CHESS

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 115, 11 November 1935, Page 3

CHESS

WELLINGTON CLUB

The annual tourney to decide the championship pi the Wellington Chess Club has been won by Mr. X.' J. Dyer, with the score of 9 wins, 5 draws, and 1 to play (against A. E. Jessup). He can afford to lose this game, as he has already scored 11£ points, which no other competitor can equal. By this success he has demonstrated that his last year's record advance from rung 14 to rung 2 on the club's ladder was no fluke. His knowledge of German has enabled him to study, with profit, chess books in that language, including Dr. S. Tartakower's "Die Hypermoderne Schach-P»rtie." The second place is taken by Mr. A. W. Gyles (11-4), last year's winner. The third rung on the club's ladder has been won by Mr. A. T. Craven (10i-4£). Messrs. White, Kelling, R. C. Sim, Jessup, and Fairburn also scored well, and the fine late run made, by1 Mr. J. K. L. Webling, a new member, has given the impression that he will'take a higher place in next year's tourney. Messrs. T. Fouhy and H. Godtschalk retired from the contest owing to indteposition. THE CHAMPIONSHIP KOLL. From the year 1876, when the present Wellington Chess Club was founded, until 1909, the club's championship was accounted for by only five players —C. W. Benbqw (who was a very prominent figure in New Zealand chess for many years after his arrival, from Birmingham in 1875), A. I. Littlejohn, R. J. Barnes, W. E. Mason, and A. W. O. Davies. Of this illustrious group, Mr. W. E. Mason, six times champion of New Zealand, is the only survivor; Mr. Benbow died on March 9, 1908, aged 66; Mr. Littlejohn died on May 25, 1910, aged 49; Mr. R. J. Barnes, five times champion of New Zealand, died on January 7, 1929, aged 68; and Mr. A. W. O. Davies, four.times-champion of the Dominion, died in Auckland on January 16, 1928, aged 52. The club did not hold a championship tourney for nine years, but revived the competition in 1918. Since then the club title has been won five times' by: A. W. Gyles, three times by R. J. Barnes, twice each by W. E. Mason, E. A. Hicks, and F. K. Kelling, and ojice each by Messrs. A. W. O. Davies, W. Mackay, G. P. Anderson, and E. J. Dyer. Mr. W. Mackay, the champion of a dozen years ago, was an ex-champion of New Zealand. He had been the club's president for 15 years when he passed away on April 9, 1933, in his 70th year. Mr. Edwin Agnew Hicks, whose name appears twice on the above championship roll, died on March 25, 1934, in his 50th year. OBITUARY. Mr. F. H. Bakewe.ll, the retired school inspector who died on November 3 at Paekakariki in his 77th year, was formerly one of the Dominion's strongest chess players. When, the second Masterton Chess Club was formed in April, 1888, the late Mr. Bakewell was the pioneer hon. secretary, and in, the same season he won the first prize in what is thought to be the first chess tourney held in the Wairarapa. This trophy—a handsome Staunton set of chessmen—is now in the possession of his son, Dr. R. A. Bakewell, of Petone* On his removal to this city, the late Mr. Bakewell/was a tower of strength to the Wellington Chess Club: His only bid for the New Zealand title was made at the first congress held in Auckland (1891-92), when he gained third prize, coming next to F. V. Siedeberg (Dunedin) and his club-mate, A. I. Littlejohn (Wellington). His score on that occasion was 4 wins, 3 draws, and only one loss (to H. Hookham, the Dominion's first champion). He finished up ahead of two New Zealand champions (R. J. Barnes and H. Hookham) and two Auckland chammons (J. B. Malcolm and A. Jowitt). "?he early retirement of this gifted player was undoubtedly a great loss to New Zealand chess. The Wellington Chess Club was represented at the funeral service in St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral by the president, Mr. F. K. Kelling. who was one of the deceased's fellow-members in the early nineties. A NEW CHESS MAGAZINE. A copy of the first number of "Chess," a new magazine devoted to the game and published on the fourteenth of each month at Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England, has just been received. It contains 42 pages, and its pages are somewhat larger than those of its rival magazines. It contains interesting information regarding chess doings in various countries, and gives several master-games, fully annotated, in addition to a number of instructive end-games. The contributors include two well-known European chess masters, viz., A. A. Alekhine (the world champion) and G. Koltanowski. The problem pages are under the- expert guidance of Mr. C. S. Kipping, a wellknown composer. Future numbers are to deal with the games of the current match for the world's title between. A. A. Alekhine and Dr. Max Euwe (pronounced "Erva"), and the introduction of "Students' Pages" is also contemplated. The paper is beautifully printed, and the diagrams are very clear. Mr. B. H. Wood,, who is the editor and manager, is out to improve on the high standard of the first number of this excellent production, which may be expected to receive a gratifying measure of support from English-speaking chess circles. .