CHESS TOURNEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 307, 27 December 1924, Page 7

CHESS TOURNEY.

FIRST DAY'S PLAY. (By Telegraph.-Press Association.) NELSON, Friday. The championship chess congreei pened on Boxing Day. Section £ lclndes: Anderson, Fairburn, E. A ticks (Wellington), Bullock (HamilDn), Jloir (Auckland), Dodds (Nelson), tenhouse (Dnnedin), Purdy (N.S.W.) S nd Section B, Cole, Severn, Nelson, :ylce, Kelling, E. E. Hicks (Wellingon), Pilil (Christchurch), and Vaughan Auckland). Dunlop (Oamaru), and lohen (Dunedin) are absent. In the first round E. A. Hicks easily efeated Fairburn. Section A. E A. Hicks beat Fairburn. Hicks .laved the Scotch game, and a weak aove by Fairburn in the middle game •aye Hicks a decided advantage. Hβ ollowed this up strongly and won asily. Bullock v. Anderson.—An interesting ipenine and middle game resulted from .he centre game adopted by Bullock. \nderson did not make the best of his ihances, and after the middle game exjhanges an even rook and pawn ending •esulted in Bullock outplaying Anderson md winning his first game in championihip play. Purdy v. Dodds.—Purdy played the meen's pawn game, which opened jvenly. Neat manoeuvring for position idded interest to the game. Dodds obtained a strong attack with queen md rooks, but moving hurriedly allowed Purdy to mate him in two moves. Dodds threw away hie winning chances. Moir v. Stenhouse. —Stenhouse played Bird's defence to Moir's Ruy Lopez opening, and the early exchanges gave the latter a slight advantage. Moir won a pawn, and brought a strong attack to bear on his opponent's uncastled king. Stenhouse defended splendidly, but the end game still in progress should bo won by Moir. Section B. Kelling V. E. E. Hicks. —A very even development followed a Ruy Lopez opening. In the early middle game Hicks had great opportunities of attack, but he failed to make use of them. Hβ later left a piece to be taken for nothing, whereupon Kelling launched a strong attack, and a few moves later forced Hicks to resign. Vaughan v. Severne.—An English opening developed into the queen's gambit. Vaughan obtained a good position, but Severne defended soundly. Later, to dislodge a knight upon the queen's sixth, Severne had to give up rook for knipht and pawn. The middle game was full of interest, mating positions on each side being narrowly averted. Severne obtained a much. weaker pawn position for the end game, which Vaughan won. Cole v. Gyles.—Cole did not make the best of his queen's pawn opening, and Gyles won a pawn. Gyles managed to obtain a strong pawn position on the queen's side, which looked strong enough to give him a win. Cole played well, and broke up Gyles' queen side position, and the game ended in a draw. Pihl drew a bye.