1923
1) Gruenfeld, 2-5) Michell, Alekhine, Muffang and Bogoljubow
1935
1) Reshevsky, 2) Capablanca, 3) Thomas, 4-6) Klein, Reilly, Sergeant
This was Reshevsky's first big international tournament win.
1936
1-2) Fine (first on tie-break) and Keres, 3) Alekhine, 4) Foltys, 5) Milner-Barry
1938
1) Alekhine, 2) Spielman, 3) Petrovs, 4-5) Book and Milner-Barry
This Congress included four 10-player tournaments: Premier, Reserves A, B and C. The Reserves A section was won by Austrian-British master Ernst Klein (1910-1990) who was British Champion in 1951. Klein was a most interesting fellow. Read Edward Winter's article on him HERE.
1939
This was the last of five consecutive international tournaments organized at the seaside resort of Margate, England. The outbreak of World War II put an end to them.
Former world champion Jose Capablanca made the last of his three appearances. He was joined by Salo Flohr who had won the event in 1936, as well as Paul Keres who had shared first in 1937. In addition, they were joined by an up and coming player from Poland named Miguel Najdorf.
The other six were British players: Harry Golombek, women's world champion Vera Menchik, P.S. Milner-Barry, Edward G. Sergeant, Sir George Thomas and George Wheatcroft.
For crosstables of all the tournaments played at Margate, 1939 visit BritBase HERE.
In the following game between Wheatcroft and Keres, the loser played interesting, aggressive chess, but a last minute mistake cost him the game.
George Wheatcroft (October 29, 1905 – December 2, 1987) was an English master and chess functionary. A lawyer by profession, he graduated from New College in University of Oxford. From 1959 to 1968 he was professor on English law.
He won several British Correspondence championships and participated in international tournaments in Plymouth (1938) and Margate (1939). From 1953 to 1956 he was President of British Chess Federation. He was on the British Olympiad team in 1937 as a reserve and scored +4 -8 =1.
His son, Timothy Wheatcroft (January 25, 1934 – June 13, 1987), participated in the 1963 British Championship in which he scored 5.5-5.5 and shared 13th - 18th places. Chessmetrics assigns him a high rating of 2429 on the April, 1941 rating list.
George Wheatcroft - Paul Keres
Result: 0-1
Site: Margate
Date: 1939
Falkbeer Counter Gambit
[...] 1.e4 e5 2.f4 A daring move against Keres who himself was known to play the King's Gambit! 2...d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 ♘f6 5.dxe4 ♘xe4 6.♘f3 ♗c5 7.♕e2 ♗f5 8.♘c3
10.♕xe3 ♘xc3 11.♕xe7+ ♔xe7 12.bxc3 ♗xc2
18.♗g2 After this plausible move much of white's advantage disappears.
30...♖xe6 This is even better than taking with the B. 31.fxe6 ♗xe6 32.♘c6+ ♔c7 33.d8=♕+ ♖xd8+ 34.♘xd8 ♔xd8 35.♗xa6 b4 Wheatcroft resigned. Losing this game must have been a bitter disappointment.
8.g4 was played in Spielmann-Tarrasch, Mahrisch-Ostrau 1923 which continued 8...O-O 9.gxf5 ♖e8 and black generated a powerful attack. After losing that game, Spielmann wrote an article From the Sickhed of the King's Gambit.
8...♕e7 9.♗e3 ♗xe3
9...♘xc3 According to Kurt Richter this was a tempting alternative though after 10.♗xc5 ♘xe2 11.♗xe7 ♘xf4 12.♗a3 ♘d7 13.♗b5 white has plenty of free play for his pieces as in Alexander-Buerger, Margate 1937.
13.O-O-O was played in the game Bronstein-Tal in the 1968 Soviet Championship which continued 13...♗e4 14.♘g5 ♗xd5 15.g3 ♗xh1 16.gxf4 c5 17.♗c4 and white has the initiative.
12...♗e4 was recommended by Tartakower in Die Hypermoderne Schachpartie but after 13.♘g5 Better than 13.O-O-O as played in Stoltz-Richter, Swinemunde, 1932. 13...♗xc2 14.♔d2 ♗f5 15.♖e1+ white is still slightly better.
13.♔d2 ♗g6 14.♖e1+ ♔d8 15.♘d4 c5 16.♘b5 ♘d7 17.g4 White has succeeded in establishing a very nearly won game against his illustrious opponent. 17...f6
17...f5 is only marginally better as after 18.d6
18.gxf5 is less good. 18...♗xf5 19.♘d6 ♖f8 20.♘xb7+ ♔c7 and white could only draw in Keskel,M (2057)-Teemae,L (2135)/Tallinn 2000
18...♘f6 19.♘c7 ♖c8 20.♗b5 white has an excellent position. 18.d6 ♖c8 19.♘c7 (19.♘xa7 ♖a8 20.♘b5 ♖xa2+ and black has equalized.) 19...♗f7 20.♗d3 ♗xa2 21.♖a1 ♗f7 22.♖he1 with a strong bind.
18...a6
18...♘b6 was somewhat better as after 19.d6 ♘c4+ black's N is well positioned.
19.♘d6 ♖b8 20.♖e6 ♔c7
20...b5 was more active. 21.f5 ♗e8 but here, too, white has a lot of pressure on black's position.
21.♘c4 ♖be8 22.♖he1 The immediate 22.f5 was also quite good. 22...h5
22...♖xe6 was much better. 23.♖xe6 ♖e8 24.d6+ ♔c8 25.♖e7 ♖xe7 26.dxe7 ♔c7 and while white maintains his advantage, his attacking forces have been greatly reduced.
23.f5 ♗f7 24.d6+ ♔c8 25.h3 With this unfortunate move Wheatcroft allows Keres to open the h-file and equalize.
25.g5 gives up a P, but keeps the h-file closed. 25...fxg5 26.♘a5 b6 27.♗b7+ ♔b8 28.♗c6 bxa5 29.♗xd7 ♗xe6 30.fxe6 ♖d8 31.♔d3 and white wins by marching his K into play.
25...hxg4 26.hxg4 Another lamentable move that hands the advantage over to black. White should have ignored things on the K-side and pressed on with his Q-side operations.
26.♘a5 b6 27.♘c6 and black can choose between 27...gxh3, 27...Ne5 or 27...Bxe6 but all of them allow white enough play to keep the chances equal!
26...b5 It's odd that Keres did not play the better 26...Bxe6!
26...♗xe6 27.fxe6 ♖h2 which equalizes after 28.♖e2 ♖xe6 29.♖xe6 ♖xg2+ 30.♔e1 Note that black is threatened with mate by 31.Re8 so 30...♔d8 31.♖e7 ♖xg4 with a position where anything can happen.
27.♘a5 ♘e5 28.♗b7+ ♔b8 29.♖1xe5 fxe5 30.d7 A mishap that loses the game!
30.♗d5 allows white to draw after 30...♖d8 31.♘c6+ ♔c8 32.♘e7+
32.♘xd8 ♖xd8 33.♗b7+ ♔xb7 34.♖e7+ ♔c6 35.♖xf7 ♖xd6+ 36.♔e3 ♖d7 37.♖f8 with a likely draw. Note that the ending is lost for white if he takes the R.
32...♔b8 33.♘c6+ etc. Powered by Aquarium
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