qc6 Bc3 36. Nxc3 Rxc3 37. Qe4 Bd7 38. Ne5 1/2-1/2

In August that year he played in the 15th Counties Chess Association Meeting in Hereford in Class 1A where he shared first place with his former antagonist Charles Dealtry Locock.

The parallel Class 1B tournament was won by George Edward Wainwright, and the two Georges then contested a 14-game match in London, with George H winning by the odd point. This match wasn’t well reported: it’s not clear whether it was a formal play-off match to decide the winner of the Hereford tournament or purely a friendly encounter.

In this league game against an anonymous opponent Hooke brought off a neat finish, giving up a rook to force checkmate in the ending.

[Event “North London v Ludgate Circus”]
[Date “1885.10.19”]
[White “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Black “Unknown”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. Nb5 Bxe3 9. Qxe3 a6 10. Nxc7 Rb8 11. Nd2 Qd6 12. Qg3 Ne5 13. Nc4 Nxc4 14. Bxc4 Qxg3 15. hxg3 b5 16. Bd3 Bb7 17. O-O-O g6 18. Bc2 Rfd8 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 d6 21. g4 Rbc8 22. Rh6 Kg7 23. g5 Rh8 24. g4 f6 25. gxf6+ Kxh6 26. f4 Bxd5 27. Rd2 Bg2 28. Rxg2 Rc5 29. Rh2+ Rh5 30. g5# 1-0

In an 1886 match between City of London and St George’s, he encountered one of the Fighting Reverends, Rev William Wayte, who had been one of England’s strongest players back in the 1850s. (You might notice that his Wikipedia page quotes from The Even More Complete Chess Addict, by M Fox and R James.) This time no adjudication was required: George managed to grind out a win with an extra pawn in a rook ending. Towards the end of his life, he mentioned a win against Wayte from 1885 as one of the games that gave him most pleasure: I presume he intended this one, even though the year doesn’t quite tally.

[Event “St George’s v City of London”]
[Date “1886.03.04”]
[White “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Black “Wayte, William”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Qd2 a6 8. Be2 d5 9. Nxc6 Bxe3 10. Qxe3 Qxc6 11. exd5 Qxd5 12. O-O Qe6 13. Qf3 O-O 14. Nd2 Bd7 15. Rfe1 Bc6 16. Qg3 Qh6 17. Nf3 Nd5 18. Nd4 Bd7 19. Bf3 c6 20. Bxd5 cxd5 21. Re5 Bc6 22. Nf5 Qf6 23. Ne7+ Kh8 24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Rad8 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Qc7 Qd6 28. Qxd6 Rxd6 29. Kf1 Rd2 30. b3 Kg8 31. Ke1 Rc2 32. c4 Kf8 33. Rd1 Ke7 34. Rd2 Rc3 35. Ke2 b5 36. cxb5 axb5 37. Rd5 Rc2+ 38. Kf3 Rxa2 39. Rxb5 Rb2 40. g4 h6 41. h4 g6 42. Kg3 Rb1 43. f3 Rd1 44. Kf4 Rd4+ 45. Ke5 Rd3 46. Rb7+ Kf8 47. f4 Kg7 48. f5 Re3+ 49. Kf4 Rh3 50. fxg6 Kxg6 51. h5+ Kg7 52. b4 Rh1 53. Rc7 Rb1 54. Rc4 Kf6 55. Ke4 Rd1 56. Rd4 Re1+ 57. Kd5 1-0

In the same year, 1886, George won a share of the brilliancy prize for this game in the City of London Chess Club Handicap Tournament against an opponent who got stuck in the mud adopting an unusual defence: we’d now call it a Hippopotamus.

[Event “City of London Handicap Tournament”]
[Date “1886.??.??”]
[White “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Black “Stevens, Samuel John”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. e4 b6 2. d4 g6 3. Bd3 Bg7 4. Nf3 Bb7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be3 Ne7 7. Qd2 O-O 8. h4 c5 9. Bh6 cxd4 10. Bxg7 Kxg7 11. Nxd4 f5 12. h5 f4 13. Ncb5 e5 14. Qb4 Nbc6 15. Nxc6 Nxc6 16. Qa3 Qg5 17. h6+ Kh8 18. Nd6 Qxg2 19. O-O-O Rab8 20. Nxb7 Qxf2 21. Nd6 Nd4 22. Nc4 b5 23. Qe7 Ne6 24. Nxe5 Qd4 25. Nxd7 Rbe8 26. Qa3 Qxd7 27. Bc4 Nd4 28. Bd5 Ne2+ 29. Kb1 b4 30. Qxb4 Rb8 31. Qc4 f3 32. Qd3 Qe7 33. Qe3 Qb4 34. Bb3 a5 35. Qg5 Qxe4 36. Qxa5 Rfc8 37. Qg5 Rb6 38. Rd8+ Qe8 39. Qe5+ 1-0

In 1886 Hooke took part in the Amateur Championship of the 2nd British Chess Association Congress in London, scoring an outstanding success. Walter Montagu Gattie won with a score of 15/18, and George Archer Hooke featured in a three-way tie for second with Antony Alfred Geoffrey Guest and George Edward Wainwright. Unfortunately, few of the games from this tournament have been published.

