Sheffield Chess Columns
The following piece is by Paul Valois, to whom I am extremely grateful.
Unless indicated, these columns have been examined first-hand. Unfortunately, there are sizeable gaps in the holdings of the Sheffield Public Library. Special mention is due to William Batley (Sheffield Champion in 1915 and 1931), who died on 26th December 1942, at the age of 68, after editing chess columns in Sheffield for some 40 years. He worked for nearly all this time as a reporter on the [Sheffield] Telegraph.
Morning Telegraph (Sheffield)
Morning Telegraph (Sheffield)
A column by Brian Eley existed around 1971, (e.g. Monday July 5, 1971 and Monday Nov. 15, 1971), but this was in a supplement often missing from the microfilm, and at the moment I cannot establish the first and last appearances of Eley's column.
Sheffield Guardian (Independent Labour Party)
- H. Lawton: 26/ii/1909 - 24/vi/1910
- M. Easthope: 1/vii/1910 - 6/i/1911
- T. E. Burkinshaw: 13/i/1911 - 12/i/1912
(Sheffield Independent)
Supplement to the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent (ends 1/iii/1884)
Sheffield and Rotherham Independent Weekly Supplement (starts 8/iii/1884)
Sheffield and Rotherham Independent Weekly Supplement (starts 8/iii/1884)
- H. E. Bird: 9/xii/1882 - 24/xi/1883 (syndicated column)
- Dr Law: 3/iii/1883 - Checked up to June 1887 (separate column with over 200 of Dr Law's own problems)
- Unnamed, but by Miss F. F. Beechey: 1/xii/1883 - Checked up to June 1887
On June 11 1887, this supplement to the Sheffield Independent was renamed the SHEFFIELD WEEKLY INDEPENDENT, but unfortunately Sheffield PL does not have it, and I have yet to see it. The SWI continued to 27/xi/1920, when it was succeeded by the Sheffield Mail, which had no chess.
Sheffield Transportman (Monthly)
Sheffield Transportman (Monthly)
- E .Atkin: xi/1938 - iii/1939
- (unnamed): xi/1942 - viii/1945 (probably by J. E. Morton)
(August 1945 is last issue held by Sheffield PL, but a problem by H. Lawton is said to have appeared in 1949)
Sheffield Weekly News
Still to be examined; not held by Sheffield PL. Ken Whyld's book "Chess Columns" states that there was a column between October 1899 and 1922, most of that time edited by W. Batley. The SWN ceased publication on 22/vii/1922 and W. Batley resumed his column in the YORKSHIRE TELEGRAPH AND STAR in September 1922.
(The Star)
(The Star)
Yorkshire Telegraph and Star
- W. Batley: 11/iii/1912 - 3/vii/1916
Sports Special (The Green 'Un)
- (Unnamed): 8/xi/1913 - 9/v/1914
- W. B.: 24/x/1914 - 15/v/1915; 11/ix/1915 - 20/v/1916; 29/ix/1917 - 13/iv/1918; 7/xii/1918 - 12/iv/1919
Yorkshire Telegraph and Star
- W. Batley: 9/ix/1922 - 2/x/1937
Telegraph and Star
- W. Batley: 9/x/1937 - 11/xi/1938
The Star
- W. Batley: 18/xi/1938 - 25/viii/1939
The Star Green 'Un
- Chessman: 14/ix/1946 - 17/v/1946; 8/i/1949 - 31/iii/1951.
The Star
- Yorkist: 4/ix/1952 - 4/iii/1953
- J. E. Morton: 4/x/1962 - 4/vii/1967 (Tuesday or Wednesday, 224 problems. Match reports continue after Morton's column ceased.)
- Mike Littlewood: 7/iii/1986 - 29/viii/1987 (Friday, then Saturday)
- Chris Shephard: 5/ix/1987 - 13/viii/1988 (Saturday; newspaper terminated both chess and Peter Littlewood's bridge column)
Sunday News (Sheffield)
Still to be examined. Not held by Sheffield PL. According to the "Newsplan" volume, this title lasted from 18/v/1919 to 18/iv/1920. A note in the "Manchester Weekly Times" says that a chess column was started in the "Sunday News" by W.H.Sparkes in September 1919.
Weekly Telegraph (Sheffield)
Weekly Telegraph (Sheffield)
Still to be examined. Ken Whyld states that there was a chess column at least between October 1883 and 1912.
