Last time we left George Archer Hooke at the age of 32 in 1889, just having married 34 year old Ellen (Nellie) Farmer.

George and Ellen didn’t waste a lot of time starting a family. Their first child, a daughter named Mildred Alice (was her middle name a tribute to George’s sister?) was born on 18 September 1890.

The 1891 census found George, Ellen and baby Mildred at 22 Galveston Road Putney (just off the South Circular between Putney and Wandsworth). George, Ellen, Mildred. By now Ellen was expecting another child, and, on 7 November that year, they welcomed Frances Louisa into the world.

George was still playing club and county chess regularly.

In this game he demonstrated commendable aggression in the middle game against tinned milk pioneer Arthur James Maas, who, perhaps unwisely, opted for one of his opponent’s favourite openings. Click on any move for a pop-up window.

[pgn]

[Event “City of London CC Championship”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1892.12.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Maas, Arthur James”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C44”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.2 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “58”]
[SourceVersionDate “2022.09.29”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Nb8 6. Nxe5 Qf6 {[#] C44:
Ponziani Opening and Scotch Gambit.} 7. Ng4 $146 ({Predecessor:} 7. Nf3 Bc5 8.
Be3 Bxe3 9. fxe3 Qb6 10. Qd4 Nf6 11. Qe5+ Kd8 12. Ng5 Rf8 13. Nd2 h6 14. Nc4 {
1-0 (51) Kipping,J-Ralli,D Manchester 1854}) 7… Qg6 8. Bd3 {Strongly
threatening 0-0.} f5 {[#] White is clearly better.} 9. O-O $1 {Threatens to
win with Re1!} Bc5 (9… Bd6 10. f3) 10. Be3 {aiming for Ne5.} d6 {Inhibits
Ne5.} 11. Bxc5 Nxc5 12. Re1+ Kf7 13. Ne3 $1 Rf8 $2 (13… Nxd3 $11 14. Qxd3 f4
15. Qxg6+ hxg6) 14. Be2 Kg8 15. Bh5 Qg5 16. Nf1 f4 {[#] Hoping for …Nbd7.}
17. Kh1 $2 {Loses the game.} (17. b4 $15 Ncd7 18. Nfd2) 17… Bf5 {And now …
Nd3 would win.} 18. Bf3 $2 (18. Be2 {was the only chance.}) 18… Nbd7 19. b4
$2 (19. Qd4 {is a better defense.} Nd3 20. Re2) 19… Nd3 $19 {Black is
clearly winning.} 20. Re2 Rae8 21. Nbd2 N7e5 22. Ne4 (22. Qa4 $142 Qf6 23. Qxa7
) 22… Qg6 23. Nfd2 (23. Ned2 $142 Re7 24. Kg1) 23… Qh6 24. Qg1 g5 25. g4
Nxf3 26. Nxf3 Bxe4 27. Qg2 Bxd5 28. Rd2 Ne1 29. Rxd5 Nxg2 {Weighted Error
Value: White=0.87/Black=0.60 Source: East Anglian Daily Times 17 December 1892}
0-1

[/pgn]

On the very day this game was published, George had another reason to celebrate: the birth of a third daughter, named Beatrix Georgina Ellen.

George Archer Hooke was a member of two clubs but chose to play for North London in the London League. This league had started in 1888, and North London followed Athenaeum as title winners in the 1889-90 season. Their second title would come in 1898-99. Here they are, in 1894, losing to George’s other club.

Although his team lost, George won his game against Prussian born Fancy Stationer(!) (John Charles) Frederick Anger. There are some interesting names, as always, on both sides. Regular readers will spot Edward Bagehot Schwann playing for City.

The North London Board 17 is also of interest. Back in the 1960s my father, who sang in his church choir, had a score of Handel’s Messiah, edited by the wonderfully named Ebenezer Prout. I always remembered this – and here he is in 1894 playing chess in the London League. Wikipedia confirms that Ebenezer lived in Hackney and played chess: something I never knew until now.

Three months later his team encountered someone even more interesting.

The Sussex board 14, assuming the middle initial should have been A rather than H, was none other than star of The (Even More) Complete Chess Addict and “Wickedest Man on Earth” Aleister Crowley.

A fourth daughter, given the names Ella Kathleen, was born on 8 April 1895, and she would be followed, on 28 November 1896, by George and Ellen’s last child and only son, Cyril George.

