AJune 20 1946
Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, Thursday, June 20, 1946
Britain Plays Russia At Chess By Radio
Mr. Lewis Silkin, Minister of Town and Country Planning, opening the 1,600 miles radio chess match between Britain and Russia yesterday said that he wished a chess match could be arranged between Mr. Ernest Bevin and M. Molotov. “They might discover the value of a timely sacrifice if they sat opposite each other at the chess board.”
Twelve leading players of each country, the Russians in Moscow's Central House of Workers in Art and the Britons in the Gambit Rooms, Bridge Row, London are beginning a four-day match. The Russian team, which like their opponents includes two women, is regarded as the strongest in the world and a victory for Britain is not expected.
First Radio Match
Mr. Silkin described the match as unique in British broadcasting. It was the first to be played by radio-telegraphy and the first “hook-up” between B.B.C. and Moscow radio.
The British team included C. M. O. D. Alexander, the British champion, who lost his game in thirty-eight moves against M. Botwinnik, a contender for the world championship, vacant since the death of Dr. Alekhine. In addition to Alexander and Klein, the British team includes I. Konig who has played three times for Yugoslavia; H. Golombek, a former London boy champion, and P. M. List, who has been playing in international chess since 1908.
Britain's women players are Miss Eileen Tranmer, of Scarborough, who won the major tournament at Hastings this year, and Mrs. Rowena M. Bruce of Plymouth. British woman champion in 1937.
Chess Code
The moves are recorded in the international chess code, messages taking about twenty seconds to get through. In the first two hours 104 moves were sent from London to Moscow.
British players won the first game when W. Winter, a former British champion beat David Bronstein, in twenty-seven moves, a minute later J. M. Aitken playing against Bondarevsky, resigned.
At the close of play for the day, Russia led by five games to one.
