Chess Items.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 62

Chess Items.

His Worship the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr G-. Lawrence) will preside at the opening of the chess season at the Otago Chess Club's rooms to-night (Wednesday) at 8 o'clock. The Rev. A. T. Chodowski and Messrs J. J. Marlow, R. H. Osten, W. S. Neill, J. E. Hale, J. Walsh, A. E. Wolstenholme, J. H. Hinton, J. C. Ponsonby, and AY. Tibbies have announced themselves as aspirants this year for the junior championship of the Otago Chess Club. Eighteen entries have so far been received for the handicap tournament in the Otago Chess Cub, the names of the competitors being: — Rev. A. T. Chodowski, Messrs D. Forsyth, J. Edwards, J. H. F. Haniel, G. D. Wright, S. S. Myers, J. J. Marlow, J. C. Ponsonby, A. Mellor, J. H. Hinton, W. S. Neill, J. E. Hale, W. Tibbies, D. S. Columb, O. V. Davies, J. Walsh, A. E. Wolstenholme, and H. Melitus.

The members of the Wellington Chess Club are taking a keen interest in the annual handicap tournament for the Petherick Shield and oiher prizes, which commenced on the evening of the Bth inst. There aie twentyfour competitors, the pairing for the first round being as follows: — Section A — B B. Allen v. Anderson, Barnes v. Hicks, Bock v. Gyles, jun., Dr Borghetti v. Gyles, sen., Burton v. Petherick, and Chatfield v. James. Section B— Littlejohn v. Wooliey, Kelling v. Jessup, Morris v. Tanner, Still v. Morton, Parker v. Simm, and Pearson v. Albert. The three highest scorers in each section will later on compete in a final full-round tourney of six, to determine the prize-winners. The annual handicap chess tourney of the Working Men's Club commenced last Wednesday night, with twenty-four competitors. The tourney ■will also be contested in sections, so as to allow of senior and junior championship tourneys being held before the close of the season.

Harry N. Pillebury, of mnemonic fame, is stated to be at the point of death in a Philadelphian hospital. He is reported to have had an apopletic stroke, followed by partial paralysis. A second international chess tournament is to commence at Ostend on June 2. The congress will a-gain be held under the auspices of the committee of the Oercle dcs Echecs de Bruxe!le3. Owing to the increased generous contribution by M. Marquet, of the Kursaal, Oslend, the funds available for prize money will be at least 30,000 francs (£1200) this year. It is proposed to devote the sum toward,s endowing three tournaments — (a) A tournament restricted to five or six of the world's best players (if available); (b) a masters' tournament; and (c) an amateur tournament divided in several classes. The prizes will be distributed on a. liberal scale, and will be proportionate and separate for each tournament—fa) will probably ba played in three or four rounds, and (b) and (c) in one round, if a sufficiently large number of competitors entor. The official inauguration of the congress will take place on June 2. The commencement of the amateurs' tournament may be deterred till June 25 or July 2. The masters' tournaments will each last about four weeks, but the amateur competitions will take from 14 to 20 days only, according to muabeia.