AApril 09 1940
Familial grave stone of John Finan Barry and family.
April 10 1940
The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, Wednesday, April 10, 1940
Attorney John F. Barry, Ex-Court Clerk, Dies
Attorney John F. Barry, 66, former assistant clerk of the Boston Municipal Criminal Court and a noted chess and bridge expert, died last night at his home, 139 Greaton road, West Roxbury. Although ailing since last July, he had recently returned to work and only yesterday turned in his chess column to the Boston Transcript of which he had been chess columnist for 24 years.
A native of Boston, the son of James and Bridget Catherine (Grant) Barry, Mr. Barry worked as a copyist in the Municipal Criminal Court from 1889 to 1896, when he was appointed assistant clerk, a position he held until 1917. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1905.
Long noted as one of the foremost chess players in the United States, he had worked as a chess expert for the Post before becoming columnist for the Transcript in 1915. At one time he played a cable game with the noted foreign chess champion, Capablanca. In later years he had acquired skill as a bridge player, winning the New England bridge championship in 1934.
One of the founders and a trustee of the Hibernia Savings Bank, he was a member of the Law Society of Massachusetts, the Boston Bar Association, the Boston Chess Club, the Town Bridge Club and the 73 Club of Boston. His law office was in the Kimball Building.
He leaves a son, James G. Barry of Boston, and a daughter, Mrs. John A. Water of Coronado, Calif.
Funeral services will be held Saturday morning, with a solemn high mass in the Holy Name Church, West Roxbury, at 9. Burial will be in Mt. Benedict Cemetery, West Roxbury.
April 11 1940
The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, Thursday, April 11, 1940
Attorney John F. Barry Funeral Tomorrow
Funeral services for attorney John F. Barry, 66, former assistant clerk of the Boston Municipal Criminal Court, noted bridge expert and editor of the Boston Transcript's chess column for 24 years, who died Tuesday at his home, 139 Greaton road, West Roxbury, will be held tomorrow morning, with a solemn high mass in the Holy Name Church, West Roxbury, at 9 o'clock. Interment will be in Mt. Benedict Cemetery, West Roxbury.
Mr. Barry was born in Boston, the son of James and Bridget Catherine (Grant) Barry. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1905. He was a member of the Law Society of Massachusetts and was one of the founders and a trustee of the Hibernia Savings Bank.
Long noted as one of the foremost chess players in the United States, he had worked as a chess expert for the Post before becoming columnist for the Transcript in 1915. At one time he played a cable game with the noted foreign chess champion, Capablanca. In late years he had acquired skill as a bridge player, winning the New England bridge championship in 1934.
He leaves a son, James G. Barry of Boston, and a daughter, Mrs. John A. Water of Coronado, Calif.
April 12 1940
Transcript-Telegram, Holyoke, Massachusetts, Friday, April 12, 1940
New England Deaths
Boston—Private funeral services will be held Saturday for John F. Barry, 66, chess editor of the Boston Transcript since 1915. He died at his West Roxbury home. He was formerly an assistant municipal court clerk and chess expert for the Boston Post. At the age of 23 he won the deciding game of a cable chess match between the United States and England.
April 13 1940
The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, April 13, 1940
800 Attend Services for John F. Barry
More than 800 persons attended funeral services at the Church of the Holy Name, West Roxbury, this morning for the former assistant clerk John F. Barry of the Boston Municipal Court who died Wednesday at his home, 139 Greaton road.
Rev. Charles E. Riley was celebrant of the solemn high mass of requiem, with Rev. Joseph A. Quigley as deacon and Rev. Edward W. Desmond as subdeacon.
Delegations attended from the Boston Municipal Court, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Hibernia Savings Bank.
Interment was in Mt. Benedict Cemetery.
May 15 1940
Evening star, Washington, District of Columbia, Wednesday, May 15, 1940
Attention has been called to the death of one of the finest of New England chess players and columnists, John F. Barry of Boston.
Barry passed to the Valhalla of Eminent American masters at the age of 67. Since 1915 he had conducted a chess column in the Boston Transcript.
By profession, he was a successful lawyer. -Paul J. Millerm, Chess Column
November 17 1940
The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, November 17, 1940
Barry Victory of 40 Years Ago
John F. Barry was a fixture in Boston chess circles for some 45 years. In the closing years of the last century, when Pillsbury was impressing Europe and New York with his genius, Barry was asked to play in the Anglo-American cable matches, largely through the recommendation of Pillsbury, who knew Barry's skill at firsthand. Barry won his game in each of the first five cable matches. The game below was played in 1900, and shows how Barry brought about a winning attack.
John Finan Barry vs Henry Ernest Atkins
5th Anglo-American Cable Match (1900), London ENG / New York USA, rd 1, Mar-23
Sicilian Defense: French Variation. Normal (B40) 1-0
(a) Barry used to like to describe how Atkins was led on psychologically to advance his K side pawns in an inviting attack. But all the time Barry felt sure the pawn advance would open the way for a decisive counterblow.
November 17 1940
Evening star, Washington, District of Columbia, Monday, December 30, 1940
John F. Barry, attorney at law, chess editor of the Boston Transcript since 1915, died at the age of 67, leaving a legacy of master games and fine reporting.
