CHESS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 10, 12 July 1909, Page 3

CHESS.

WELLINGTON NOETH AND CENTRAL v. THE REMAINING ELECTORATES. "fliere was a good attendance at the rooms of the Wellington Chess Club on Saturday evening, when twenty-eight players took part in the above return match. The North and Central, who lost the previous match in May last, turned the tables on their opponents this time, winning by 8£ games to s£. From the subjoined table of results it will be seen that the teams were evenly matched, as far as the first half-dozen boards were concerned, but the "Northerners" had a strong tail, scoring a. possible at the last six boards'. New Zealand Congress players were scattered over the fir^t five boards. At board 1, Air. R. J. Barnes, captain of the oouthernerf.," and rhampion of the Wellington Chess Club, was pitted against the club's ex-champion, Mr. W. E. Mason, who skippered the "Northerners." Mason acquired the better game, and essayed to land a win quickly with a bold stroke, placing the queen en prise to a rook, which dared not capture her. This manoeuvre, however, proved to be a ca-se of playing with edged tools, as, by first giving up his own queen and bishop for a rook, Barnes was enabled to safely make the capture and emerge xrom the transaction the exchange up, with which advantage he scored the e;ame a few moves hated. At- board 2, Mr. Kelling won the exchange, but a subsequent miscalculation cost him a knight for a pawn This levelled the forces for the end game, Mr. Still having knight, bishop, and four pawns against rook and five pawii3 The two minor pieces failed to stop an onslaught of pawn* on tho queen's wing, and Still resigned shortly after 11 p.m., this being the longest game of the evening. At board 3, Mr. John Mason, who shares with Mr O Davies the honour of being Wellington's most consistent prize-winner at the annual New Zealand Championship Congress, was opposed by Mr. E. Hicks, the Newtown champion, who is to make his first 'Congress" appearance at Auek land next Christmas. Mason appeared to be winning "under easy steam," as he reached the- end game with four pawns to the good. Realising clearly that his game had reached the desperate stage, Hicks, who only had rook, bishop, and one pawn, cast round like a drowning man in search of a straw, and built up a, very pretty and instructive mating net. Seeing that a mate in two was unavoidable, Mason resigned. This classic nni&h is singularly instructive, as indicating how advantage in position may outweigh force majeure when the maximum can be got out of the lesser force. At board 4 Mr. W. F. Barraud early won a piece for a pawn, and thenceforward put in some powerful moves, giving his opponent no chance, and makiii" it evident that, although he has not vis"? ited the club very often this year, he is m great form for the coming match against the Otago C.C. At board 5, iur. Dryden, who in his cricketing days was a well-known Wellington ''rep " was opposed by Mr. Elliott Ruthe'r- | lord, of Victoria College. The latter, who proved himself an exceedingly able player at the last Wellington Congress, and from' a chess point o! view has his best years ahead of him, carried too many guns for his opponent, though the game was full of interest. Mr. Ellis, a prominent Dunedin player, who is here on a short visit, arrived too late to be included in the pairin&, bu !; was an interested spectator. Ino full scores of the match are as follow :—: — Wellington North Wellington East and Central. South and Suburbs W.E. Mason . 0 Barnes 1 J. Mason 0 Hicks . ... i Vto m B ? rn * ud 1 ". W. Collins 0 E. Rutherford 1 C. Dryden . 0 £.G.l« ell .. i Wei ton V Columb 0 Fouhy .. " I Janion . ... 0 Weino . " J Gyles, senr. ... l Petherick " 0 |:fo» .. :.: I SV Ward I- •' Tonks 1 Cooke ... 0 Ardea II 11I 1 T. W. Ward " 0 Bourne l_ Laughton '..[ 0 Total " ». fi OTAGO C.C. v. WELLINGTON C.C. The difficulty of securing a wire for the above telegraphic match has been overcome, and these two clubs will, therefore shortly be piled against each other As thirteen years have elapsed since the last Otago v. Wellington match, was played, the impending fixture is naturally creating a very considerable amount of interest in local chess circles. It is understood that the match will occupy three Saturday evenings.