Minor Pieces

As the British Championships were taking place in Leicester when I wrote this, it seemed appropriate to stay in my father’s home city a while longer and meet one of its finest ever players. Unless you’re in the habit of perusing old newspapers and magazines from a hundred years or so ago, you probably haven’t heard of him. Yet, for about 20 years he was almost invincible in local competitions and more than held his own on top board in county matches when facing some of the country’s strongest players.

Because he chose not to take part in events such as the British Championships or Hastings he never became a household name. Had he done so, he would certainly have performed well at Major Open level, and perhaps gained the experience to reach championship standard.

His name was Victor Hextall Lovell, and his birth was registered in the first quarter of 1889. He was probably born on 31 January that year, although there are some inconsistencies in public records. His father, Walter, ran a wholesale confectionery business and was also involved in civic affairs, becoming a local councillor representing the Conservative Party, an Alderman, and, in 1918, Mayor of Leicester.

Victor was educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys, following in the footsteps of Henry Ernest Atkins. A few decades later, Richard and David Attenborough would also be educated there. It seems that, on leaving school, he joined his father’s business and, at the same time, started playing chess in the county league.

The earliest game I have for him is an odds game against Atkins, who was no doubt something of a mentor to young Victor. The master was successful on this occasion, despite playing without his queen’s rook. To play through this or any other game in this article, click here and paste the pgn.

[Event “Odds game: Leicester”]
[Date “1908.11.19”]
[White “Atkins, Henry Ernest”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “1-0”]
[SetUp “1”]
[FEN “rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/1NBQKBNR w Kkq – 0 1”]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. f3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nfd7 7. h4 f6 8. Be3 c5 9. exd5 cxd4 10. Bxd4 Nc5 11. Bc4 exd5 12. Bxd5+ Kh8 13. h5 Nc6 14. Be3 Nb4 15. Nge2 Nxd5 16. Nxd5 Be6 17. Nef4 Bxd5 18. Nxd5 Rc8 19. g4 Qa5+ 20. b4 Qxa2 21. Nxe7 Rcd8 22. Qc1 Na4 23. O-O Qb2 24. Qxb2 Nxb2 25. Bxa7 Rd1 26. Rxd1 Nxd1 27. Bd4 Re8 28. Nf5 Re1+ 29. Kg2 Re2+ 30. Kg3 Rxc2 31. g5 Rc6 32. h6 g6 33. gxf6 Kg8 34. Ne7+ Kf7 35. Nxc6 bxc6 36. Kg2 Ne3+ 37. Bxe3 Kxf6 38. Kg3 Kf5 39. Bd4 Ke6 40. Kg4 Kd5 41. Bc5 Ke6 42. f4 Kf6 43. Bd4+ Ke6 44. Kg5 Kf7 45. f5 gxf5 46. Kxf5 1-0

It soon became clear that here was a young man of great promise and, by 1910, he was already playing on Board 7 for the county team, winning, in this game, against piano dealer Frederick William Forrest, who miscalculated badly on move 17. (Did he have any connection with the Forrest Cup, since about 1934 the Midland Counties Individual Championship?)

[Event “Leicestershire v Shropshire B7”]
[Date “1910.12.08”]
[White “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Black “Forrest, Frederick William”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. e3 Nf6 6. a3 cxd4 7. exd4 Be7 8. Be3 O-O 9. Bd3 a6 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Qe2 Nd5 14. Ne4 Bf6 15. Nc5 Qe7 16. Rac1 Rac8 17. b4 e5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Nxe5 Bxe5 20. Nxb7 Qxb7 21. Qh5 f5 22. Bxf5 Nf6 23. Bxc8 Rxc8 24. Rxc8+ Qxc8 25. Qxe5 1-0

In 1914 Victor Lovell won the county championship for the first time. How appropriate that Victor should be victorious while Miss Champ became Ladies’ Champion. He was also appointed to the role of Hon Secretary, a post he would hold for a quarter of a century.

But then war broke out, although club and county chess continued into the Spring of 1915, when Victor retained his title. Lovell did his bit for the war, serving as a corporal in the 298th Siege Battery of the Royal Garrison Artillery, but was still able to attend the county’s 1916 AGM where he was re-elected as the Hon. Secretary. He saw active service in Ypres in 1917, but he was also ‘attached for a while to the staff of some great man with whom he played innumerable Allgaier Gambits‘ (Gould).

