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Tournament: 105th Varsity Match • Venue: RAC Club, Pall Mall, London • Date: 14 March 1987
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Sunday May 7, 2023 6:44 PM
The 105th Varsity Chess Match between Oxford University and Cambridge University was held at the RAC Club, Pall Mall, London on 14 March 1987. The sponsors were Lloyds Bank. Only three complete game scores available (boards 1, 2 and 6), plus a position from the end of board 7 - can anyone supply other scores?
| Bd | Oxford University | Rating | 1987 | Cambridge University | Rating |
| 1w | Peter Kenneth Wells (Jesus) | 2400f | 1-0 | David John Watts (Sidney Sussex) | 2265 |
| 2b | James Clifford Howell (Jesus) | 2380m | 1-0 | David Douglas Alexander Lawson (Trinity) | 2200 |
| 3w | Neil F Dickenson (Hertford) | 2245 | ½-½ | Sukh David Singh (Queens') | 2176 |
| 4b | Martin Luke Hazelton (St Anne's) | 2230 | ½-½ | Andrew David Harley (Selwyn) | 2240 |
| 5w | Dr. William Henry Gnam (Balliol) | 2150 | 1-0 | Robert Christopher Cannings (Trinity) | 2112 |
| 6b | Stephen G Walker (Oriel) | 2032 | 0-1 | Graham Kenneth Burgess (Downing) | 2064 |
| 7w | Neil David Crabb (St Edmund Hall) | 1905 | 1-0 | Mark Hardman Thornton (Sidney Sussex) | 2024 |
| 8b | Jane Sarah Riley (St Hugh's) | 1608 | 0-1 | Alison Margaret Franklin (later Bexfield) (Downing) | 1568 |
| Av Elo = 2118.75 | 5-3 | Av Elo = 2093.62 |
Sources: Oxford-Cambridge Chess Matches (1873-1987), compiled by Jeremy Gaige, Philadelphia 1987; BCM, May 1987, p184; The Guardian, 28 March 1987; 1987/88 BCF Yearbook, p85
[From 1987/88 BCF Yearbook, p85]
Sponsored by Lloyds Bank 14th March 1987
Oxford beat Cambridge 5-3 in the Varsity chess match. It was Oxford's seventh win in a row, following a record run of eleven Cambridge victories. The traditional series began in 1873 and this was the 105th match in the longest running annual fixture in the chess world.
Excluding wartime matches whose status is doubtful, Cambridge now lead 45-43 with 17 draws. The match was again sponsored by Lloyds Bank as part of a £36,000 programme to develop chess in schools and universities. The Bank also sponsors the varsity second team and freshers matches, and the British Universities Team Championship.
Lloyds Bank best game trophies went to James Howell of Oxford and Graham Burgess of Cambridge; runners-up awards were presented to Peter Wells of Oxford and Sukh Dave Singh of Cambridge.
OXFORD
1 FM Peter Wells (21; 2400) St John's College, Southsea - Jesus (3rd year philosophy, politics and economics)
2 IM James Howell (19; 2380) Harrogate Grammar - Jesus (2nd year modern languages)
3 Neil Dickenson (22; 2245) Sevenoaks School - Hertford (3rd year modern history)
4 Martin Hazelton (19; 2230) RGS Newcastle - St. Anne's (1st year mathematics
5 Dr William Gnam (24; 2150) McGill University, Montreal - Balliol (2nd year philosophy, politics and economics)
6 Stephen Walker (22; 2032) Sutton Manor High - Oriel (3rd year mathematics)
7 Neil Crabb (19; 1905) King's Grammar, Grantham - St. Edmund Hall (2nd year experimental psychology)
8 Jane Sarah Riley (20; 1608) Gloucester Girls HS - St. Hugh's (2nd year jurisprudence)
CAMBRIDGE
1 David Watts (20; 2265) Harrow Weald 6th form College - Sidney Sussex (2nd year mathematics)
2
David Lawson (21; 2200) Glenalmond College, Perth - Trinity (3rd year medicine)
3 Sukh Dave Singh (19; 2176) Colchester RGS - Queens' (1st year medicine)
4
Andrew Harley (19; 2240) Simon Balle, Hertford - Selwyn (2nd year mathematics)
5 Robert Cannings (19; 2112) King Edward VII, Sheffield - Trinity (2nd year mathematics)
6 Graham Burgess (19; 2064) Hanham High, Bristol - Downing (1st year mathematics)
7 Mark Thornton (20; 2024) RGS Newcastle - Sidney Sussex (2nd year engineering)
8 Alison Franklin (19; 1568) Croydon High - Downing (1st year geography)
From the International Who's Who in Poetry 2004 By Europa Publications: LAWSON, David Douglas Alexander; b. 20 June 1965, London, England. Writer. Poet. Education: Trinity College, Glenalmond, Scotland, 1979; Trinity College, Cambridge, 1984-87. Trinity College, Oxford, 1987-90. Publications: Contributions: Haiku Hundred. Honours Powell Prize. Membership: School of Poets. Edinburgh Address: [...] Abernethy, Tayside, Scotland.
Winning Oxford team. Left to right: Jane Sarah Riley, Martin Hazelton, William H Gnam, James Howell, Neil Dickenson, Neil Crabb, Stephen Walker, Peter Wells (seated).
All material © 2017-2023 John Saunders, except photo (Lloyds Bank)
File Updated
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Original upload |
| 18 July 2020 | Added the game P.Wells-Watts, found in a contemporary Guardian column annotated by Leonard Barden. |
| 23 January 2023 | Cosmetic amendments |
| 7 May 2023 | Added the final moves of the board 7 game, Crabb 1-0 Thornton, found in BCM. |