The 1893-1894 Inter-Club Tournament

W.A. Campbell, the chess editor of the Belfast News-Letter, set the scene for the new event in that 20th November column:

INTER-CLUB TOURNAMENT
During the present season a new departure in chess play has been inaugurated among the various chess clubs in the city and some of the neighbouring clubs. Arrangements have been in progress for some time for a match between these clubs and at last these have been completed. The entries are - Belfast, Holywood, Strandtown and Victoria. Each club will play two matches with the other clubs. The minimum numbers will be ten a side. The first match will be Belfast against Holywood on Saturday next in the rooms of the latter and on 4th December the Strandtown club will play Victoria at the rooms of the former. This contest is certain to excite a considerable amount of interest among local chess players and there is no doubt but that there will be a great struggle for victory on the part of each club.

Unfortunately the competition was overshadowed by a controversy over an unfulfilled fixture. Strandtown had lost its first two matches of the season to the Victoria and Belfast clubs and was then due to play Holywood on the 6th January 1894. W.A. Campbell, reported in his News-Letter column for 11th January:

In consequence of the extreme inclemency of the weather Mr J.T. Barrett [the Strandtown secretary] found it impossible to raise a team. He therefore telegraphed the fact during the day to Holywood, asking to have the match postponed. To this the Holywood club object, and claim the win under rules 1 and 5. The Strandtown club cannot agree to this reading of the rulles, and so the matter stands. We have no doubt but that this difference will be adjusted in a friendly way, and once more the path of the members of these clubs will be as before, smooth and pleasant.

The News-Letter's hopes for a friendly resolution of the postponement were not realised. Campbell commented three weeks later in his chess column that:

It is a matter of regret that the club at Strandtown thought it their duty, in consequence of the difference with Holywood, to retire from the tourney. It is to be hoped that before next season rules may be framed by the committee that will meet all these contingencies, so that the present happy state of feeling existing among Ulster chess players may be continued.

Returning to the outcome of the first-ever contest for the Ulster Trophy, the Belfast News-Letter reported on the 1st March 1894 on the crucial final match of the season:

At the commencement of the present season an admirer of the royal game presented for competition by the city and adjacent clubs a handsome silver trophy, to be competed for annually. This trophy was given as an incentive for better play, and for more united effort among the members of the various clubs. The design was an exceedingly laudable one, and the result has been, on the whole, fairly satisfactory. Four clubs - viz, Victoria (Belfast), Strandtown, Holywood and Belfast entered but owing to some unpleasantness the Strandtown club withdrew at an early stage of the contest, leaving the other three clubs to do battle. Fortune seemed to smile on all, for each club has had wins and losses to record. The final contest of this season was held on Friday, 23rd [February] in the hall, Fountainville Avenue, Lisburn Road, the home of the Victoria Club, when formidable clubs from the two city clubs, Belfast and Victoria, encountered each other in fierce conflict. The struggle was witnessed by a very large number of spectators; in fact, the room was crowded with sympathisers on each side. What rendered the contest more interesting was the fact that should the Belfast Club carry the day a new and prolonged contest in which the clubs would again take part, would be the result. But should the Victoria Chess Club prove the winners, the contest for this season was over. Strong (from a chessist point of view) teams of twelve a side took part in the match. On a previous occasion Belfast had the benefit of first move in the first games on each board - and now Victoria had the privilege - and it was soon apparent that the home team were determined to be the victors. When time was called only three games remained unfinished, and these having been adjudicated it was seen that the Victoria club were winners by thirteen points to four. We congratulate the Victoria on the result of the gallant fight they made, and with so much success, for the possession of the trophy, and we trust that when next season comes round the defeated clubs will once more make a determined effort to win te prize,and we are fully convinced that the present possessors will resist all such attempts to the utmost of their power.

Final crosstable

RANK CLUB        Vi  Ho  Be  St  Total
1    VICTORIA    xx  01  11  11   5.0
2    HOLYWOOD    10  xx  01  11   4.0
3    BELFAST     00  10  xx  11   3.0
4    STRANDTOWN  00  00  00  xx   0.0+

+Strandtown withdrew from the competition and all its matches were scored for the opposing clubs.