It was not until January 1920 that county matches resumed, with Lovell, now clearly Leicestershire’s leading player, on top board. In 1921 he picked up where he left off, winning the first post-WW1 edition of the county championship. The following year he was unexpectedly beaten by Edward Heath Collier, but resumed his winning ways in 1923. Unfortunately there don’t seem to be any scores of his games available for this period, when he was approaching his peak. Local newspapers had got out of the habit of publishing games, and he didn’t compete in external events.

Apart from taking part regularly in club and county matches, Lovell also visited other clubs in the county, and later also schools, to give simultaneous displays.

There was, for many years, some confusion in Leicestershire chess because the main club in the city, calling itself Leicestershire, was responsible for running the county teams and championship as well as competing in the local league. In 1923 they decided not to enter the league, but to concentrate on running internal competitions. Victor Lovell decided to join the Vaughan College team. Vaughan College, which would later become part of Leicester University, was a Working Men’s College, providing further education for men from what would then have been considered working class backgrounds. The idea of self-improvement for those involved in manual labour was a big thing at the time in many industrial towns and cities, especially so in Leicester. This was my father’s background, but that’s a story for another time and place.

Victor’s chess life continued in very much the same way throughout the 1920s. Here, you can see a caricature from 1927.

In 1930 he won a game in only 14 moves against Warwickshire’s Arthur John Mackenzie, who had been one of the country’s strongest players in his day, but was now rather past his best.

[Event “Leicestershire v Warwickshire”]
[Date “1930.03.??”]
[White “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Black “Mackenzie, Arthur John”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f4 e5 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Nf3 exf4 9. Bxf4 Nh5 10. Bg5+ f6 11. Be3 c6 12. O-O-O+ Kc7 13. Nd4 f5 14. Ndb5+ 1-0

Later the same month he was playing in, rather than giving a simul, against his old mentor Henry Atkins. This time he came out on top.

[Event “Simultaneous Display: Leicester”]
[Date “1930.03.29”]
[White “Atkins, Henry Ernest”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “0-1”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. O-O g6 6. c3 Bg7 7. d3 Ne7 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 c6 10. Bc4 O-O 11. cxd4 g5 12. Bg3 d5 13. Bb3 Bxd4 14. Nc3 f5 15. exd5 f4 16. dxc6+ Kh7 17. c7 Qxc7 18. Rc1 fxg3 19. hxg3 Qxg3 20. Ne4 Qe5 21. Kh1 Bf5 22. Re1 Qf4 23. g3 Qg4 24. Qxg4 Bxg4 25. Nxg5+ hxg5 26. Rxe7+ Kg6 27. Bd5 Rxf2 0-1

In this county match game, Lovell outplayed the dangerous but erratic Hubert Price in a double rook ending.

[Event “Leicestershire v Staffordshire”]
[Date “1932.12.03”]
[White “Price, Hubert Ernest”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “0-1”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Bc5 5. O-O d6 6. c3 d3 7. Qxd3 Nf6 8. Bg5 O-O 9. b4 Bb6 10. Nbd2 Be6 11. a4 a5 12. b5 Ne5 13. Nxe5 dxe5 14. Qg3 Bxc4 15. Nxc4 Nxe4 16. Bxd8 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Raxd8 18. Nxe5 Rd5 19. Rfe1 Rd2 20. Ng4 Rfd8 21. Kf1 Kf8 22. Re2 h5 23. Ne3 Bxe3 24. Rxe3 Rc2 25. Rae1 g6 26. R1e2 Rd1+ 27. Re1 Rdd2 28. Rf3 Ra2 29. Rf4 Rdc2 30. Kg1 Rxc3 31. Re6 Ra1+ 32. Kh2 Rcc1 33. g4 h4 34. g3 Rh1+ 35. Kg2 h3+ 36. Kf3 Rhd1 37. Ref6 Rd7 0-1

Victor Lovell, apart from being the county’s leading player, was always eager to support youngsters. Aside from vising schools to give simultaneous displays, he also coached the young YMCA player George Percy White before he played in the 1933 British Boys Championship.

George, who had been born on 13 February 1916, did indeed give a good account of himself, finishing in 4th place out of 12 in the Championship section, Alfred Down retaining his title. Most of the other competitors were Grammar School boys, but George was from a working class background: his father was a warehouseman at British United Shoe Machinery, one of Leicester’s largest employers. British United themselves fielded strong teams in the Leicestershire League, but he preferred to play for the YMCA. He was also, I believe, the great-grandnephew of the husband of my 3rd cousin 3x removed. The last chess record I can find for him is selection for a county match in 1938. In 1939 he was working as a dye turner and fitter in shoe machinery, like his father, I suppose, for British United. He married in 1941 and had two children, dying in Leicester in 1985.

