Spens Cup - 1926
Crawford Macnab
24 April 1926
Teams representing the Edinburgh Civil Service and Perth Chess Clubs met in the final of the Spens Cup competition on Saturday in the rooms of the former club. Play started at 2.30 p.m., and shortly before 7 p.m. a result was reached, the home team winning by 5 points to 2. The winners secure promotion, and will play in the Richardson or Senior Cup competition next season.
Perth were the visitors, and so had the move on four boards. They played precisely the same team that defeated Falkirk (after two draws) in the semi-final, but the home team were considerably strengthened by the inclusion at second board of R. T. R. Serjeant, an old Hull player, though for some years now resident in Edinburgh.
Play had not been long in progress when Page at the top board gave Forbes, who was playing Black, the chance of winning a clear pawn. Playing too quickly, the Perth player missed the golden opportunity, and Page saw to it that he got no second chance. The game is given below.
Board four was the first to finish, the players agreeing to a draw when the game was reduced to a Kt and 6 pawns apiece. As his opponent had an isolater, Mr. Finlayson was perhaps a little premature in agreeing to this result, for there was certainly room for more play. This made the score at the tea interval - Edinburgh Civil Service 1½, Perth ½. The game at board six was also drawn, but not before many hair’s-breadth escapes were suffered on both sides. The Edinburgh player early secured an advantage and should have won, later he decided he should have lost, so perhaps a draw was a fair result, and certainly the game was fought to the bitter end. It was an exciting game to watch.
Messrs Craigie and Macdonald had a stubborn fight over a Guico, but the home player earned his victory by superior play. For long the game at board seven seemed a certain win for Perth. Mr Wanless compelled his opponent to move his King early in the game. Building on this positional advantage, he won a pawn, and playing well reduced the game to Kt and 6 pawns versus Kt and 5. With an easy winning ending his play unaccountably weakened, and he could only draw. It was another chance missed. The home team had now scored 3½ points, and Mr Watts at board three settled the match by defeating W. Barclay. The exchange ahead he gave it back at the right moment, to force a winning pawn ending. The match now decided, Serjeant and M’Naughton agreed to draw.
| Civil Service | Civil Service | Perth | Perth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | G Page | 1 - 0 | H L Forbes | ||||
| 2 | R T R Serjeant | ½ - ½ | W R D McNaughton | ||||
| 3 | H H Watts | 1 - 0 | W Barclay | ||||
| 4 | J Stewart | ½ - ½ | J S Finalyson | ||||
| 5 | J Craigie | 1 - 0 | A Macdonald | ||||
| 6 | J D Todd | ½ - ½ | A Finalyson | ||||
| 7 | C S T Calder | ½ - ½ | A Wanless | ||||
| 5 - 2 | |||||||
The cup and medals for the winning team were then handed over, and Messrs Page and J.S. Finlayson suitably responded for their respective clubs. The winning team have set up what we believe to be a record for the Spens Cup competition. They have come through without losing a single game, having defeated Gourock by 7 to 0, Alloa by 7 to 0, and Perth by 5 to 2.
See Spens Cup - 1926 for full results.
The Richardson eight for next season will now be Bohemians, Central (Glasgow), Cowdenbeath, Dundee, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Civil Service, Glasgow, and Greenock.
Page,G - Forbes,H L [B03]
Spens Cup, 26.04.1926
1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 Nc6 [3…d6 is more usual here.] 4.Nc3 e6 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.c3 d6 7.f4 Bf5 8.Nf3 Be7 9.Be2 0-0 10.0-0 f6 11.exf6 Bxf6 12.Qb3 Qd7 13.Qxd5+ Be6 14.Qb5 a6 15.Qa4 b5
[15…Nxd4!
Missed opportunity
16.Qxd7 Nxe2+ 17.Kf2 Bxd7 would have won him a pawn with a superior game.]
16.Qd1 Ne7 17.Bd3 c6 18.Bd2 h6 19.Qc2 a5 20.Rae1 Nf5? A fatal blunder. 21.Rxe6 Qxe6 22.Bxf5 Qe7 Black continued a few more moves, but might as well have resigned. A first-class amateur could have won the position against Capablanca. 1-0
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