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John Watkinson
J Watkinson 
 

Number of games in database: 14
Years covered: 1853 to 1913
Overall record: +9 -4 =1 (67.9%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games.

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C30 King's Gambit Declined (2 games)
C51 Evans Gambit (2 games)


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JOHN WATKINSON
(born Feb-05-1833, died Dec-19-1923, 90 years old) United Kingdom

[what is this?]
Born in West Parade, Huddersfield, John Watkinson was a keen chess player when 15 years old. By the age of 18 he was a proficient problemist but still lacked experience in over-the-board play. Nevertheless, when he entered the Great Exhibition of London, he won a prize of one guinea. He founded the Huddersfield Chess Club in November of 1852.

He became the first editor of the British Chess Magazine, the oldest chess magazine in continuous publication. He was editor from 1881 to 1887. In 1853, at the age of 20, he took over the Huddersfield Chess Club in England. He was still President of the chess club 70 years later, when he died at the age of 90.

(A more complete biography can be found at the website of the Huddersfield Chess Club: http://www.huddersfieldchessclub.co...)


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 page 1 of 1; 14 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. W Grimshaw vs J Watkinson  1-0221853Casual gameC24 Bishop's Opening
2. E Thorold vs J Watkinson 0-1491861Thorold - Watkinson MatchC30 King's Gambit Declined
3. E Thorold vs J Watkinson 1-0531861Thorold - Watkinson MatchC51 Evans Gambit
4. J Watkinson vs E Thorold  1-0331861Thorold - Watkinson MatchC51 Evans Gambit
5. J Watkinson vs NN 1-0131863London -C50 Giuoco Piano
6. G Tegeler vs J Watkinson  0-1261864Bradford - Huddersfield mC80 Ruy Lopez, Open
7. G Tegeler vs J Watkinson 1-0221864Bradford - Huddersfield mC30 King's Gambit Declined
8. J Watkinson vs G Tegeler  1-0221865Huddersfield - Bradford mC56 Two Knights
9. G Tegeler vs J Watkinson  0-1261865Huddersfield - Bradford mC42 Petrov Defense
10. J Watkinson vs G Tegeler  1-0191865Huddersfield - Bradford mC27 Vienna Game
11. W Wayte vs J Watkinson  ½-½481868Casual gameC53 Giuoco Piano
12. Burn vs J Watkinson 1-0301871Yorkshire - Lancashire mC25 Vienna
13. J Watkinson vs Burn  1-0201871Yorkshire - Lancashire mC01 French, Exchange
14. J Watkinson vs Halstead  1-0261913Casual gameC44 King's Pawn Game
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Watkinson wins | Watkinson loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Feb-05-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: Quite a character.

<Nevertheless, when he entered the Great Exhibition of London, he won a prize of one guinea.> That sounds a bit ridiculous in today's terms, but a guinea was a gold coin, nothing to sneeze at.

Feb-05-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  WannaBe: Especially when it's 24 Carrot gold!
Feb-05-09  brankat: I wish I had a few of those :-)
Jun-09-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: Some more information about Watkinson's role with the Huddersfield Chess Club can be found here:

http://www.geoffpeake.co.uk/History...

Oct-23-13  Karpova: <The first fact which I think I ought to mention is, the transformation of the Huddersfield Magazine into the British Chess Magazine, published by Mr. John Watkinson. [...] Mr. Watkinson then is in every sense of the term, as the English say, the man for the thing, he is the right man.>

From page 98 of the March 1882 'British Chess Magazine' (citing from the January 1882 review of 1881 by M. Delannoy in 'Strategie').

Feb-05-16  TheFocus: Happy birthday, British Chess Magazine's first editor John Watkinson.

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