There was now a new star on the Leicester chess horizon by the name of Alfred Lenton. Not only was he a fast improving player, he was also a young man with a passion for both reading and writing. In 1933 he started a weekly column in the Leicester Evening Mail in which he often published games from local as well as national and international events. You’ll be able to read a lot more about young Alf in future Minor Pieces.

From here until the column terminated due to WW2 we have a number of Victor Lovell’s games available.

He was ruthless against weaker opponents who failed to calculate accurately, as here against the aforementioned Donald Gould.

[Event “Leicestershire County Championship R1”]
[Date “1933.10.??”]
[White “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Black “Gould, Donald”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nbd2 b6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Nxc4 Nd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. O-O Bb7 11. Rc1 c5 12. Nce5 Nxe5 13. Nxe5 O-O 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Qh5 Nf6 16. Qh4 h6 17. Ng4 Qd6 18. Nxf6+ gxf6 19. Rfd1 Qc6 20. f3 f5 21. Qxh6 f6 22. Qg6+ Kh8 23. Rc4 1-0

In a club match against Hinckley he scored another crushing victory against an opponent who didn’t know the opening well enough (11. d4 was correct). Henry Richmond Fisher was a Medical Officer of Health: one of his brothers was Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1945 to 1961.

[Event “Leicester v Hinckley”]
[Date “1933.12.??”]
[White “Fisher, Henry Richmond”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “0-1”]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Be2 h6 9. Nf3 e4 10. Ne5 Bd6 11. Nc4 Nxc4 12. Bxc4 O-O 13. Nc3 Re8 14. h3 Qe7 15. Ne2 Nd5 16. Bxd5 cxd5 17. b3 Be5 18. Rb1 d4 19. Bb2 Qg5 20. Kf1 d3 21. Nc3 dxc2 22. Qxc2 Ba6+ 23. Kg1 Bd3 24. Qd1 Bxb1 25. Qxb1 Qxd2 26. Na4 Rac8 27. Ba3 Rc2 28. Qf1 e3 0-1

At about this time, Lovell, clearly a man ahead of his time, was playing the currently popular London System in some of his games.

In this game he gained revenge for a defeat against the same opponent, also with the London System, the previous year.

[Event “Leicestershire v Staffordshire B1”]
[Date “1934.02.24”]
[White “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Black “Blow, Ronald”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d6 3. h3 Nbd7 4. Bf4 g6 5. Nbd2 Bg7 6. e4 c5 7. c3 O-O 8. Bc4 Qa5 9. O-O b5 10. Bb3 Bb7 11. Qe2 c4 12. Bc2 Nh5 13. Bh2 Qc7 14. g4 Nhf6 15. e5 Nd5 16. e6 N7f6 17. Ng5 fxe6 18. Nxe6 Qc6 19. f3 Rf7 20. Ng5 Rff8 21. Ne6 Rfc8 22. Ne4 Nc7 23. Nxg7 Kxg7 24. Nxf6 Kxf6 25. Qe3 Nd5 26. Qh6 Rh8 27. Rae1 Qc8 28. Bf4 Qf8 29. Qh4+ Kf7 30. Bh6 Qg8 31. Be4 e6 32. f4 Ke8 33. f5 gxf5 34. Bxf5 Nc7 35. Be4 Bxe4 36. Rf8+ Qxf8 37. Bxf8 1-0

The 1934 Leicestershire Championship proved to be a close-run affair, coming down to their individual encounter in the last round. This time it was the older man who prevailed. Gould takes up the story.

[Event “Leicestershire Championship R13”]
[Date “1934.05.??”]
[White “Lenton, Alfred”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “0-1”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 Bg4 7. dxe5 dxe5 8. Qe2 Bd6 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. O-O O-O 11. Be3 f6 12. Qc4+ Kh8 13. Ne1 g5 14. f3 Bd7 15. Nd3 Ng6 16. Nc5 Bc8 17. Ne2 Qe7 18. Ng3 Nf4 19. Nf5 Bxf5 20. exf5 a5 21. Ne4 Qd7 22. Rad1 Nd5 23. Bf2 Rab8 24. b3 Qxf5 25. Qxc6 Nf4 26. Ng3 Qg6 27. c4 Rf7 28. Ba7 Rg8 29. c5 Qc2 0-1

Lightning chess was becoming more popular, and here we have a game from a speed tournament later in 1934. Arthur Ernest Passant had an older brother, Norman Edward Passant, who also played. He really should have reversed his forenames to become EN Passant. The family later moved to Worthing, where, in 1939, Norman was a bank clerk and Arthur a commercial artist.

