After the 1911 Championship, Atkins retired completely from tournament chess for the next 11 years. He later remarked, "I really can't say why I didn't play after 1911 for so many years." He had agreed to play in the 1919 Hastings Victory Congress, but withdrew at the last moment "by doctor's orders". In 1922, a major international tournament was organized in London, the first in almost a quarter of a century; many of the world's leading players agreed to compete, such as newly crowned World Champion José Raúl Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, and Akiba Rubinstein. Despite his long layoff from the game, Atkins was also invited, and agreed to play. After such a long hiatus, he unsurprisingly had a disappointing tournament, scoring only 6/15 and finishing 10th out of 16 players. He finished just outside the prize list, for the first and only time in his career. However, did have the consolation of claiming among his victims Rubinstein and Savielly Tartakower.