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Tournament: 36th Varsity Match • Venue: St George's Chess Club, Savile Row, London • Date: Monday 23 March 1908
Download PGNList of Varsity Matches • Back to 1907 • Forward to 1909 • last edited: Monday December 11, 2023 11:47 PM

The 36th Varsity Chess Match between Oxford University and Cambridge University was held at St George's Chess Club, Savile Row, London, on Monday 23 March 1908.

1907«     1908 Varsity Chess Match     »1909
Bd Oxford University   vs   Cambridge University Openings
1b Noel James Roughton (New) ½-½ Leonard Illingworth (Trinity) Ruy Lopez
2w Reuben Lob (Worcester) 1-0 Bertram Herbert Russell Stower (Queens') Vienna Game
3b Robert Petrie (Balliol) ½-½ Coventry Ernest Woodhouse (Pembroke) Ruy Lopez ...f5
4w Herbert Jennings Rose (Balliol) 1-0 Hyman Lob (King's) Vienna Game
5b Alexander Percival Waterfield (Christ Church) 0-1 John Brown (Sidney Sussex) QP
6w John George Rennie (New) 1-0 John Matthias Bee (St Catharine's) Vienna Game
7b Cyril Scriven Norris (Hertford) 0-1 William Arthur Cooper (King's) Petroff
      4-3      

Main sources: Oxford-Cambridge Chess Matches (1873-1987), (compiled by Jeremy Gaige, Philadelphia 1987); Sergeant, Philip W, A Century of Chess (London 1934, referred to in the text as PWS); Ancestry.com; FindMyPast.com; Who Was Who 1897-2007; Oxford Chronicle and Reading Gazette - Friday 27 March 1908 (openings used - gives the Oxford board 7 as "C. J. Morris"); Wikipedia. One game available in the download (board 2).

Notes:

(1) Play from noon to 6pm with an hour's interval for lunch




BCM, April 1908, p170: "... play was from midday to six, with an hour's interval for lunch, but was not of a high standard, as on several boards clear wins were thrown away. On the first board Roughton got into difficulties in defending the Ruy Lopez against Illingworth; the latter, however, did not make the most of his opportunities, and a draw resulted. On the next board Lob played the Vienna against the Cambridge president, and obtained a fine attack, his opponent not knowing the opening. The Oxonian played a brilliant game, and never gave the defender a chance of getting out of his early difficulties - first win for Oxford. On the third board Woodhouse soon gained two pieces for a rook and pawn, which should have given him the game. Petrie, however, won a bishop for a pawn, and the game developed into a pawn ending, with a bishop against a rook. The play was prolonged to over 50 moves, and resulted in a draw. On the fourth board Lob looked like winning at the adjournment, being a pawn up. His opponent (Rose) after this loss made a good fight, and eventually won the game. On the last three boards Oxford lost two games... Rennie played the Vienna against Bee, and won the exchange... Cooper played a strong game against Norris..."


File updated

Date Notes
17 April 2022 Original upload. Biographical details and match reports to be added later.
All material © 2022 John Saunders