The City of London Championship, which, as regular readers will be aware, would soon become very strong, attracting London’s leading amateur players, had started in 1890, and George was often amongst the entries. The closest he came to winning the event came in the 1896-97 season, in which he won his section but lost to the winners of the other three sections in the play-off, with Thomas Francis Lawrence eventually winning his second title.

In this game of fluctuating fortunes against an Essex player, Hooke escapes from a poor position. His opponent seemed to lose the thread of the game, allowing George’s hanging pawns to become a strength rather than a weakness.

[pgn]

[Event “City of London CC Championship”]
[Site “London ENG”]
[Date “1896.11.09”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wagner, H.”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “A85”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.2 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “82”]
[EventDate “1895.??.??”]
[SourceVersionDate “2022.09.29”]

1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. e3 b6 5. Bd3 Bb7 6. Nf3 Be7 7. O-O O-O {
[#] A85: Dutch Defence: 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3.} 8. b3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 8. Be2 Ne4
9. Bd2 a6 10. Ne5 d6 11. Nd3 Nxd2 12. Qxd2 Nd7 13. Nf4 Rf6 14. d5 e5 {0-1 (34)
Lee,F-Mason,J Belfast 1892}) 8… c5 9. Bb2 Na6 {White is slightly better.} 10.
Rc1 Nc7 11. Bb1 Qe8 12. Ne1 Qg6 13. Qe2 Qh6 14. f4 $2 (14. dxc5 $11 {and White
has nothing to worry.} Bxc5 15. Rd1 (15. Nf3 g5 $15)) 14… Ng4 $19 (14… cxd4
15. exd4 Bd6 16. Nd3 $15) 15. h3 {[#]} Nf6 ({And not} 15… cxd4 16. hxg4 (16.
exd4 Nf6 $11) 16… dxc3 17. Bxc3 $11) ({Black should play} 15… Nxe3 $1 $19
16. Qxe3 cxd4) 16. Rd1 Nh5 $40 {White needs to defend precisely.} 17. Qf2 {
Prevents Ng3.} Rad8 18. Bc1 g5 19. fxg5 Bxg5 ({Much weaker is} 19… Qxg5 20.
Ne2 $11) 20. Ne2 Be4 21. Nd3 ({Don’t go for} 21. Bxe4 $2 fxe4 22. Nf4 cxd4 23.
Rxd4 e5 24. Rxe4 exf4 25. exf4 d5 26. cxd5 Nxd5 $19) 21… d6 {And now …Kh8
would win.} 22. Nef4 Nxf4 23. exf4 Bh4 24. Qb2 cxd4 25. Qxd4 Bf6 26. Qe3 Qg7
27. Qe2 Bd4+ 28. Kh2 {Strongly threatening Nb4!} Kh8 $2 {[#] Black has more active pieces.} (28… e5 $17 {Threatens to win with
…Ne6.} 29. Bb2 Ne6) 29. Ne1 $1 $18 Bxb1 {[#]} 30. Rxd4 e5 (30… Qxd4 $2 31.
Bb2 Qg7 32. Bxg7+ Kxg7 33. Qb2+ Kg8 34. Qxb1 $18) 31. Rd1 Ne6 32. Bb2 Be4 33.
fxe5 dxe5 34. Rxd8 Nxd8 (34… Rxd8 $2 {[#]} 35. Rxf5 $3 Bxf5 36. Bxe5 $18) 35.
Nf3 Nc6 36. Rd1 Rg8 37. Rd6 {Black must now prevent Rxc6!} Nd4 38. Bxd4 $2 (38.
Rxd4 $11 {and White is okay.} Bxf3 39. Qxf3 exd4 40. Qd5 Qg3+ 41. Kh1 Qe1+ 42.
Kh2 Qg3+ 43. Kh1 Qe1+ 44. Kh2 Qg3+) 38… exd4 $19 39. Re6 $2 (39. Kh1 $17)
39… d3 {Black is clearly winning.} 40. Qf2 {Inhibits Qg3+.} Bxf3 41. gxf3 d2
$1 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.72/Black=0.49} 0-1

[/pgn]

In 1897 his playing strength was recognised by the national selectors, who picked him as a reserve for the Anglo-American Cable Match. His services weren’t required, but he must have felt honoured to have been considered for such a prestigious event.

There are several games from this period of George Archer Hooke’s life available online, but unfortunately most of them are losses. This club game against Walter Montagu(e) Gattie (whose son plays a walk-on part in this Minor Piece) was a missed opportunity: George was beating his formidable opponent but allowed a sacrifice for a perpetual check.

