The 1967 Hampshire Individual Chess Championship was held in October or November 1966. 11 players entered in an all play all, although one player withdrew after five rounds. Marshall Thompson was making a return to chess and won with eight points from the ten rounds.
For a list of the winners of the Hampshire Individual Championship and links to any articles I have written the table on the Hampshire Individual Championship is the best place to look. In addition, the table on the Hampshire Tournaments will detail these and any other tournament articles I have completed. Both of these are available from the menu at the top of the site as well.
Tournament Details
The Hampshire Individual Chess Championship has used numerous formats in the last 90 odd years, from the Knockout format in 1930, qualifying sections e.g. 1932 to the current Swiss tournament held over three days. The format used for the 1967 Championship was a new ten round American tournament, played over two weekends at Southampton University. The controller was AC Barton, with the main reason being that no-one else volunteered!
With eleven players this meant every player would sit out one round, but due to V Topouzoglo losing his first five games, and subsequent withdrawal this meant five players won a game by default.
This was three less entries than the previous year when Mike Dymond won his one championship, which was probably disappointing for the Hampshire Chess Association. Looking at the players who entered, there are a number of well known Hampshire players including Gosport’s Arthur Brameld and John Jones, both of who have been graded in excess of 200 in their chess career.
In fact Arthur Brameld has the rare distinction of being one of the few Hampshire players to beat a future World Champion, when he beat a young (11 years old) Magnus Carlsen in 2001. I remember when John Wheeler told me beat these players when they are young, as you will not be able to do this later. John did the same when he beat England’s Mickey Adams, when Mickey was a junior.
Below is Arthur’s win against Magnus Carlsen.
Back in the 1967 Hampshire Individual Chess Championship, no-one went through the tournament undefeated, but the eventual winner Marshall Thompson only lost once and drew twice, finishing one point ahead of Alf Edmonds and John Jones.
It is good to have the round by round as you get a better indication of the different stages. We can look at each round to see how the tournament progressed. This shows this was not an easy win for Marshall Thompson, with John Jones leading for the majority of the tournament.
Unfortunately there are no games from the tournament and it would especially good to see the key game between John Jones and Marshall Thompson from round 10.
Round 1
Four decisive results from round 1 with the surprise probably being AC Barton beating AM Edmonds, although I think AC Barton’s grading was not a reflection on his strength. He was the champion the following year.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA Townsend | 163 | 0 | AF Brameld | 174 | 1 |
| GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 | JH Jones | 176 | 1 |
| AC Barton | 160 | 1 | AM Edmonds | 183 | 0 |
| Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | ½ | Geoffrey Daw | 157 | ½ |
| MJ Dymond | 190 | 1 | V Topouzoglo | 116 | 0 |
Round 2
John Jones stayed on maximum points beating AC Barton, whilst Marshall Thompson won his first game (as he was the non playing player from round one) defeating 1952 champion Squadron Leader Vine. SA Townsend also won his game, against GL Pritchard.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Daw | 157 | ½ | AM Edmonds | 183 | ½ |
| AF Brameld | 174 | ½ | MJ Dymond | 190 | ½ |
| SA Townsend | 163 | 1 | GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 |
| JH Jones | 176 | 1 | AC Barton | 160 | 0 |
| Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 | Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 0 |
Round 3
John Jones continued his winning ways, defeating Squadron Leader Vine whilst fellow Gosport player Arthur Brameld beat GL Pritchard. Mike Dymond and AC Barton were the other winners.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 0 | MJ Dymond | 190 | 1 |
| JH Jones | 176 | 1 | Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 0 |
| AF Brameld | 174 | 1 | GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 |
| Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | ½ | SA Townsend | 163 | ½ |
| V Topouzoglo | 116 | 0 | AC Barton | 160 | 1 |
Round 4
John Jones’s winning run was stopped, although drawing with Black against the reigning champion and highest rated player Mike Dymond was not a bad result. Marshall Thompson, Geoffrey Daw and Alf Edmonds were the players who managed to win their games.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 | Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 |
| Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | ½ | AF Brameld | 174 | ½ |
| MJ Dymond | 190 | ½ | JH Jones | 176 | ½ |
| AC Barton | 160 | 0 | Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 1 |
| AM Edmonds | 183 | 1 | V Topouzoglo | 116 | 0 |
Round 5
For the final round of the weekend there were five decisive results. SA Townsend caused an upset, beating Mike Dymond. AC Barton beating Marshall Thompson was also probably an upset. Alf Edmonds beat Arthur Brameld, GL Pritchard and John Jones also won their games against Squadron Leader Vine and V Topouzolgo respectively.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF Brameld | 174 | 0 | AM Edmonds | 183 | 1 |
| Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 0 | AC Barton | 160 | 1 |
| SA Townsend | 163 | 1 | MJ Dymond | 190 | 0 |
| GL Pritchard | 150 | 1 | Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 0 |
| V Topouzoglo | 116 | 0 | JH Jones | 176 | 1 |
With some players not playing in every round, due to the odd numbers and the subsequent withdrawal of V Topouzolgo it is not clear who you would have as the current leader. I have detailed the current scores (excluding the V Topouzolgo results).
