CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Evening Star, Issue 20986, 28 December 1931, Page 1

CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

FIRST ROUND GAMES

[Per United Press Association.]

NAPIER, December 27. The forty-first New Zealand Chess Championship Congress was opened by the president of the New Zealand Chess Association (Mr John Mason',, on Saturday. Mr J. Vigor Brown, the mayor, Mr W. E. Barnard, M.P., and Mr M. g. Spence, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the visiting players. The results of the first round were as follow; C; J. S. Purdy (N.S.W.) _ beat J. A. Erskine (Southland). —This was a closely-contested game—Queen’s gambit declined. Purdy appeared to have a slight advantage at the adjournment, and secured a win by accurate play. W. J. Fairbnrn (Wellington) beat K. O’Halloran (Napier). Queen’s pawn game, Fairbnrn early obtained a material advantage. This was the first game finished. E. L. Smith (Napier) lost to G. Gunderson (Victoria). Sicilian defence. At the adjournment Gundcrsen had tho advantage of two pawns and a superior position. Smith resigned early in tho evening session. A. W. Gyles (Wellington) boat the Rev. T. Miller (Westport). Sicilian defence, E. 11. Soverno (Nelson) _ drew with E. S. Rutherford (Taranaki). French defence. A carefully played game in which a draw was agreed upon at the thirty-first move. It. 0. Scott (Wanganui) lost to H. N. Maddox (Auckland). Irregular opening. Scott, by an oversight, lost a knight on tho seventeenth move, and thenceforth ho had a hopeless game. F. K. Kelling (Wellington) versus Grierson (Auckland). Queen’s gambit declined. This was the only unfinished game. Each player is left with a rook and four pawns, one of Kelling’s being a passed pawn in tho centre of the board. Tho scores after the first round, with one game unfinished, are: Purdy 1 Rutherford ... i Gunderson ... 1 Erskino 0 Maddox. ... 1 Smith « Gyles 1 OM-falloran ... 0 Fairbnrn • ... 1 Scott 0 Scvcrne -t Miller 0 Grierson and Kelling unfinished.,