[pgn]

[Event “City of London v St George’s”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1897.04.10”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Black “Gattie, Walter Montagu”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “C44”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.2 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “54”]
[SourceVersionDate “2022.09.29”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. Bb5 dxe4 5. Nxe5 Qd5 6. Bxc6+ {C44: Ponziani
Opening and Scotch Gambit.} bxc6 7. d4 {[#]} exd3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 7… Ba6
8. b3 Nf6 9. c4 Bb4+ 10. Bd2 Qxd4 11. Nxc6 Bxd2+ 12. Nxd2 Qc5 13. b4 Qxc6 {
0-1 (37) Dufresne,J-Anderssen,A Rotterdam 1861}) 8. O-O {Threatens to win with
c4!} Ba6 {Prevents c4.} (8… Qxe5 $2 9. Re1 Qxe1+ 10. Qxe1+ Be6 11. Qe4 $18) (
8… Bd6 $15 {keeps the upper hand.} 9. c4 Qd4 10. Nxd3 Bf5 11. Re1+ Ne7) 9.
Re1 $18 {Strongly threatening c4.} Be7 10. c4 Bxc4 11. Qg4 (11. Nc3 Qc5 $16)
11… Ba6 12. Qxg7 O-O-O 13. Nxf7 {Chess con chili. Pair of Knights!} ({
Less strong is} 13. Qxh8 Nf6 14. Nc3 (14. Qg7 Rg8 $16) 14… Rxh8 $18) 13…
Nf6 14. Nc3 ({Not} 14. Nxh8 Rg8 15. Nc3 (15. Rxe7 $2 Rxg7 16. Rxg7 Qe5 $19)
15… Rxg7 $14) (14. Rxe7 Rhg8 15. Bf4 Rd7 16. Rxd7 Kxd7 17. Ne5+ Kc8 $14)
14… d2 {[#]} (14… Qd7 $142 15. Nxd8 Re8 16. Nxc6 Qxc6) 15. Bxd2 $1 Qxd2 (
15… Qf5 16. Rxe7) 16. Nxh8 Bc5 17. Qxf6 Rf8 18. Qe6+ Kb8 {[#]} 19. Ne4 Rxf2 {
( -> …Rf1#)} (19… Bxf2+ 20. Kh1) 20. Nxf2 Bxf2+ 21. Kh1 Bxe1 22. Rxe1 Bc4
23. Qe8+ Kb7 24. b3 Bd5 25. Qe2 Qf4 (25… Qd4 $142 26. h3 Qxh8) 26. Qe5 $2 (
26. Rf1 $18 Qb4 27. Nf7) 26… Qf2 $11 27. Rg1 Bxg2+ $1 {Weighted Error Value:
White=0.31/Black=0.83 Source: London Evening Standard 12 April 1897} 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

Hooke lost this game against another strong amateur player of the time, Charles Hugh Sherrard, whose sacrificial attack was crowned by an attractively quiet 24th move.

[pgn]

[Event “Birmingham St George’s v North London”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1898.04.12”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Sherrard, Charles Hugh”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C84”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.2 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “55”]
[SourceVersionDate “2022.09.29”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d4 exd4 7. e5 Ne4 8. Re1
Nc5 9. Bxc6 dxc6 10. Nxd4 O-O 11. Nc3 Ne6 {C84: Closed Ruy Lopez: Unusual
White 6th moves.} 12. Nf5 Bg5 {[#]} 13. Qf3 $146 {Threatens to win with Rd1.} (
{Predecessor:} 13. Qg4 Nd4 14. Bxg5 Bxf5 15. Qh4 f6 16. exf6 gxf6 17. Bh6 Rf7
18. Rad1 c5 19. Re3 {1-0 (53) Delmar,E-Pollock,W Skaneateles 1891}) 13… Bxc1
{White is slightly better.} 14. Raxc1 {Strongly threatening Rcd1.} (14. Rexc1
Ng5 15. Qf4 Bxf5 16. Qxf5 Qe7 $11) 14… Nd4 15. Nxd4 {&Bianco is much more
active. The black rooks are badly placed.} Qxd4 16. h3 {Prevents Bg4.} (16.
Rcd1 $6 Qb4 17. Rb1 Rd8 $11) 16… Be6 17. Qg3 Qb4 18. Ne4 Qxb2 19. Nf6+ Kh8
20. Qg5 Qa3 $4 (20… gxf6 21. Qxf6+ Kg8 22. Qg5+ Kh8 23. Qf6+ Kg8 24. Qg5+ Kh8
25. Qf6+ $11) (20… Qxa2 21. Re4 gxf6 22. Qxf6+ Kg8 23. Rh4 $16) (20… h6 $19
21. Qf4 Qxa2) 21. Re4 $1 $18 Bf5 $2 {[#]} ({Inferior is} 21… gxf6 22. Qxf6+
Kg8 23. Rd1 $11 (23. Qg5+ Kh8 $11)) (21… Qxa2 {is a self mate.} 22. Rh4 $1) (
21… Rfe8) 22. Rh4 $1 Bg6 {[#]} 23. Nxh7 $1 Bxh7 24. Kh2 {Threatening mate
with Qh5!} f6 25. Qg6 Kg8 {[#]} 26. Rxh7 $1 Qe7 (26… Rf7 27. e6) 27. e6 f5
28. Qh5 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.28 (precise) /Black=1.47 Source:
Hampshire Telegraph 23 April 1898} 1-0

