CHESS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIX, Issue 13016, 5 January 1903, Page 3

CHESS.

o THE CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT. [Peu Pkess Association.] DUNEDIN, Jan. 3. The Chess Championship Tournament concluded to-day. The final round resulted:— Balk v. Miles—This was the first and only Evans Gambit of the tourney. Miles replied with compromised defence. Balk obtained a. strong attack, and forced a win on the forty-first move. Forsyth v. Mason —Mason declined King's Gambit, and played the Falkener Counter Gambit. Forsyth made a weak fourteenth move, and his opponent, developing an overwhelming attack, Forsyth resigned on the twenty-sixth move, arid made the championship a certainty for Grierson. Grierson v. Kelling—Grierson opened with Ruy Lopez. After the eighteenth move Kelling] initiated an attack on his opponent's Queen, and after am exchange of the majority of pieces, Grierson's position was hopeless, and he resigned on the fiftieth move.

Barnes v. 'Warsaw—After some play, Warsaw suggested a draw, bub Barnes thought it good practice to play out, and had to resign on the sixtieth move. Edwards v. Cashen—The latter played the French, Defence, and scored a somewhat lucky win after sixty-eight moves. The following are the scores:; —Grierson 6£ wiu*\ 2£ losses; Forsyth 6 win's, 3 losses ; Balk 6 win, 3 losses ; Mason 6 wins, 3 losses ; Kelling 6 wins, 3 losses; Barnes four wins. 5 losses; Cashen 3j wins,. 5j losses; Miles 3 wins, 6 losses; War-saw 2£ wins, 6i losses;, Edwards 1£ wins, losses. Balk, Forsyth, Kelling and Mason tied for second place. Mr Justice Denniston's donation was made a fifth prize, and they, accordingly, divide £2l Is equally. THE WINNER. [From Our Correspondent.} DUNEDIN, Jan. 3. Mr Grierson, this year's chess champion, first played at an Association Congress six years ago, at Christchurch, when he won only one game out of ten, though he several times held good positions in the games, and then made mistakes. The following year, at Auckland, he came out with a score of 2£, a,nd last year, also at- Auckland, he made the same score. This is his fourth try for the championship, and the first time he has secured a place. Mr Grierson was taught chess when a boy of fourteen, by his father, and played occasionally before coming to New Zealand, when twenty years of age. He hails from Cheshire, in the neighbourhood of Manchester. After coming to the colony, he went, farming in the Waikato, and for thirteen years hardly played a game. He then moved to Auckland, and in a year or two joined the Ponsonby Club, going in then for reading up the book. Prior to this he had not studied the book. In 1895 he won the championship of the Ponsonby Club. The came year, he also won the championship initiated for Auckland and district, winning 15| games out of 19. The following year he captured the Auckland Club championship, and in 1897 was fourth in the. same tourney. In 1898 ho came out second at the Auckland meeting, and won in 1899, 1900, 1901, and 1902, in one of these years winning games out of 20. This excellent club record, to which several handicaps could be added, is now topped by a deserved win in the colony's championship.