W.H.Pratten was British Boy Chess Champion in 1924 and 1925.From the 1930s until his retirement he was one of Hampshire's leading players. He helped set up the Portsmouth and District Chess League in 1947 and played for Fareham Chess Club. From 1947 to 1952 he organised the Stevenson Memorial tournaments at Southsea, which attracted players of international repute (e.g. Bogoljubow, Tartakower, Yanofsky, Rossolimo and Pachman) and helped start the career of Jonathan Penrose, ten times British Chess Champion.