[/pgn]

This is another loss against Joseph Henry Blake: an interesting game concluding with a magnet sacrifice to draw the king out, not dissimilar to the one Blake missed against the same opponent a decade earlier (you saw it in the previous article).

[pgn]

[Event “North London v Metropolitan”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1898.12.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Blake, Joseph Henry”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C26”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.2 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “85”]
[SourceVersionDate “2022.09.29”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. exd5 Nxd5 {[#]} 5. Qe2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 5.
Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Nc6 7. Qe2 Bd6 8. Qb5 O-O 9. Ne2 Ne7 10. O-O c6 11. Qb3 Qc7
12. c4 Be6 13. Qc3 Rad8 14. c5 Nd5 15. Bxd5 Bxd5 16. cxd6 Qc8 17. Bb2 Qh3 18.
Nf4 {1-0 (18) Walbrodt,C-Burn,A Berlin 1897}) 5… Nc6 {White must now prevent
…Ndb4.} 6. Bg2 {[#] C26: Vienna Game: 2…Nf6, sidelines .} Be6 ({Black
should try} 6… Ndb4 $1 $19 7. Bxc6+ Nxc6) 7. Nf3 $11 Bd6 8. O-O {The
position is equal.} ({Much worse is} 8. Qb5 Ndb4 9. Kd1 Bf5 $17) 8… O-O 9.
Ne4 h6 10. d3 f5 11. Nxd6 Qxd6 12. Bd2 (12. b3 $5) 12… Rae8 13. Rfe1 Bd7 {
With the idea …e4.} 14. c3 (14. c4 $5 Ndb4 15. Bc3 $11) 14… g5 15. h3 f4
16. g4 Nf6 17. Rad1 Kg7 18. b4 b5 19. a4 a6 20. axb5 axb5 21. Bc1 Re7 22. Bb2 {
Threatens to win with c4.} (22. c4 $5) 22… Rfe8 23. Nd2 (23. c4 $5) 23… Nd8
(23… h5 $5) 24. c4 Qxb4 25. Nb1 {And now Ba3 would win.} Qb3 26. Nc3 bxc4 {
Hoping for …Bc6.} 27. dxc4 Nf7 28. Nd5 Nxd5 29. Rxd5 Kf6 (29… Bc6 $5 30.
Rd3 Qb7 31. Bxc6 Qxc6 $15) 30. Rb1 {Qd2 is the strong threat. White has strong
compensation.} Qa4 $2 (30… Bc6 $11 {and Black has nothing to worry.}) 31. Ra1
Qb3 32. Ra3 Qb6 33. c5 {Dancing on a razor blade.} Qb5 34. Qc2 $40 {Strongly
threatening Bf1. White has some attack.} Be6 $2 {[#]} (34… Bc6 $11) 35. Rxe5
$3 $18 Qxb2 {[#]} 36. Rxe6+ $1 Rxe6 37. Qxb2+ Kg6 38. Bd5 Re1+ 39. Kg2 {
aiming for Ra6+.} Ne5 40. Ra6+ Kg7 41. Qc3 Rd1 42. Be6 f3+ 43. Kh2 {What a bad
dream for Black. Weighted Error Value: White=0.58/Black=0.91 Source: Penny
Illustrated Paper 10 December 1898} 1-0

[/pgn]

By 1900 Hooke had joined another club: Nightingale Lane, based in Clapham, which, belying its rustic sounding name, was one of the strongest clubs in Surrey, winning the Surrey Trophy in the 1902-03 season. Here he is on top board, ahead of Sir Wyke Bayliss.

