CHESS TOURNEY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 155, 29 December 1910, Page 4

CHESS TOURNEY.

FOURTH ROUND OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP W. E. MASON LEADING. fBY TELEGRAPH — PRESS ASSOCIATION.] TIMARU, 28th December. The New Zealand Chess Championship tourney was continued to-day, the third and fourth rounds of matches being finished. Details of the play :—: — Fourth Round. J. Mason v. Davies (-Two Knights Defence). — Davies appears to have dropped his penchant for risky sacrifices and his treatment of this defence led to one of the most interesting games played so far. His opponent avoided risks, but sacrificed a rook for the bishop and two pawns, which increased complications, and both being pushed for time checks and counter-checks were repeated to get level with the clocks, and a draw was agreed upon, though neither claimed it under the rules. W. E. Mason v. Barnes (Queen's Gambit declined). — Barnes's reply to this gambit was Albin's Counter, but Mason soon got on the track, and an interesting game developed. evenly, until Mason obtained a strategic position which at once broaght all his inert force into action, and Barnes's defence collapsed for want of the necessary combination. Mason's play throughout the tourney has been forceful and sound. Hicks v. Grierson (Sicilian Defence). — A carefully-played game emerged from the early stages with a pawn advantage to Hides, who maintained a steady, though not fierce, attack on the king's side. Grier son's, strategy was weakened by the defence adopted and he reached the final stage minus, 'two pawns, the remaining ones being' isolated with only the bishop to support. This advantage prevailed in Hicks's favour on the 63rd move. Mara v. Dunlop (Ruy Lopez). — Both players must have been studying the recent Lasker-Schlechter match, as, for a dozen moves or so, one of these games was followed identically. Mara was the first to depart from the precedent, and j lost a pawn in consequence, but regained it. The game then proceeded evenly, and ended in a draw. Beck v. Gyles (Scotch game). — Beck played more solidly, and successfully fenced an ugly-looking attack on the king's protecting pawns, emerging with a good game from the • encounter. To stall off the threatened, mate in mie he had only to make one palpable deiensiva move and gain one of two isolated pawns en prisa, instead he took one and mate . followed his error. Fox, a bye. • The adjourned Eecond -round game between Barnes and Davies was resumed at a late hour, and pursued to the nine-ty-fifth move, when Barnes resigned. The score at the conclusion of the fourth round is as follows :—: —

\ W. E. Mason Davies ■ Gyles Dunlop ... Mara Key. Fox J. Mason Hicks Barnes Bsck Grierson Won. 4 3* 5i 2 2 U U i 0 0 Lost 0 2 1* 2* 3 4 t. Unfinished. 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0