CHESS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1934, Page 15

CHESS

N.Z. ASSOCIATION

MEETING OF COUNCIL

A quarterly council meeting of the New Zealand Chess Association was held on Thursday evening. Mr. F. J. Brooker (Canterbury Chess Club) occupied the chair, and the following delegates were present: A. T. Craven (Auckland Chess Club), J. C. McCrea (Hamilton Chess Club and Otago Chess Club), A. E. Jessup (Wanganui Chess Club), W. Kemble Welch (Palmerston North Chess Club), G. P. Anderson (Gisborne Chess Club), W. Toomath (Napier Chess Club), F. K. KellI ing (Eotorua Chess Club, Dannevirke Chess and Draughts Club, and Southland Chess Club), E. E. Hicks (Ngaio Chess Club), A. W. Gyles (Wellington Chess Club), H. M. Rosenberg and K. Beyer (Wellington Working Men's. Club and Literary Institute), J. L. Hardy (Wellington South Chess Club), R. G. Didsbury (Nelson Chess Club), and F. Grady (Oamaru Chess Club). An apology was received from Mr. H. Douglas, who is making a good recovery from a trying ! illness. . . ' The correspondence submitted by the lion, secretary, Mr. J. C. McCrea, included an authority for Mr.'-Selling to represent Dannevirke, as Mr. K. A. Godtschalk was unable to be present. The Auckland Club notified that Mr. A. T. Craven had been appointed its delegate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Mr. iT. Fouhy. The list of North Island vicepresidents has been completed by the appointment of Mr. A. W. R. Saxby, of Rotorua. The nomination of this year's president is in the hands of the Canter- ! bury Chess Club. The newly-formed Timaru and Levin Chess Clubs wrote Stating that they would not be able to affiliate this year. A letter was read from Mr. A. 0. Gray, of Christchurch, thanking the association for supplying him with a list of New Zealand affiliated and known unaffiliated chess clubs, which information he desired as he wished to pro--1 mote the playing of chess by correspondence in the Dominion, having been appointed hon. secretary of the New Zealand unit of the British Chess Correspondence Association. VISIT OF WORLD CHAMPION. In reply to a question as to whether Dr. A. A. Alekhine, the world's chess champion, would be visiting New Zealand after playing in the Melbourne Centenary Congress at the end of the year, Mr. Kelling said that no reply had been received to the cable that was sent to Melbourne on June 27. According to a paragraph in the latest "Australasian Chess Review," the Australian Chess Federation was still waiting for a reply to a cable { that was sent to Dr. Alekhine about three

months ago asking him to clarify his somewhat vague offer regarding expenses. THE NEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE. j Mr. J. C. McCrea, on behalf of the ] Otago Chess Club, moved the motion given notice of at the annual meeting, to amend rule 2, chapter 3, to read aa follows:—"The New Zealand player who attains the highest place in the annual championship tournament shall be styled 'chess champion of New Zealand' until the close of the nest following tournament." This was carried by an overwhelming majority, only one club opposing it. It was decided that in order to be eligible for the championship title a competitor must be New Zealand born, or must have been in the Dominion for six calendar months prior to the opening day of the congress. Mr. Kelling suggested that a competitor wjth less than six months' residence should be regarded as eligible provided he is holding a position of a permanent nature, but this view was opposed by a majority of the delegates. THE BLEDISLOE CUP. In reply to an inquiry regarding this year's matches for the club championship of New Zealand Mr. Kelling explained that the inter-island final was between the Otago and Wellington Chess Clubs, the Canterbury and Auckland clubs having been eliminated in the opening round. Fifteen games of the Otago v. Wellington match had been disposed of, the score at present being Vh all. Five of. the. 20 games had still to-be accounted for.'Four were being adjudicated on in Auckland, and the remaining game was the subject of correspondence between the two clubs as regards the correct interpretation of rules 10 and 11 relating to matches, played by telegraph. During the informal discussion that followed it was pointed out that in the event of a deadlock between the two clubs concerned the matte? would have to be decided by the council under rule 16 (b). GENERAL BUSINESS. Mr.- R. G. Didsbury (hon. treasurer) reported having received Subscriptions from the Auckland, Eotorua, Gisborne, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington, South Wellington, Dannevirke,. Otago, and Canterbury Clubs, also donations from two vice-presidents, viz., F. K. Kelling (Wellington) and B. Trathin (Nelson). The death of Mr. S. S. Blackburne, a life member of the Canterbury Chess Club, was noted with regret. Mr. Blackburne. who died in Italy on. August 5, did good publicity work during the years that he was chess editor of "The Canterbury Entries for New Zealand's forty-fourth championship congress must reach the hon. secretary, Mr. J. C. McCrea. 15 Overtoun Terrace. Hataitai, Wellington, on or before December 1. The December council meeting is to be held as soon as possible after that date. A very successful meeting terminated with hearty votes of '. thanks to Mr. Brboker for presiding, and to Mr. Kelling for acting as hon. secretary during Mr. McCrea's two months' absence from the Dominion.