 

By the time of the 1901 census the family had moved three miles away, to 59 Cloudesdale Road Balham. With five young children at home the family now needed to employ a domestic servant, and Ellen’s mother Hannah Farmer was also there, perhaps helping look after the children.

By now there was a lot more chess action for newspapers to report and consequently less space for amateur games from club matches and tournaments, so George’s games were no longer being published. However, the big moment of his chess career was still to come.

This was in 1903, when he finally made his one and only international appearance in the Anglo-American Cable Match. He was pitted against Hermann Helms, an important figure in US chess over many decades, helping to organise the great New York 1924 and 1927 tournaments, and, in 1951, assisting Regina Fischer in finding chess opportunities for her young son.

Although he lost this game, he put up a good fight. You might think he was rather unfortunate not to share the point. 49… Ne3+ was a very natural move but resulted in the loss of his last pawn. 49… Ne1+ would probably have held the draw.

[pgn]

[Event “Match/Nation ENG-USA”]
[Site “Cable”]
[Date “1903.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Helms, Hermann”]
[Black “Hooke, George Archer”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “A85”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.2 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “121”]
[EventDate “1903.??.??”]
[EventType “team”]
[EventRounds “1”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2002”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2001.11.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2001.11.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. d4 f5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 b6 5. Nf3 Bb7 6. Be2 Be7 {A85: Dutch
Defence: 2 c4 Nf6 3 Nc3.} 7. O-O O-O {[#]} 8. Qc2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 8. b3
Ne4 9. Bb2 d5 10. Rc1 Nd7 11. Qc2 Rc8 12. cxd5 exd5 13. Bd3 c6 14. Ne2 Bd6 15.
Ng3 Qe7 16. Qe2 Rce8 17. Ba6 Ba8 18. Bd3 Qf6 19. Bxe4 fxe4 {0-1 (62) Robinson,
A-Jacobs,H Cable 1898}) 8… Ne4 {White is slightly better.} 9. b3 c5 10. Bb2
Na6 11. a3 Nc7 12. Rfd1 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Nxc3 14. Bxc3 Qe8 15. Bf3 Bxf3 16. Nxf3
d5 17. Be5 Rc8 18. Qb2 {[#] Strongly threatening cxd5. &Bianco is more active.}
Bf6 19. Rac1 dxc4 20. Rxc4 Nd5 21. Rxc8 Qxc8 22. Rc1 Qd7 23. Bxf6 Nxf6 24. Qc2
Rd8 25. Nd4 Ne4 26. f3 Nd6 27. Qc7 Kf7 28. g4 g6 29. f4 fxg4 30. Nc6 Qxc7 31.
Ne5+ {[#] Discovered Attack} Kg8 32. Rxc7 $11 {Endgame KRN-KRN} Nb5 33. Re7
Nxa3 34. Rxa7 Nc2 35. Nxg4 Rd3 36. Nf6+ Kf8 37. Nxh7+ Ke8 38. Nf6+ Kd8 39. Kf2
Rxe3 40. Rd7+ Kc8 41. Rd2 Rc3 42. Rd6 (42. Ne4 $5 Rc6 43. Kf3 $14) 42… Nb4
43. Rxb6 Rxb3 {…Nd3+ is the strong threat.} 44. Kg2 ({Don’t do} 44. Rxe6 Kc7
$16) 44… Kd8 45. Rxe6 {Threatens to win with Rb6.} Rd3 46. h4 Nc2 47. Re8+
Kc7 48. Ng4 (48. f5 $5 Rd2+ 49. Kg3 Rd3+ 50. Kg2 gxf5 51. h5 $18) 48… Rd6 49.
Ne5 {Hoping for Kf3.} Ne3+ $2 {This move loses the game for Black.} ({Black
should try} 49… Ne1+ $14 50. Kg3 Nd3 51. Re7+ Kd8) 50. Kf3 $18 Nd5 51. Rg8
Rf6 52. Nxg6 Kd6 53. h5 Ke6 54. Rg7 (54. h6 $142 {Black must now prevent h7.}
Rf7 55. Nf8+ Kd6 56. h7 Nxf4 57. Ke4 Rxh7 58. Nxh7) 54… Kd6 $2 (54… Rf5 55.
h6 Rh5 56. Nf8+ Kf6 57. Nd7+ Ke6) 55. Kg4 Ne3+ 56. Kg5 Rf5+ 57. Kh4 Rxf4+ (
57… Ra5 $18 58. Rb7 Ng2+ 59. Kg3 Ne3 60. Rb6+ Kc7) 58. Nxf4 Nf5+ 59. Kg5 Nxg7
60. h6 Ne6+ 61. Nxe6 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.26 (precise) /Black=0.52}
1-0