Although most of the games took place during the summer, it was only concluded in October, by which time George was involved in another tournament. This was the British Chess Club 2nd Class Tournament in which he again finished in second place. His score of 3½/5 left him half a point behind Scottish champion Daniel Yarnton Mills. Here’s their game, which resulted in a draw.

[Event “British Chess Club 2nd Class Tourney”]
[Date “1886.10.??”]
[White “Mills, Daniel Yarnton”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 h5 12. e5 h4 13. exf6 Qxf6 14. Re1+ Kf8 15. Be5 dxe5 16. Ne4 Qe7 17. Nxc5 Qxc5 18. Nb3 Qe7 19. Qe2 f6 20. Rad1 Be6 21. Nd4 Bd5 22. c4 Bf7 23. b3 Bh5 24. Nf3 Kg7 25. Qe3 Bxf3 26. Qxf3 Qe6 27. Qe3 Rhe8 28. Rd2 Re7 29. Red1 a5 30. a4 Rb8 31. h3 g4 32. hxg4 Qxg4 33. Rd4 exd4 34. Qxe7+ Kg6 35. f3 Qf4 36. Qd7 c5 37. Re1 Rxb3 38. Qe8+ 1/2-1/2

Handicap tournaments were a big feature of every competitive chess club at the time, and for many years later. Perhaps they should be revived. They worked something like this.

The players were grouped into classes according to playing strength. If you played someone one class below you, you played Black without your f-pawn. Against someone two classes below you and you were again Black without your f-pawn, but White got to play two moves at the start of the game. Against an opponent three classes below you, you’re White but playing without your queen’s knight. and, against an opponent four classes below you you’re again White and this time without your queen’s rook.

Here’s how George Hooke defeated a player two classes below him who foolishly launched a kamikaze attack right from the opening rather than playing solid, sensible moves. (We start the game with the white pawn already on e4.)

[Event “City of London CC Handicap Tournament”]
[Date “1886.??.??”]
[White “Staniforth, Henry Smallpage”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “0-1”]
[SetUp “1”]
[FEN “rnbqkbnr/ppppp1pp/8/8/4P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq – 0 1”]

{[#]} 1. d4 d6 2. Bd3 Nc6 3. e5 Nxd4 4. Qh5+ g6 5. Bxg6+ hxg6 6. Qxg6+ Kd7 7. Qg4+ Ne6 8. Nf3 Qe8 9. Nd4 Qf7 10. O-O Ke8 11. exd6 cxd6 12. Re1 Nh6 13. Qe4 Nxd4 14. Qxd4 Ng4 15. Bf4 e5 16. f3 Be7 17. Qc3 Qxf4 18. fxg4 Qxh2+ 19. Kf2 Rf8+ 20. Ke2 Bxg4+ 21. Kd2 Bg5+ 0-1

By now, it seems that, while George Archer Hooke continued to play regularly in matches and club tournaments, he no longer had the time to travel to places like Manchester and Hereford for congresses. Perhaps his work with the Board of Trade was taking up more of his time: as a young man of considerable abilities approaching his 30th birthday he would doubtless have been promoted by now.

Perhaps there was another reason as well.

Here he is, on August 27 1889, now aged 32, marrying 34 year old Ellen Farmer at All Saints Church, Fulham, right by Putney Bridge. Congratulations to the happy couple!

And here, for now, we’ll leave George Archer Hooke, a strong amateur chess player, a high-flying civil servant and now a married man who would waste little time starting a family.

You already know that he was still playing chess in the 1920s so there’s lots more to tell.

You’ll find out what happened next in the second instalment of the story of George Archer Hooke, coming very soon to a Minor Piece near you.

Acknowledgements and sources:

ancestry.co.uk
findmypast.co.uk
Wikipedia
EdoChess (George Archer Hooke’s page here)
BritBase
chessgames.com
Chess Notes (Edward Winter)
Chess Scotland
Hooke Family History (many thanks to Graham Hooke)
Brian Denman
Gerard Killoran