CHESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 140, 15 June 1936, Page 3

CHESS

N.Z. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

CANTERBURY AND WELLING" TON LEADING The twenty-aside telegraphic match' between the Auckland and Wellington Chess Clubs was concluded on Saturday evening, when satisfactory progress was made, the services of the officials mentioned in last week's report being of great assistance. When Slay ceased at 11 p.m. nine games had een completed, giving Wellington Club a useful lead of three points, as follows:— Bd. Wellington. Auckland. ~ 1. Gyles, A. W. .« % Jones, D. I. . ..m % I 3. Severne, E. H. % Bacyertz, JL E.' . 4. Anderson, G. P. % Addis, H. 8. .. % 9. Hardy, J. L. . 1 Short, Dr. T. G. 0 10. Godtschalk, H. M Gallaber, D. G. . 14 12. McCrea, J. C. . % Hughes, W. H. .. % 18. Jessup, A. E. . 1 Langabeer, C. A. 0 14. Vincent, F. ..1 Sbort, Mrs. E. . 0 20.'Taylor, C. J. „ % James, P. E. .. 'A Totals 6 3

At Board 1 Gyles, the New Zealand champion, accepted the draw offered at move 32 by D. I. Jones, the Auckland champion, who recognised that his extra pawn would not yield a win witli queens on the board. Draws were also agreed to at boards 3, 4, 10, 12, and 20, even positions having been reached in each of these games. An enterprising sacrifice at board 9 gave Hardy (Wei-

lington) force majeure, and a strong attack that carried, all before it, bis opponent resigning a hopeless game at move 31. At board 14 Vincent (Wellington) gained two pawns, and thus had bishop and 6 pawns against , a knight and 4 pawns in the end game. His opponent resigned at move 35 when the end was only a matter of time. At board 18 A. E. Jessup. enhanced bis fine record in telegraphic matches by successfully following up the advantage gained on the first evening. . He reached the end-game a bishop to the good, and obtained his opponent's resignation at move 40. Negotiations regarding the eleven unfinished games are to be opened during the present week. Any positions on which the captains cannot reach agreement -will require to be submitted to the Christchurch members of the New Zealand Adjudication Board for decision. The washing-up of these unfinished games is not likely to decrease the lead at pre* sent held by the Wellington Club. OTAGO v. CANTERBURY. A telephone message was received yesterday from Christchurch by a Wellington enthusiast stating that when play ceased in the South Island fixture on Saturday evening the score was: Canterbury Chess Club 6, Otago Chess Club 4, with ten games reserved for negotiation between the two captains. The accompanying forecast indicated that a win for the Canterbury Club by a small margin might be looked for. The -Canterbury and Wellington Clubs thus have a good chance of taking part in the inter-island final for the Bledisloe Cup, which is at present held by the Canterbury Club. A CHESS JUBILEE.

The Wellington Chess Club has just completed its sixtieth year, but so far nothing has been done in regard to celebrating the diamond jubilee. The club's golden jubilee was celebrated ten years ago. The main attraction of a very enjoyable evening was a handicap lightning tourney, in which _52 competitors took part, prizes being awarded to the highest scorers in grades A, B, and C. The club . was formed on June 16, 1876, at a dinner held in the old Panama Hotel to celebrate an exciting 50-game match in which "the town" defeated the Civil Service by one game (25J-241). During the club's existence it has had eleven presidents and sixteen different habitations. The ten ex-presidents have all crossed the Great Divide, and so have all the pioneer executive officers of 1876—Messrs. George Hunter, M.H.R. (president), C. W. Benbow (vice-presi-dent), W. T. Thane (hon. secretary), and W. Whittem (hon. treasurer). The club has had both lean and prosperous years, but members, especially those of the older brigade, can look back on the past seasons with much pleasure. The club won the club championship of the Dominion on eight occasions and has furnished the champion in 20 of New Zealand's 45 congresses.