[Event “Lightning Tournament: Leicester”]
[Date “1934.10.06”]
[White “Passant, Arthur Ernest”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “0-1”]

1. Nf3 f5 2. b4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 e6 5. a3 Nf6 6. Bb2 Be7 7. c4 O-O 8. O-O d6 9. Nc3 e5 10. d3 Nbd7 11. Re1 Qe8 12. Qc2 Qh5 13. Rac1 Rf7 14. e4 f4 15. Nd5 Raf8 16. gxf4 Nxd5 17. cxd5 Rxf4 18. Qxc7 Rxf3 19. Bxf3 Qxf3 20. Qxd7 Qxf2+ 21. Kh1 Qf3+ 22. Kg1 Bh4 23. Qe6+ Kh8 24. Rf1 Bf2+ 25. Rxf2 Qxf2+ 26. Kh1 Qxb2 27. Rg1 Qf2 28. Qe7 Qf7 29. Qxd6 Qf6 30. Qc7 Ba6 31. d6 Bxd3 32. Qb7 Qf3+ 33. Rg2 Rg8 34. d7 Bxe4 0-1

But by 1935, Victor Lovell’s health started to fail: he had a weak heart. His results became more erratic and his run of twelve consecutive victories in the county championship came to an end at the hands of Lenton.

On a good day, though, he was still able to play powerful chess, in this game using Bird’s Opening (he was also partial to Bird’s Defence to the Ruy Lopez). ‘Rimmington, short and tough, looked like, and was, a rugger forward‘ according to Gould. He was also a cricketer.

[Event “Leicestershire Championship”]
[Date “1935.03.??”]
[White “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Black “Rimmington, Phillip George”]
[Result “1-0”]

1. f4 d5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. e3 e6 4. Bb5 Bd7 5. b3 Be7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Bb2 Bf6 8. d4 b6 9. O-O g6 10. Nbd2 Ne7 11. Ne5 Bb7 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Rad1 Bg7 14. e4 c6 15. g4 f5 16. exf5 exf5 17. g5 Nc8 18. h4 Nd6 19. Ba3 Re8 20. h5 Re6 21. hxg6 hxg6 22. Qh2 Ne4 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Kf2 Qc7 25. Rh1 Bxe5 26. dxe5 Qg7 27. Rd7 1-0

Rimmington’s father was a well-known leather dealer who had  had numerous brushes with the law concerning motoring offences. His sons were also no angels. Take a look at this.

Yes, it seems that Phillip, the younger of the two naughty  boys, had spent perhaps eight years in Desford Industrial School, as it was then, a decade or so before the boys we met last time. Unlike them, he became a strong player, a regular in the county side up to 1939, and still playing occasionally after WW2. He was also a respected administrator at the Leicester YMCA Chess Club. I wonder if he learnt his chess at Desford. (His brother William was in trouble again in 1934, fined for stealing a Dance Trumpet valued at £19.)

Lenton won the county championship in both 1935 and 1936, but Lovell was still active in many areas of chess. In this photograph he’s taking on a group of boys at the YMCA, where chess seems to have been very popular.

Alfred Lenton didn’t defend his title in 1937, leaving the way clear for Lovell to take his 15th and final title.

Lovell features in two group photographs from this period. This is the 1937 county team, with Victor Lovell second from the left in the middle row. Infant jewel thief Phillip Rimmington is on his left and Alfred Lenton on his right.

This was taken at a 1936 lightning tournament: Lovell is seated on the far right.

In an article on local chess history in the Leicester Mercury, Donald (styled as Donn) Gould had some amusing anecdotes to relate, one of which referring to a game you saw earlier in this article.

By the time we reach the late 1930s we come across players I knew three decades or more later, as witnessed in this county championship semi-final against Surrey.

Surrey fielded Harry Golombek, a Major Piece who deserves a full biography, on top board. Then there are the two Alexanders, unrelated both to each other and to CHO’D Alexander, both of whom may become subjects of future Minor Pieces. Felce was from a famous family of chess players and administrators. Cordingley became a publisher of chess books. Wernick’s name lives on in a trophy competed for in Surrey. Tregaskis has already featured here.  Coles became a respected author and historian – and also  beat me in the Surrey Trophy. From a personal perspective, the most significant name is that of Jack Redon, losing here to the unfortunately initialled Vincent Dwelly Pavord. Again, you’ll find out more in a future Minor Piece. I’m not, as far as I know, related to either James, but I do have a distant family connection with one of the other participants. Watch this space.

