And his war hero son
dent between 1939 and 1942, with a rare lengthy reign of four years, was HG Rhodes – who later had a second spell as president, lasting five years, between 1956 and 1960.
This distinguished gentleman, a leading Southport solicitor, was an excellent chess player and competed in the town of his abode at the 1924 British Chess Federation’s Major Open Tournament – second only to the main event, the British Championship, held in Southport for the second time.
Herbert Gibson Rhodes was a proud Lancashire lad and while attending Manchester Grammar School he was the school football team’s goalkeeper, and appears in a 1915 edition of the school’s magazine, which described him, under “Characters of the First Team” as having a “sure eye, manages all shots equally well and clears smartly”.
Much later, Southport’s 1939 street directory informs us that when WWII broke out Herbert G Rhodes lived at 4 Hesketh Mansions, at 92a Lord Street, next to the Palm Café and Market
Street; the property had formerly been Shaffer’s fent store (1927), with a costume and art shop next door.
The retired solicitor’s death certificate gives the date May 28 1981, although some chess historians believe the correct date is 1982.
However, it is evident that HG Rhodes, MC, was in fact a very gallant gentleman of whom British chess can be very proud – along with the Bletchley Park code-breakers of WWII and others with notable war records – as it turns out that Herbert was awarded the Military Cross.
His citation stated:
MC London Gazette, 2 February 1918, Lt Herbert Gibson Rhodes, 2/7th Battalion Liverpool Regiment, Territorial Force.
“For conspicuous gallantry in attacking parties of the enemy who were trying to get machine guns into action.
“He reached his objective and brought heavy fire to bear on them as they retreated (getting ready to regroup), though wounded, he would not leave his post until it was securely consolidated. His splendid leadership resulted in the capture of 50 prisoners and 12 machine guns.”
That level of bravery appears to be close to meriting a Victoria Cross – it is a shame there has never been a chess competition held to honour him, even at a county level.
Perhaps it would be possible for the English Chess Federation to arrange a “norm tourney” as “The Rhodes Memorial.”
Not only was Herbert G Rhodes a stalwart of the Southport Chess Club, he was also a regular Lancashire player from the early 1920s and right into the 1960s, including when the Red Rose County beat arch-rivals Yorkshire in the 1959-60 County Championship Final.
He actually played in 11 of Lancashire’s 18 County Championshipwinning sides; won the County Championship in 1936, 1937 and again in 1951, and served as the Lancashire County president and hon secretary at various times.
He won the 1948-49 Hastings Premier Reserves Major (equivalent to the later Challengers section) with a points score of seven-and-a-half out of nine, ahead of two players he faced at Southport in 1924, namely ARB Thomas (5pts) and EG Sergeant (4pts).
Others he beat were L Barden, Horne, DB Scott, Dr Schenk, Capt. Bolland, J Mieses, and Dr J O’Sullivan.
His match against Capt Percivale David Bolland (1888-1950) – a strong player and many times champion of Somerset – was quite a remarkable game as both players had won the Military Cross in WWI.
Herbert G Rhodes may not have played in the British Championship at his home town, but he did make “The British” in 1949, 1950, 1952 and 1953, although, as Conroy puts it, “with disappointing results”.
However, any chess player who is particularly interested in king-pawn endings might like to look at the Rhodes Vs Drewitt match at Southport in 1924 (which Rhodes won); it is not certain whether White can secure the ending to win – although it is doubtful that Black should have resigned.
Top-class chess player Leonard Barden once described Rhodes, saying: “He had the air of a slightly diffident scholar, pleasant but restrained – solicitor suited him well. He never gave any hint of fighting in the war, and I could not have imagined him as a soldier or as a soccer goalkeeper.
“I don’t know why he didn’t play in the 1949-50 Premier, perhaps he had work commitments.”
Barden added: “HG Rhodes had serious ambitions then, as evidenced by his six-game match at Southport in April 1950 with Tartakover presumably financed by Rhodes just after Tartakover had shared first place with Bisguier at Southsea.
“Tartakover won 3-0, using one of the finishes in the book of his best games.”
Talking of best games, next week we will call checkmate on this subject by looking at the three occasions on which Southport hosted The British Chess Championships, bringing the cream of the country’s chess fraternity to the resort.