[/pgn]

As the decade wore on Hooke’s name appeared much less in chess columns, but he was still active, and would later remember some of his games from this period as among his favourites.

By 1911 the family had moved house again, just half a mile away, to 100 Drakefield Road Upper Tooting, right by Tooting Common. The census records all five children at home, although Mildred is now studying at Newnham College Cambridge. There’s no occupation listed for Frances, but the three younger children are all at school. The girls all attended St Paul’s Girls School in Hammersmith, while Cyril was educated at St Paul’s School nearby.

Mildred would soon be joined at Newnham by her sister Beatrix, known as Trixie in the family.

With Trixie now having joined Mildred at Cambridge, George (seen in the photo above from about this time) wrote her regular letters between 1912 and 1914, which, remarkably have survived within the family to this day.

They include several mentions of George’s favourite game.

I shall leave your sisters to tell you of their gaieties. My share has been another successful match game at chess but mainly my energies have been occupied with the Men’s Society and exceptional demands at the Office. (10 Nov 1912)

1913 seemed a quiet year for chess – at least he didn’t write much about it in his letters to Trixie, but the first few months of 1914 were busy.

I played chess on Friday and did not finish my game. Whether it will be adjudicated a win for me I do not know. My advantage was a very minute one. (18 Jan 1914)

My Chess has been successful. On Tuesday I was delighted to beat the Champion of the City Club and on Friday I drew with a weaker player. (15 Feb 1914)

This victory would have been the game against Sir George Alan Thomas mentioned in his BCM obituary below. Sadly, I haven’t been able to identify the circumstances and find the moves of this game.

During the past week I have been fortunate enough to win 2 games of Chess I have 2 more to play – to-morrow and the next day and shall then give it a rest. (1 Mar 1914)

There was less chess activity during the First World War: it’s not clear whether or not George continued playing, although there are records of his participation in county matches after the war.

By the time of the 1921 census the family had moved to 3 Woodlands Road, Barnes, described by an estate agent today as a quiet cul de sac conveniently located within a short walk of Barnes station, which offers a frequent service into Waterloo. George, Ellen and Ella (working as a statistician for the League of Nations) were at home. Mildred was working as a maths teacher King Edward VI High School for Girls, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Frances was teaching domestic science at the Misses Mullins Ladies School in Eastbourne (about which I know nothing). I haven’t been able to locate Beatrix: perhaps she was abroad. Cyril was serving in the Royal Field Artillery in Fyzabad, United Provinces, India.

Now he was in his mid 60s, it was time for George to retire from his job with the Board of Trade after 48 years’ service.

Then, as you saw last time, Barnes Village Chess Club was formed in 1924, right on his doorstep. Now retired, he would have had more time on his hands, and was happy to sign up, soon finding himself with the job of club secretary. The Richmond Herald was eager to report results from clubs within its circulation area, so we suddenly have a lot of information available about George and his new colleagues, not to mention their opponents.

There were a number of new clubs formed in the Richmond area in the inter-war years. One such was Kew, who played Barnes Village in this 1927 match.

It’s good to know that omnibuses stopped at the door of the Railway Hotel, and here it is, with an omnibus stopping outside.

It’s now been converted into flats, but today the 33 bus will take you back to Richmond, Twickenham and Teddington.

Speaking of pubs, if you have a long memory, the surname of the Kew Board 8 might look familiar. His initials are the wrong way round, but this was Percy Bertram Wardell Sich, the son of Steinitz’s opponent Alexander Sich.

The following year was a sad one for George, with the death of his beloved wife Ellen. Perhaps his sister Alice moved in with him at this point.

She certainly joined Barnes Village Chess Club in 1928. There she is on Board 4 in the local derby against Kew. You’ll find out more about her next time, but for the moment I’ll just point out that she was an important figure in the development of Ladies’ Chess in England.

