THE WELLINGTON CLUB

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 1, 1 July 1935, Page 16

THE WELLINGTON CLUB

The Wellington Chess Club has just entered on its sixtieth year, and is thus entitled to celebrate its diamond jubilee within the next twelve months. The club's golden jubilee was celebrated nine years ago, when the main attraction was a handicap lightning tourney in which 54 competitors took part, prizes being awarded to the highest scorers in grades A, B, and C. The club was formed on June 16, 1876, at a dinner held in the old Panama Hotel, Taranaki Street, to celebrate dn exciting 50-game match in which "the Town" .defeated the Civil Service by one game (25J to 24J). During the club's existence it has had eleven presidents and sixteen different habitations. The ten ex-presidents have all crossed the Great Divide, and so have the pioneer executive officers of. 1876— Messrs. George Hunter, M.H.R. (president) , C. W. Benbow (vice-president), W. T. Thane (hon. secretary), and W. Whittem (hon. treasurer). The club has had both lean and prosperousyears, but members, especially those of the older brigade, can look back on the past seasons with much pleasure. The club last year again won the club championship of the Dominion, and thus hold the Bledisloe Cup for the present. This year's 20-aside fixtures for that valued trophy are to commence at 6.30 p.m. on Saturday next, the pairings being Auckland Chess Club v. Wellington Chess Club and Otago Chess Club v. Canterbury Chess Club. The interisland final is set down for decision on August 26 and September 2.