EUROPEAN CHESS MASTER.

♦ VISIT OF M. BORIS KOSTICH. ■ ■ M. Boris Kostich, the renowned European- chess master, who is making a tour", of' Australia and New Zealand, arrived'-in Christchurch on Saturday .from the' South. He was met at the railwav. station by .Mr AV. H. Joyce j"(pjfisident.. of ! the • Canterbury Chess \ Gluli)"-an<l Mr H.'.-J. Quarrell, a vicej president, and later at the City Council | Chambers was tendered a reception, the Mayor of'. Christchurch (Mr J. A, Plesher) extending.'.the city's welcome to 1 him. -Mr.'Kostich was also welcomed on "be half of the Canterbury Chess Club and 'chess.-players by. Mr Joyce, president,. • and' the.' Be v. Is. Friberg, a vicepresident. .. There wa«-a representativ.attendance'.in'the .Council. Chambers | which included .a number of ladies. I 'ln;, welcoming their distinguished | visitor,' Jlr Fleshcr. said'that -M. Kosi tich ranked'as one of the world's grcatj est. chess' ntasters.' ..-It "v us always a I plcasurc„to."welcome an oversea visitor. ; | M. born in Serbia 37 years | | had established a great record • in' matches aid'international lourney.?, j | amongst which were five draws with J'. ! R. Capablanca. who for some time'was. ! the world's champion, while at the j recent masters' tournament at Hastings j he came second to the present champion, j I)r. Laskc-r, in which tournament he did j not lose a single game. New Zealand j had had only one visit of a master i player before, that of Baron Hevde- { brand von der Lasa, who paid a flying < visit in ISS7. . The present tour would •j undoubtedly prove of great value to i chess players. The object of the tour | was .to popularise.'.the -.royal game .of j chess, throughout .the Dominion, and the i present- occasion would adequately aii ford that opportunity. M. Kostich had ! travelled throughout. practically the : whole.of. the British Empire with the ! exception of-South Africa, and hoped ! within a short period to return to New '.Zealand. On behalf of the citizens of | 'Christchurch he extended a hearty wel- ■ come to'.M, Kostich. Mr Flasher stated that Wellington and Dunedin had se- '! cured a win.xaeh in the simultaneous ! games. • On behalf of the . Canterbury Chess, j Club, Mr W. H. Joyce, president, said 'that he had pleasant and sanguine aa- : .ticipatipßS that- the tovir. would prove a ■ great success. In Christchurch the j.royal game had' been established by J men whose histories had been indelibly ' interwoven with the history of Christj church. ■ The .present members were eii ; deavouring to uphold the reputation ot j their .predecessors, and-the visit of M. i.Kostich would undoubtedly prove bene- '! ficial to the-players." In addition 1c I his many other charming qualities, M. j Kostich was a . distinguished linguist, j and he felt sure he was welcoming, not I merely a'great,-chess master, but one of. the'most talented of. oversea visitors . ■ Christchurch. had had for many years.

''The "Rev. N. Friberg endorsed the remarks of the previous speakers, and compared -the game .of .chess with ' the three cardinal virtues: Prudence, which taught players.to. exercise judpient aad care hi:'their play; justice,'which warned them not to throw the. burden of the game on a few pieces, but to proportion justly: temperance, which encouragea soulid development and fortitude, without which no man at any game could succeed. "

In reply > M. Kostich outlined the object of .--his tour,V: which was to popularise the game of chess.. In order to accomplish'th'is ,I'ie Would ; give. clenionstiatiotis'arid:'lec'tiires in; order'to give I sonie insight into modern methods of ..play. , Chess was taken much more seri'otisly/Wthe' Continent than in Englishspeaking countries, but there was a great future ahead, and he hoped- to return in a few years and see the result of his tour, which he felt would be beneficial. to all those who -wished to -study- .-lssidu'oUsly.' - . Following the welcome, M. Kostich -y/as.-taken to Chess Club'rcoms .in luglisV Buildings,' where* an enjoyable hour' 'was' spent in entertaining him. Later h"e played from memory three gaiiies which he had played blindfold in Oamaru' the previous evening. 31. Kostich'won* all games,,one of which was 'against Mr T. B. Dunlop,- - ex-champion 'of ' New; Zealand, Two games also wero played against Messrs Woodford and .Anderson, both of which the visitor won, and served as an excellent preliminary to "Kostich Week," which will ■-commence this evening with simultaneous games-in the Y.M.C.A. ilall v commencing at 7.30.

M/KOSTICH INTERVIEWED. M. Boris Kostich, in an interview, stated that during the short period' he had been in New Zealand he had been delighted with the country. The Milford Track walk had impressed him as one of the most beautiful, scenic resorts in the world. Rotorua had' reminded him of. Iceland and Yellowstone Parle, where the geysers were very prominent. The standard of chess in the Dnriinion: was almost, as good -as the club standard..in England, aad .tli-a" etec-is clubs were vory i'ortar.ai.o iif tiic-;r rooms, said M. Kostich. ifo es presse-l the opinion th:tt ..the rooms of the Christehurch Chess Club, in I.ugiis's .Buildings, "ranked amongst the lines:- 'inAustralasia, Of the a.30 simultaneous games he had-played, in. t.'iia country up to the prese.ui, ouly C.vo ):<i been lost. Messrs J. B. Dun:op and A. W. 0. ~Davies. wpre tfie strougeit flayers he had; met.. . ' "Chess" is in a continual slate of progress,-". scud jM. Kostich. "Novelties in the openings and new lines of piay arc -continually being' discovered, and consequently the game will continue -to forge ah.ead.''' Those who wished to succeed he advised to make a thorough study of the openings, and play over games of the leading masters, examining every line of play. Thfcre was no royal road to success, as chess' required intensive study. M. Kostich expressed great pleasure at.the scheme organised by the "World's Student'-Christian Federation to assist students in Europe. Closer international relations would form the basis ■of. a'lasting peace. Already a movement, known as the Sokol' Institution, ; which had objects similar to the 1 Y:M.CA.:, such. ,as physical and intellectual .development amongst the /students,;>was spreading over portions "of Europe. * -