From The Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess by Hooper & Whyld :
“Leading English player of the 1870s, barristers clerk. He met strong opposition in only one tournament, London 1876, when he took third place after Blackburne and Zukertort. In match
play he lost to Zukertort in 1875 ( + 2=8—4) and drew with Mason in 1879 ( + 5=11—5). Potter was editor of the London Chess Magazine (1874-6)
The London Chess Magazine
and wrote for the Westminster Papers and Land and Water, contributing annotations of a high standard to all three journals. He played a part in the development of new ideas attributed to Steinitz, with whom he established a firm friendship and to whom he may have shown the ideas of the English School (see schools of chess), in 1872 the London Chess Club, represented by Blackburne, Horwitz, Lowenthal, Potter, Steinitz, and Wisker, began a correspondence match of two games against a Viennese team led by Kolisch for stakes of £100 a side, (The moves were sent by telegraph and confirmed by letter.) Unable to accept the ideas of Potter and Steinitz, the rest of the London team soon withdrew, leaving these two to play on. They won the match. Subsequently Steinitz declared
that ‘modern chess’ began with these two games.
The City of London Chess Magazine
The Potter Variation in the Scotch is :
n.b. The Potter Memorial correspondence tournament was named after Reginald Potter, a past president of the BPCF.
William Norwood Potter, (27-viii-1840 13-iii-1895) from Howard Staunton, The English World Chess Champion
Mandy Allison S. Hepworth was born in Scunthorpe, (now) Humberside (but at the time Lincolnshire) on Tuesday, March 12th 1968 to Neville Ian Hepworth and Alice Hepworth (née Ma). Neville was a Computer Manager and Alice Ma was originally from Singapore. The family moved to “Mulgoa”, The Fleet, Fittleworth, Pulborough, RH20 1HS, West Sussex.
(Thanks to David Mills who updated us on the Lincolnshire / Humberside issue)
Neville taught Mandy how to play chess.
She attended Westergate Comprehensive and Community School where Peter Barton coached both the boys and the girls teams.
“One particular junior, Mandy Hepworth, came to notice. In the British championships at Brighton in 1980 she came first equal in the girls under-14 competition. Peter Barton also organised some external competitions and from 1981 for a few years he organised young masters’ tournaments at the Westergate School after receiving sponsorship from the Amey Roadstone Corporation. ”
This group of girls had every reason to smile ‘“ they had just pulled off the school chess world’s equivalent of David v Goliath.
It was January 1980 and they all attended Westergate Comprehensive and Community School and had just beaten the mighty Dorothy Skinner High School, in Brighton, to qualify for the final of the Sussex Girls under-16 chess championships. Pictured from left: Melaine Wright, 11, Mandy Hepworth, 11, Lesley Glen, 11, Deborah Baxter, 12, Gail Curryer, 11, and Tracey Redding, 12.
“It was January 1980 and they all attended Westergate Comprehensive and Community School and had just beaten the mighty Dorothy Skinner High School, in Brighton, to qualify for the final of the Sussex Girls under-16 chess championships.
The team’s captain, Mandy Hepworth, who was just 11-years-old at the time, was lauded by the school’s chess teacher as “one of the hottest properties in junior chess”.
His name was Peter Barton and, according to the report published in the Observer on January 25 1980, he had masterminded something of a chess resurgence at Westergate.”
Some 50 youngsters at the school were playing chess proficiently and 10 of them were girls.
Even though junior chess was somewhat dominated by boys at the time, Mr Barton was confident his girls could deal with any challenge thrown at them by anyone – and he had high hopes for Mandy.
He told the paper: ‘For a girl she has remarkable ability and we would hope to enter her for the British junior championships later this year.
In the past it has always been a boys’ game but, if you can catch the girls when they are young and keep their enthusiasm, there is no reason why they cannot go on to become masters.’
Does anyone know if the girls won the final? Did Mandy make it to the British junior championships?”
Mandy Hepworth
Mandy entered her first major competition when she was 11 and beat her father when she was 14. She became the Under-12 British Girls’ Champion (Ed: this is not correct) and the Under-14 Champion in Brighton, 1980 (shared with Susan Walker), the Under-16 Champion in Brighton, 1984
In 1985 she played in the Eileen Tranmer Memorial in Brighton. All the players resided in the same guest house. The event was organised by Ray Keene. Mandy was 4th with a TPR of 2296.
In 1986 she represented England in the Women’s Olympiad (Dubai) and scored an excellent 75% on the Reserve Board.
