Junior Chess League

Does anyone go back as far as the late 1940s and early 1950s regarding the Coventry Junior Chess League? Principal teams comprised the various schools in and around Coventry when Alec Seggie was general secretary and Stan Hossell was organiser. I happened to captain the Technical Secondary School team and I recall the overall standard of play in the league being commendably high, an illustration being BA Heath of Broad Street, after emigrating to Australia, becoming New South Wales champion. Maybe there are still a few of us' chessnuts' still out there!

Hi ex-chapelfields I can give you some relevant information ; my wife nee Ann Wall was captain of the Stoke Park chess team and was runner up in the competition for the Barnacle Trophy in 1957, the first girl to do this, and was presented with a medal by the Mayor, Pearl White. I myself was captain of the KHVIII chess team but never participated in the Barnacle Trophy competition. I first met Ann playing for my school against hers. I was top board for my school, Ann was the same for hers, so we played each other. Ann beat me in fairly quick time! Subsequently we met again at Leeds University and I married Ann in 1962. We are still married after 57 years and are as well as one might expect for our age. My eldest son Andrew also played a good game of chess at Limavady Grammar school in N.I., winning several trophies throughout his time there, and eventually was awarded a Open Scholarship at Cambridge when he was 16. He later became a successful Professional Gambler (Texas Holdem) before retiring to play cricket and enjoy himself. Cheers Dr Phil

I've just spotted this whilst looking for something else. I went to Broad Street 1955 to 1959. I played a couple of times for Broad Heath around 1957/8 with Barry Tatlow. Either our team or the league folded the following year. I do not remember BA Heath at school but the FIDE website gives one BA Heath (born 1936) who was a regular chess player and organiser in Wales and the West Country. He sadly died recently. I could not find a BA Heath in Australia. My only claim to chess fame before I left Coventry in 1968 was winning the Barnacle Trophy in 1960 beating and playing for Bell Green Chess Club in the Coventry (adult) chess League and drawing in my only game with DG Horseman who I think taught at King Henry VIII.

Welcome to the forum Bill. I'm always impressed with chess players. I've got lots of skills (most of them useless) but chess isn't even close to being one of them.

Bill, Derek Horseman did indeed teach at KHVIII