In 1939 Leicestershire scored a big win against Worcestershire in the final of the Midland Counties Championship. The games on boards 1, 2 and 16 were published: Board 2 was adjudicated a draw, but Stockfish tells me Lenton, a pawn up in a bishops of opposite colour ending, was unfairly done out of half a point.

There are again some interesting names on both sides.

You’ll notice that Henry Atkins was back playing for his home county on top board. Leicestershire’s Board 7, Alfred Oakley Thompson, was a brother of the eccentric John Crittenden Thompson, author of this rare booklet (I have a copy somewhere). You’ll also spot two Minor Pieces, Horsey and Bishop, in their team: they’d later be joined, on a higher board, by AA Castle.

Victor Lovell’s opponent has already featured in an earlier Minor Piece.  Worcestershire also fielded the blind player Reginald Walter Bonham on Board 2, and his friend and teaching colleague at Worcester College for the Blind, Robert Douglas Wormald, on Board 4. Of particular interest to me was their Board 20, Keith Southan (not Southam), who later moved to Twickenham, teaching Classics at Tiffin School in Kingston. I knew him well at Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club between the mid 1960s (when he kindly gave me lifts to away matches) and the mid 1970s.

Here’s a game from 1939 between Gould and Lovell, from a match between former pupils of Leicester’s two most prominent Grammar Schools at the time. Gould, like Lenton, was a former pupil of Alderman Newton’s Grammar School, while Lovell, like Atkins, was a former pupil of Wyggeston Boys’ Grammar School. Lenton and Atkins split the point on top board, Charles Hornsby, whom I beat in the Leicestershire League thirty years later, lost on board 7 or the Old Wyggestonians, who, nevertheless, beat the Old Newtonians 4½-3½.

[Event “Old Wyggestonians v Old Newtonians B2”]
[Date “1939.04.27”]
[White “Gould, Donald”]
[Black “Lovell, Victor Hextall”]
[Result “0-1”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. d3 d6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bc4 Na5 8. Bb5+ c6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bb3 Nxb3 11. axb3 O-O 12. O-O h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Re1 f4 15. d4 Qe7 16. d5 b4 17. Na2 c5 18. Nd2 g5 19. f3 h5 20. Nc4 Bd7 21. Kf2 g4 22. Rg1 Kh8 23. Nc1 Rg8 24. Ra6 Bb5 25. Rxd6 gxf3 26. Qxf3 Bh4+ 27. g3 fxg3+ 28. Kg2 Qh7 29. Qe3 Raf8 30. Nd3 Rf2+ 31. Nxf2 gxf2+ 32. Kf1 Rxg1+ 0-1

The 1939 Register found Victor at 42 Dovedale Road Leicester, along with a housekeeper. If he’d travelled a mile and a half or so to the west he’d have encountered my father and his family in Sheridan Street. I’d like to think they passed each other somewhere along the way.

I’ll leave it to Donald Gould to relate Victor Lovell’s rather sad endgame.

The Leicester Evening Mail published this obituary.

And there you have the all too short life of Victor Hextall Lovell, a legendary figure in Leicester chess. At his best, round about 1930, he must have been round about 2250 strength by current standards and his games still make a good impression today. He was solid and consistent, with a sharp tactical eye: perhaps it’s to be regretted that he chose not to test himself outside his county. Lenton was of the opinion that he had the talent to become one of the country’s strongest players. Instead, never marrying, he chose to devote his life, outside his family confectionery business, to supporting and promoting chess in his native county.

One final thing. In 1960, his scrapbooks and scoresheets were, along with a lot of other documents of historic interest, in the possession of the Leicestershire Chess Club. I wondered, when this article was first published, what happened to them. It seems that a young man who was helping Gould with his book borrowed them, but forgot to return them. Remarkably, he read this article and contacted me to tell me he may still have them. Roger Scowen later moved down to my part of the world. His son was a member of Richmond Junior Club for some time and Roger is himself a member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club.

Sources:

Chess in Leicester 1860-1960 Centenary History of the Leicestershire Chess Club (Donald Gould): thanks to Ivor Smith, whose copy I now have, and to Ray Cannon for telling Ivor I would be interested and delivering it to me.

ancestry.co.uk
findmypast.co.uk/British Newspaper Archive
chessgames.com