Here’s a photo of George from towards the end of his life, impressively upright, still looking fit and active.

But by 1934 his health was starting to fail. He was no longer playing top board for his club, and, in this match from December that year, his opponent agreed to play their game at his house.

“Mr Hooke, unfortunately, died during the game”: having just won a piece he announced “That ends the game”, stood up and immediately suffered a fatal heart attack. It must have come as quite a shock to his opponent, Mr Pickard. I suppose, though, that George Archer Hooke died happy, doing what he enjoyed most, and in a winning position as well. “That ends the game” must be the perfect last words for any chess player. Very sad, but, at the same time, entirely appropriate.

From elsewhere in the same issue of the Richmond Herald:

The British Chess Magazine published an excellent obituary the following month.

What a pity that the scores of most of his favourite games seem to be unavailable. I presume his scoresheets were thrown out many decades ago.

This list demonstrates, though, that he was a dangerous opponent for almost anyone in the country, even into his 60s. Although he wasn’t quite in the same class as some of the other players I’ve featured: George Edward Wainwright, William Ward and Thomas Francis Lawrence, he was still able to beat them and other players of master standard on his day. From the relatively small number of games I’ve been able to find, my impression is that he was a very talented player who played for the love of the game rather than with any ambition to reach the top, and who perhaps hampered himself by his tendency to choose suboptimal openings. I wouldn’t be surprised that, with an important job and five children, he thought he had better things to do with his time than study opening theory. And who could blame him.

He comes across as a man who was liked and respected by everyone who met him, as well as being a formidable chess player. A life well lived, I’m sure you’d agree.

After his retirement from the Board of Trade he took up a new hobby: genealogy, researching the Hooke family back over several centuries. This interest was passed on to his family, along with a lot of letters and photographs, but, as far as I know, not his chess scoresheets.

These are now in the possession of his great grandson Graham Hooke, whose lovingly curated family website has been an inspiration for these articles, and who was himself inspired by the story of George Archer Hooke. Graham has generously given me permission to use the photographs and letters quoted here.

I’d strongly urge you to visit Graham’s website: this is the best place to start.

It remains for me to tell you what happened to George’s children.

Mildred had a distinguished career in education, was Headmistress of Bradford Grammar School for Girls for 28 years, being awarded the OBE.  Towards the end of her life, she married the aeronautical engineer Sir William Farren, a friend since university days. There’s a lot more information from Graham here.

Frances seems to have been the quiet one of the family, who devoted much of her life to looking after her parents. However, her life would take an interesting turn. The 1939 Register finds her in Hadley Wood, near Barnet, working as a maid for the family of (Charles) Herbert Lightoller, who had been 2nd Officer on the Titanic. You can find out a lot more about Herbert here and here. He was portrayed by Kenneth More in the 1958 film A Night to Remember.

Beatrix worked as a statistician, and also studied human remains from the Romano-British period, co-authoring a paper on the subject. She also took up chess, joining her aunt Alice in playing for Barnes Village from at least 1937 to 1948.

In this match against, I think, the Croquet Association, it’s notable that both teams fielded three ladies.  Reginald Pryce Michell (his name here, as so often, misspelt) was one of England’s strongest players for many years, and his wife Edith Mary Ann (née Tapsell) would have been very well known to Alice Hooke from the world of ladies’ chess. With any luck they’ll be the subject of future Minor Pieces.

In 1950 Beatrix would marry her good friend and teammate Dr Gerald Hovenden, celebrated for being the oldest practicing GP in the country.

Ella, like Frances, never married, and, like Beatrix, also worked as a statistician, although, by 1939 she was working as a school secretary at Nottingham Girls High School, and had been evacuated to Ramsdale Park, a mansion seven miles outside the city.

The only one of George’s children to have a family was Cyril. He joined the Army, winning the Military Cross for gallantry in the First World War, and then serving in India. It was there that he married in 1926, and where his first (of two) sons, named George after his grandfather, was born nine months later. Graham provides a lot more information about his much loved grandfather here.

There will be more about the Hooke family next time, when I tell the story of George Archer Hooke’s chess playing sister Alice Elizabeth.

Sources and Acknowledgements:

ancestry.co.uk
findmypast.co.uk
Wikipedia
EdoChess (George Archer Hooke’s page here)
chessgames.com
British Chess Magazine
Hooke Family History (many thanks to Graham Hooke)
Brian Denman
Gerard Killoran
Other sources as quoted above