DRAUGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8812, 27 February 1892, Page 4 (Supplement)

DRAUGHTS.

SOLUTION PROBLEM No. 623. 24-10 3- 8 12—16 27-23 30-25 13- 9 21—30 2-11 32—28 19-20 31—20 5—14 10—15 6—22 10-1!) 22—31 25—21 20—22 11 — And White wins. PROBLEM No. 625. (By A. MacLaren, in the Aberdeen Weekly Free v Press.) Black.

Black to play and draw. GAMES BY CORRESPONDENCE. The two games below, played by correspondence between Messrs. C. Gunthorp, of Auckland, and L. Shaw, of Dunedin, were commenced on September 9, 1889, and continued for about four months, when Mr. Shaw having other calls upon his time, was unable to continue playing, and they were left in an unfinished state : — " Whii.ter." Shaw's move. 11-15 22—17 3— 7 30—26 11—18 7— 3 ,a 11—10 25-22 15-18 23- 7 9-13 7—ll 20—23 7—ll 22—15 10—30 17—11 Block to move. " WHILTER." Gunthorp's move. . 11-15 22—17 26—23 25—22 31—26 29—25 23—19 11-16 8-11 16-2° 11-10 9—14 7—ll White to more. Criticism is invited as to the best lines of play to be adopted in finishing above games. "SWITCnER." Played between Messrs. D. A. Brodie, of Dunedin, and C. Gunthorp, Auckland. Commenced January J, 1890, and finished on January 25,1892.

Bro'tie'a more. 11—15 24—20 7—21 6— 9 25—22 17—22 21—17 2— 6 23- 19—15 26—23 10—15 9—13 29—25 22—25 25-29 22—26 22—25 25—21 18—22 27—23 15—10 23—18 s—l B—ll 25—18 25—29 29—25 26—22 2529 17—14 10—15 23—19 23—19 19—15 1— 6 10—17 28—24 29—25 9—13 4— 8 29—25 21—14 15—22 31—26 18—15 15—10 15- 18 6—lo 24—10 25—29 18—17 22—15 B—ll 22—17 5— 9 32—27 10— 6 6— 1 6-10 13—22 14— 5 29—25 I—lo 15— 6 12—16 26—17 11—15 27—23 15— 6 I—lo 10-15 16—18 19-10 Drawn. BLINDFOLD PLAYING. It is a common hallucination that the principal requisite for a blindfold player is a good memory. This is not the case; and even a knowledge of the numbers is not absolutely necessary. The all-important matter is a strong imaginative power which can picture a board and men clearly before the mind's eves. The pieces the one minute may be very distinctly seen, and tho next moment they will have disappeared from view. I remember once while playing the black side I completely reversed the colour of my men, and no amount of trying could make me get rid of the impression that I had the Whit side. I was, therefore, looking at, and actually moved, 3227, while I called out its corelative I—6.—D. G. McKclvie. checkersln~tennessee. [TOLD BY A MISSISSIPPI BOATMAN.] The Glasgow Weekly Herald says '" By the kind permission of the author, we are enabled to give the following graphic verses from the third edition of ' Hill s Synopsis'a handbook that has deservedly won the first place as a text book alike for the student and advanced player." Checker*, Pnrds 1 Well, since you axes me, The queerest match that I ever see Was played in tho State of 'l onneasse, In the town of Mairfare. It was tit in Sudlow Parkis' store, An' me an' a half a dozen more Kin take our oaths about the score ; An' everything was squar'. Old Deacon Flee, we all allowed, Could beat the best man of our crowd J All Tipton county, lie alius vowed, We boys caved into him ; For lie shoved his men so mighty slick, An' was up to every trap an' trick, A regular old dogmatic brick, Chock full of spunk and vim. 'Twas one of them pesky winter days, Half snow, half rain, an' a frosty haze Uad laid the dust; we enjoyed the blaze, An' all sot round the store. Tho deacon was flaying Bronco .Tim, When in flouts a stranger, tall an' slun, Took a soap box, an' sot down by them ; A meekish-looking cove. Ho began at first by nudging me ; Remarked 'twas good playing, " but," said he, " Old cove should a' had five kings to three ; I guess his eyesight's lame." Now, this riled the old deacon so, He jest kinder let his dander grow, " I reckon," said he, " you think yon know Some pints about this game." He was a mild-looking man, he saw, So lie jest kep' up his nagging jaw, 1111 he pricked the stranger in the raw; Then he slung in his say. Said he, as mild as a mushroom stew, " No, 1 don't think I kin quite beat you, But meblie kin show you suthin' new, Jf it's/or kings you'll play." " You're the worst galoot I evor met," Laughed the deacon ; "I'm here to bet I will get more kings than you kin get, In fifteen games or ten 1" " Wall ! I ain't got nare a banker's pile," Said the stranger, with his meekish smile; " We'll try a dollar a king awhile An' so they sot the men. Ten games 'twas agreed should be the score; Fust, the stranger got six kings to four, The deacon vowed he'd get 110 more, An' won that game by jings ! When four were played, with a draw to two, The deacon remarked, " I'm beating you," The stranger meekly 'lowed it was true; But kep' on getting kings. Wall, the way that cove piled up the score Of kings— chalked on the cellar door— We reckoned he'd played that vie before, An' lost games didn't mind ; For after the hull ten games were done His kings tallied up jest fifty-one. While the deacon's only twenty shown, Jest thirty-one behind. Snorting, the deacon paid tip tho cash ; I reckon lie thought he'd been too brash. The stranger offered him 'nother dash, Jest for to get his hand in. But he shook his head, vamoosed the store, An' he wasn't seen for three months or moreHe felt so tarnation cheap an' sore ; He'd lost his front pew staiulin'. But this yar is what I've alius said, That cove had a Stonewall Jackson head, The deacon was neither fleeced nor bled, For everythin' was squar'. James Hill, Teddington, January, 1891.