Breaking down like this John Jones had won three and drawn one from this four games and had a comfortable lead going into the second weekend. GL Pritchard and Squadron Leader Vine were not doing as well, with a minus three score. I have included the clubs of the entrants and it was mainly Southampton and Gosport chess club players.
- John Jones + 3 (Gosport)
- Marshall WJ Thompson + 1 (Southampton)
- Arthur Brameld +1 (Gosport)
- SA Townsend + 1 (Portsmouth)
- AC Barton +0 (Southampton)
- AM Edmonds +0 (Itchen)
- MJ Dymond + 0 (Gosport)
- Geoffrey Daw +0 (Southampton)
- GL Pritchard – 3 (Southampton)
- Sq-Ldr L Vine – 3 (Southampton)
Round 6
The second weekend saw players trying to close the gap which John Jones has opened. The sixth round saw five decisive results, although I have left in the players who won by default against V Topouzolgo. John Jones was one of the winners beating Arthur Brameld and therefore this gap was not closed.
Marshall Thompson maintained his position by defeating Geoffrey Daw and SA Townsend did the same, although he was the player who won by default. AC Barton and AM Edmonds continued to beat the tail enders Squadron Leader Vine and GL Pritchard respectively, who moved down to -4.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Barton | 160 | 1 | Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 0 |
| AM Edmonds | 183 | 1 | GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 |
| Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 0 | Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 |
| JH Jones | 176 | 1 | AF Brameld | 174 | 0 |
| SA Townsend | 163 | 1 | Default | 0 |
Round 7
John Jones was the player with no game this round and with Marshall Thompson the player who had the default win the gap narrowed between the two players. AM Edmonds and Mike Dymond were the other winners.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AF Brameld | 174 | ½ | Geoffrey Daw | 157 | ½ |
| SA Townsend | 163 | 0 | AM Edmonds | 183 | 1 |
| GL Pritchard | 150 | ½ | AC Barton | 160 | ½ |
| Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 0 | MJ Dymond | 190 | 1 |
| Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 | Default | 0 |
Round 8
The John Jones steamroller continued, as he won against Geoffrey Daw, but Marshall Thompson was still only one point behind as he beat AM Edmonds. Mike Dymond won his second game in a row against the struggling GL Pritchard. AC Barton beat SA Townsend and Arthur Brameld had the default win.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MJ Dymond | 190 | 1 | GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 |
| AC Barton | 160 | 1 | SA Townsend | 163 | 0 |
| AM Edmonds | 183 | 0 | Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 |
| Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 0 | JH Jones | 176 | 1 |
| AF Brameld | 174 | 1 | Default | 0 |
Round 9
Going into round 9 the top positions were as follows (I have removed the Topouzolgo results).
- John Jones 5½ out of 6
- Marshall Thompson 4½ out of 6
- AC Barton 4½ out of 7
- Mike Dymond 4 out of 6
- AM Edmonds 3½ out of 6
- Arthur Brameld 3½ out of 7
This would change though, as John Jones was defeated by AM Edmonds and Marshall Thompson caught him by beating Mike Dymond. SA Townsend, Arthur Brameld and Geoffrey Daw (by default) were the other winners.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 0 | SA Townsend | 163 | 1 |
| MJ Dymond | 190 | 0 | Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 |
| AC Barton | 160 | 0 | AF Brameld | 174 | 1 |
| AM Edmonds | 183 | 1 | JH Jones | 176 | 0 |
| Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 1 | Default | 0 |
Round 10
The loss by John Jones in the previous round meant his game against Marshall Thompson was key to determine who would have the best chance to be champion. Marshall Thompson came out on top and only needed to avoid defeat in the last round to win the championship.
