TELEGRAPHIC CHESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 136, 12 June 1933, Page 13

TELEGRAPHIC CHESS.

The Players,

AUCKLAND V. WELLINGTON,

PIAY COMMENCED ON SATURDAY.

GAMES APPEAR EVEJ*,

A telegraphic chess match, 20 men a side, between Auckland and Wellington was commenced on Saturday night, and' will bo completed next Saturday. \Auy games then unfinished will be sent forward for adjudication. Up to a few years ago telegraphic matches' ivee'r held annually betweeu the main centres,v but owing to the . increased charges '.for the messages they-were discontinued.-.- They were revived last year, when Auckland was defeated by Wellington and Canterbury by Otago. In the play-off-. Otago won. Again this year Otago ■is playing Canterbury simultaneously with the Auck-' land-Wellington fixture, and the winners of each match will play off next month

Auckland won the toss and elected to play white at the odd numbered boards— at 1, o, 5, etc. J.lie following 'are the names of the Auckland players, with the openings, the Wellington players appearing at the end of each line in parentheses: I—D. I. Jones, Queen's gambit declined (E. A. Hicks). 2—A. Pickett, Sicilian defence (G- P Anderson). 3—H. D. Addis, Queen's pawn (A. W. Gyles. 4—l. Burry, Queen's pawn (W. E. (Mason). As the Wellington player is in Auckland this game was played straight out and resulted in a draiw at the 34th move. 5 —»T. F. Sullivan, Znkertort (F. K. Ivelling). 6 —C. C. Roberts, Bird's opening (G. ,Wigham). 7—-H. Lees, Queen's pawn- (K. GodtsiCliallc). S —E. King, French defence (W. C White). '9—C. G. Leunard, Caro-Kann defence (A. T. Craven). 10 —C. P. lielton, Erench defence (J. C. McCrea). . 11— R. Barker, Queen's fianchetto defence fW. J. Eairburn). 12 —R. E. Bacyertz, Guico piano (R. C. Sim), 13— H. S. Symonds, French defence (J. Otto). 14— H. Roskilly, Giuco piano (A. E. Jessup). 15— G. H. Edwards, Giuco piano (L. J. Hardy). 16— F. A. McKillop, Ruy Lopez (H. J. Thompson). _ 17—A. B. Dallow, Sicilian defence (R. A. Godtschalk).

IS—C. A. Langabeer, Sicilian defence (It. G. Didsbury). 19—1'. K. D. Chipman, French defence £E. J. Dyer). 20— E. It. Jones, Queen's pawn (E. F. Grady). Auckland captain, H. Oakley Browne; umpires, G. H. Black (at Auckland), Wellington; Dr. Myers (at Wellington), Auckland.

How Played. Telegraphic matches are played./under strict conditions and supervision. The Auckland boards were set in the unemployment levy room of the General- Post . Office, where a .special instrument was installed and a telegraph operator ■jvas on duty to send and receive the messages. Scrutineers are appointed to check the moves and carry the messages to and from the operator. Each message must be initialled by a scrutineer before it is handed to player or, operator. Once a telegram is thus initialled it is final. Should a clerical mistake occur there must be complete agreement between the two captains and umpires before any correction can be made. A player is not allowed logger than five minutes to make a move after-receiv* 5 ing one from his opponent. Talking of any kind is not allowed, the games being played and conducted as though each player had liis opponent sitting at the Citable'. English notation is used instead ' of numerical, as obtained previously. For instance, if white moves pawn to king 4 the telegram goes forward stating the number of the move—whether it is first, second or so on —the number of the-table, and the move itself, pawn to king. 4 being expressed p to k4. When the message is delivered to the player at the corresponding table at the other end, the move, is made, and when the player makes his move in reply he telegraphs it back, and so the game proceeds. The matches j are a little tedious .in consequence- of the

time lost in transmitting and receiving ®the wires. ' Play went'off without a hitch on Saturday, and about 18 moves were averaged at each board. At 10.45 p.m. received to seal {he next mdve, and the games were adjourned until next Saturday, after each table had been checked up by the umpires and the score cards, giving move for move and the positions of the pieces, impounded. The games, generally speaking, have not proceeded far enough to give a clear indication of the •ultim^teT^'csults.