CHESS

WELLINGTON SOUTH v. NGFAIO. The first of this year* "home and home" matches between the above clubs was played at Ngaio on Wednesday evening, when the visitors won rather easily. The scores were as follows:— Wellington South. Ngaio. Allen'... .v. 1 Anderson, G.P. 0 Purchas ». 1 Wild 0 Harper ... 1 Carman ... 0 Armstrong ... £ Topp ... >.. £ Clark... „_.4 1 Lindsay ... 0 Thompson „. .1 Hicks, sen. ... 0 Weine .^ 1 Hicks, E.E. ... 0 Perrott ,„ 0 Croxton ... 1 Douglas „. 1 Green. ... 0 Berry ... 1 Hicks, W. „, 0 Laughton .... 1 Brown >.. 0 Appleton ..„ £ Tucker >.. Total ... 10 2 There was_an interval for refreshment* during the evening. At the conclusion of the pla.y, Mr. Armstrong (president) returned thanks for the hospitality extended to the Wellington South team. He stated that lite club had had to fight much harder for victory than the scores indicated ; all the games had been stubbornly contested, and the two clubs'. were in reality much better matched than might be gathered from the score. The Newtown players had greatly enjoyed their visit to Ngaio, and he hoped that their kind hosts would in turn derive much enjoyment from the return match, which is to be contested at the Newtown Public Library at an early date. (Applause.) Mr. A. B. Topp, President of the Ngaio Club, in thanking Mr. Armstrong for his kind remarks, generously acknowledged the superior strength of the visitors. He hoped, however, that as time went on, the members of his club, which was only in its second year, would gain more experience, and would, as a result, make a markedly improved showing. (Applause.) An exchange of cheers terminated a moet enjoyable match. MISCELLANEOUS JOTTINGS. The -Wellington Chess Club's match against a team chosen from the local bowling clubs was advanced a further stage last week. The score now stands && follows : — Club team. Isi wins, Bowlers 9£ wins, The ten games outstanding are : — Allen v. Chapman, Turner v. Mackenzie, E. Anderson v. Sim, M'Girr v. Bock, Sexton v. Cleghoffi, Danks v. Cornwell, Lambert v. Dornbusch, M'Dougall v. Tyer, Jerusalem v. Greer, and Rev. Petrie v. Varney. Next Satur* day is the laet day for playing these games. The first game ia the ladder match for rung 3 (Mackay v. Still) is being so stubbornly contested as to require a fourth sitting. It has a drawish appearance. The triple- tie for first place in the Ngaio Club's annual handicap tourney has been played off, the result being that 1). Wild takes first prize, W, Carman second prize, and E. E. Hicks third prize. , The game that won the Brilliancy Prize at the last New Zealand Championship Congress is evidently "on tour," having lately appeared in the British Ohess Magazine, in the London Times Weekly, and also in The Field (London). The notes in The Field by Mr. Amos Burn, the leading English commentator, are favourable, and are almost entirely in accord with those appearing in the Congress Book of the New Zealand Chess Association, even to suggesting that had Mr. Dodds (the Nelson champion) followed up_ his sacrifice correctly the Brilliancy Prize would probably have gone to him instead of to his opponent. This is surely a feather in the cap of our local editors, Messrs. W. E._ Mason and W. Mackay, whose book could not have reached England when Mr. Amos Burn made his annotation. Incidentally it affords further proof that our New Zealand chessists offer a. good shilling's worth in their Congress Book. Under the heading "Who was it?" we recently quoted from the Cairo correspondent of The Times (London), who described how, just prior to the landing of the New Zealand Forces at Gallipoli, two of our young soldiers were busy finshing a game of chess quite unconcerned about the shrapnel that was flying about. According to a paragraph in tli6 New Zeaknd Herald the two players were Private W. A. Grierson (son of Mr. J. t C. Grierson, of Auckland, an ex-champion of New Zealand), and Corporal F. G. Hall-Jones, son of Sir William Hall- Jones, M.L.C. Both players were subsequently wounded. The pocket, board used by them was a parting gift from Grierson, sen., to his son, who, as the Herald remarks, is evidently a chip of the old block, Mr. Grierson, sen., taking second place to no one in the Dominion as regards enthusiasm for "the royal game."