THE NEW ZEALAND CHESS CONGRESS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9323, 25 January 1896, Page 3

THE NEW ZEALAND CHESS CONGRESS.

The following game was played at the late Championship Meeting. Mr Pearce played such a vigorous and bold game that it is thought that he will have a good chance for the brilliancy prize : — Sicilian Defence. WHITE. BLACK. Mr G. Pearce Mr J. Edward* (Rangitikei) (Dunedin) IPK4 IPQB4 2KKtB3 2KtQB3 3 Ktß 3 3PK3 4 PQ4 4 PxP 5KtxP5 P Q R 3 6PQR3 6Q82 78K3 7KKtK2 8 B X 2 8 Xt Xt 3 9 Castles 9BQ3(a) 10 P X Xt 3 10 P Xt 4 11 Xt x Xt PI 11 P x Xt 12KtxP 12QKtsq 13 Xt x B, eh 13 X B sq 14 Xt x B 14 Q x Xt 15 Q Q 6, eh 15 X Xt sq 16 X X Q sq 16 Xt B sq 178Q2 17QEt2 18883 18PKR4 19Q84 19KtK2 20 Q Xt 5 20 Xt Xt 3 „ BxRP 21 QxKP 23BxKc 23PxB

i 23QK7 25RKR2 ' 24 RQ 4 24 Qx P (b) ! 25RKB4(c) 25 oB 4 j 26 Xx Q 26 Xt Px R ! 2? RQ sq 27 P lit 3 23 Q B 6 23 R It 2 29K04 29PQ< 30R1.R4 30R(QR2)KB2 31 White m»te3 in two moves 32 by 31 Q R 3, eh -BxQ 32 Ra: R. Maw.' Notes by Mr Pearce. i (a) Bad. Premature attacks are the worst forms ol j chefs. i (b) Overlooking the threatened mate. \ (c) Black thousrht R Xt 2 would prolong the game, j but the mate is still on. j Another game in the Championship I Congress :— Ruy Lopez. ■WHITE. TLACK. Mr R. J. Barnes. Mr H. S. Cocks. (Wellington.) (Wellington.) IPK4 1 r X 4 2 Xt X E 3 2 K-. X B 3 3 B Xt 5 3 P X Xt 3 4PQ4 4 P x P 5 Xt x P 5B Xt 5 6 B X 3 6 Xt X II 3 . 7 Xt Q B 5 7 Castles 8 Castles 8 Q X sq 9 R X sq 9l'Oj 10PKR3 10KVKR4 11 Q 2 11 PB 4 12 B B 4, eh 12 X X sq 13 P x P 13 P x P 14 Xt x Xt 14 P x Xt 15 BB4' 15 Kt3 16 li X 7 16 Xt x B 17 v x Xt 17 >: X 4 13 B 3 lrt oK 3 19 1; _ B P VJ » •.< 4 20 R :c B P 20 !i 21 B .-; P 21 i} O Xt 3 22 R X sq 22 Ii X sq 23 B x R 23 B ii 7, eh 24 X x B 24 X \ li 25KtQ5 25ux;;tP 26 Xt X 3 26 «,> X 4. oh 27 P Kt3 27 1: u> lit 8 23 tj B 6 23 X Xt sq 29 (JKBS 23 B X 3 30 B B 6 30 B x P 31 B O 7 31 lj Xc 2 32 y B 4 . 32 li X B 33 B x P 33 li X 3 34 P Xt 4 34 B x B 35 Xt x B 35 Brawn Time—Mr Barnes, lhr 57min ; llr Cocks, lhr 40min. FIREWORKS. A light game well worth playing over is given below. Mr E. Thorold played the white men against Mr J. Charleton with the black ones:— Danish Gambit. WHITK BLACK IPK4 IPK4 2PQ4 2PxP 3 PQB3 3 PxP 48Q84 4PxP 5 Q B x P SQK2 6 Xt Q B 3 6 Xt X B 3 7QQB2 7QQB4 8 B Q Xt 3 8 Xt Q B 3 9 Cast!e9 9 P Q Xt 4 10 Xt X B 3 10 P <} V. 4 11 P X 5 11 P q Xt 5 12 P x Xt 12 P x Xt 13 Q B x P 13 Xt q Xt 5 14 X R X sq, eh 14 B X 2 15 R x B eh 15 Q x R 16 P x P Resigns. THE CHAMPIONSHIP CONGRESS. The Woodville Examiner devotes threequarters of a column to the results of the late tourney. Of the first and second prize winners, and the Christchurch representatives it says :—The winner's play Avas of a sound sterling character, cautious where caution Avas necessary, but once an opening presented itself there was no hesitating. This Avas shown especially in his games j against Mouat and Sexton, who, in their impetuosity to attack, overshot the mark, and had the tables turned on them in the j most decisive manner. | Of the second prize winner, it was said he | owed his position to the great care and I steadiness he displayed right through. His win from the champion was mainly owing to his staying powers; that he could indulge in a bit of brilliancy when the opportunity offered was shown when he sacrificed a bishop for the attack in his game with Andersen, but his relapse into cautious play on the third move after the sacrifice turned what many thought should have been a victory into a draw. Hookham, with his seventy-one years, won the admiration of all for the pluck and steadiness displayed right through the tourney. If he errs at all, it is on the side of over-cautiousness. Gambits he always declined, and some of his opponents, knowing this, played accordingly. He is a most consistent player, and in every tourney he is to be found somewhere near the top. When he made the slip by which he lost a knight in the last game of the tourney, much regret was expressed, as a Avin would have placed him second, and a draw would have made him a tie with Pleasants. Andersen, one of the Christchurch representatives, who is only in h's seventeenth year, won the respect of all; the depth and soundness of his play was much admired, and he received a round of applause for the very fine fight he made against Hookham. The only men who did succeed in defeating him were Hookham, Mouat, and Sexton, and it says much for the future of New Zealand chess when the youth of the country show such ability.