CHESS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 4, 5 July 1926, Page 15

CHESS

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP OF NEW ZEALAND

The Auckland, Canterbury, Otago, and Wellington Chess Clubs recently commenced a series of matches by telegraph to decide the club championship of the Dominion. Play in the Otago v. Auckland fixture was concluded ou Monday evening, when only 10 of the 22 games were accounted for, time having been lost owing to the wires getting disconnected on three occasions. The two captains are now conducting negotiations with a view to getting as many games as possible disposed of by arbitration. If agreement can be reached on all the 12 incomplete games it will, of course, not be necessary to invoke the services of the New Zealand Adjudication Board. A win for Auckland br a small margin appears to be expected in the two centres mainly interested. CANTERBURY V. WELLINGTON. , The Canterbury v. Wellington fixture is scheduled to begin this (Monday) evening, at 6.30 p.m. The local club, which will on this occasion be minus the set-' vices of Messrs. A. W. Gyles and T. Fouhy, has won the toss, niid will thus have first move at the odd^numbered board. Mr. Johannes C. Andersen has consented to umpire at this ciid for the Canterbury Chess Club, of which he was formerly a prominent member. The two club secretaries, Messrs. W. Toomath (Wellington Chess Club) and W. H. Joyce (Canterbury Chess Club), have attended to the necessary preliminaries in their respective centres, and everything is thus in readiness foi? a pfonipt start. The local team -will be playing in. their club-room at 04, Courtenay place, to which a wire has been laid. bii. It is interesting to recall that the first of the nineteen matches between these clubs was played in 1878, and ended in a tie (6-6). In this pioneer match the Wellington club was represented by Messrs. C. W. Beubow, H. Ott, H. Willis, E. C. Hullett, W. R. E. Brown, W. F. Barraud, F. Horwoodj E. B. Beeves, Hon. John Ballance, G. Didsbury, W. J. Kirk, and W. H. Davies. The Hon. John Ballance, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand at the time of his lamented death in 1893, was one of those who scored his game for the club in its first telegraphic contest. He strolled into the room to watch the play, aud filled a gap at a moment's notice. Later, matches were played in 1883, 1884, 1887, 1892, 1894, and annually from 1913 onwards, the Wellington club having a majority of wins.