SA Townsend, Mike Dymond and GL Pritchard (by default) were the other winners, whilst Squadron Leader Vine drew with AM Edmonds.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | 1 | JH Jones | 176 | 0 |
| SA Townsend | 163 | 1 | Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 0 |
| Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | ½ | AM Edmonds | 183 | ½ |
| MJ Dymond | 190 | 1 | AC Barton | 160 | 0 |
| GL Pritchard | 150 | 1 | Default | 0 |
Round 11
The last round for Marshall Thompson was not an easy one, facing the aggressive Arthur Brameld with Black. But the desired draw was obtained which saw him win his fifth championship. He would go on to win or share another four. This result meant he surpassed Wilf Pratten, who had won four and brought him level with Frank Elwell who had won five Individual titles.
Frank Elwell would probably had won more if the championship had started prior to 1930 when he was already 60 years of age (although it would have depended on who else entered e.g. JH Blake or Sir George Thomas were stronger local players).
AM Edmonds, Geoffrey Daw and Squadron Leader Vine (by default) were the other winners in the final round.
| Player | Grade | Result | Player | Grade | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM Edmonds | 183 | 1 | MJ Dymond | 190 | 0 |
| Geoffrey Daw | 157 | 1 | GL Pritchard | 150 | 0 |
| JH Jones | 176 | ½ | SA Townsend | 163 | ½ |
| AF Brameld | 174 | ½ | Marshall WJ Thompson | U/G | ½ |
| Sq-Ldr L Vine | 163 | 1 | Default | 0 |
Final Table and Summary
I think the number of entries would have been a disappointment to the Hampshire Committee and I could not see anything to indicate that entries were limited. However, the quality of the entrants was high and with no player being unbeaten, it seems fighting chess was in play. With the exception of V Topouzoglo everyone deserved to be playing, although Squadron Leader Vine and GL Pritchard struggled.
It was a shame that John Jones lost his healthy lead towards the end, as he did not enter many Hampshire Individual Chess Tournaments, and a player of his strength deserved to have a title to his name. He never won the Portsmouth Individual either, although he did win the John Grant trophy twice (the John Grant Memorial Cup shall be awarded annually to the player who achieves the highest percentage score in any one Division of the League).
Although this tournament was 50+ years ago if anyone has anything to add (especially games) please do get in touch.
| Rank | Player | Grade | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Rd 4 | Rd 5 | Rd 6 | Rd 7 | Rd 8 | Rd 9 | Rd 10 | Rd 11 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AC Barton | +2 | -3 | +bye | -9 | +7 | +8 | 10 | +6 | -4 | -5 | bye | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| 2 | AM Edmonds | -1 | 9 | bye | +bye | +4 | +10 | +6 | -7 | +3 | 8 | +5 | 7 | 7 |
| 3 | JH Jones | +10 | +1 | +8 | 5 | +bye | +4 | bye | +9 | -2 | -7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| 4 | AF Brameld | +6 | 5 | +10 | 8 | -2 | -3 | 9 | +bye | +1 | bye | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | MJ Dymond | +bye | 4 | +9 | 3 | -6 | bye | +8 | +10 | -7 | +1 | -2 | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | SA Townsend | -4 | +10 | 7 | bye | +5 | +bye | -2 | -1 | +8 | +9 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Marshall WJ Thompson | bye | +8 | 6 | +10 | -1 | +9 | +bye | +2 | +5 | +3 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | Sq-Ldr L Vine | 8 | -7 | -3 | 4 | -10 | -1 | -5 | bye | -6 | 2 | +bye | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 9 | Geoffrey Daw | 9 | 2 | -5 | +1 | bye | -7 | 4 | -3 | +bye | -6 | +10 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| 10 | GL Pritchard | -3 | -6 | -4 | -7 | +8 | -2 | 1 | -5 | bye | +bye | -9 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| 11 | V Topouzoglo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | def | def | def | def | def | def | 0 | 0 |
The rounds from the Hampshire Bulletin.
Acknowledgements and sources:
- Hampshire Bulletins
- Hampshire Chess Archives
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