In 1988 she played at the Oakham Young Masters and had a tough time scoring 2.5/9
In October 1988 she travelled to Adelaide, Australia to play in the World Under-20 Girls’ Championship.
Following that we have no further information. It would appear (perhaps you can help?) that Mandy gave up competitive chess and did not play again.
1986 Press Release for Mandy Hepworth. Warning : some details are not entirely accurate.
We end with this against an experienced opponent :
BCN remembers John Cochrane who passed away on March 2nd 1878.
From The Oxford Companion to Chess by Hooper & Whyld :
Scottish player, barrister, called to the bar in 1822. If the so-called romantic style existed then Cochrane has a claim to be regarded as its founder. A dashing player, he attacked at all costs often sacrificing pieces with abandon, a style that was successful in the England of the 1820s; but when in 1821 he went to Paris, then the world’s chess centre, he was beaten by both Deschapelles and Bourdonnais. Subsequently he studied the game but he did not change his style. In 1822 he published A Treatise on the Game of Chess, a popular book largely based on Traite des Amateurs (see Verdoni) and Lolli but with a few contributions of his own.
Although Cochrane came from an old Scottish family he led the London team in the famous correspondence match against Edinburgh, 1824-8. He persuaded his team to play the Scotch Gambit, but when London had obtained a fine position Cochrane left for India. Although the Londoners, led by Lewis, failed to carry the attack, the Scotch Gambit became fashionable for more than 15 years, and other lively attacking openings were developed.
Cochrane stayed in India until his retirement in 1869 except for one visit to England, 1841-3, when he played hundreds of friendly games against Staunton, who began by winning a large majority, Wilhelm Steinitz knew both contestants and states that their last encounter was a match of 12 games. Staunton conceding pawn and move for the first six- and that Cochrane made an even score when receiving odds but won (-1-3—2— !) when playing on even terms, John Cochrane should not be confused with James Cochrane (c, 1770-1830), co-author of a book on the Muzio gambit.
BCN wishes Happy Birthday to IM Peter Graham Large (02-iii-1956)
Peter is a solicitor by day and originates from Bromley in Kent and plays for Epsom Chess Club in the Surrey League.
Peter was Southern Counties (SCCU) champion for the 1979-80, 1987-88 and 1990-91 seasons.
He became an International Master in 1987 and his peak rating (according to ChessBase) was 2370 in July 1986.
Peter is known as Plimsol on Chess.com !
IM Peter Graham Large aka Plimsol
A highlight of Peter’s career was coming 1st= with Paul van der Sterren at the 1980 Philips & Drew IM Tournament with a performance of 2723. Peter shared 1st place with Darryl Johansen with 10/14 at the 1984 London Philips & Drew Knights.
At Hastings 1986/1987 he scored this win over Eduard Gufeld :
and this nice attack against Andrew Muir :
and this exciting game from the 1990 Suffolk Open provided by Tony Rubin :
This was written about Stuart aged 11 prior to the Spassky vs the BCF Junior Squad simultaneous display :
“Hastings. Rating 178. World’s best 11 year old. 100% on board 1 for England, Eumig European children’s cup, 1978.”
England’s under-12 junior teams finished first and second in the international Eumig Cup, 1981. Front row: Peter Morrish (organiser), Jimmy Hockaday, Darren Lee, Neil Fox, Neil Carr. Second row: James Howell, Stuart Conquest, Teresa Needham. Far right: LB.Stuart Conquest (far left) then Darren Lee, Neil Fox and Neil Carr.
Stuart won the inaugural World Under 16 championship in Embalse, Córdoba, Argentina under the tutelage of IM Čeněk Kottnauer
Richard became a FIDE Master in 1989 and an International Master in 1995. According to Felice his peak rating was 2400 in January 1996. He has played for White Rose in the Four Nations Chess League. He currently plays for Cambridge City and maintains a 222 ECF grading.
“David Simon Charles Goodman was awarded the IM title in 1983. He was World Under 18 Champion in 1975. He played #10 on the English national team in Moscow.
He currently resides in New York City where he is a chess trainer for promising young students.”
(from l-r) Jonathan Kinlay, Shaun Taulbut, Jonathan Speelman, David Goodman and Jonathan Mestel accepting 1st prize at the 1978 World U26 Student Olympiad in Mexico CityShaun Taulbut (upper right) and David Goodman (lower right) from the 1978 U26 Olympiad
We focus on the British Chess Scene Past & Present !
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