DRAUGHTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11241, 9 December 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

DRAUGHTS.

SOLUTION OF PROBLEM No. 1030. Position:—White kingjm 2, men on 20, 28, 30; Black king on 29, men on 8, 11, a. 28—24 15-18 21-25 25— 30—23 8-15 11—15 a 30-56 7-10 20-16. 16-11 10--° 2_ 7 And White wins. (a) If 29-25, then 24-19, and White wins. ( b) If 8-12, or 8-11, White wins by 10-14.

PROBLEM No. 1032. (By M. Wolcott. Prom the North American Checker Board.) WHITE.

BLACK. Black to play and draw.

BLINDFOLD PLAY. The following games were recently contested in the North of England, where Mr. Willie Gardner, champion of England, and the champion blindfold player of the world, engaged simultaneously in 12 blindfold games: — Game 343.-" Denny."-Second Board. Black. Mr. W. Gardner. 10-14 22-17 5-14 20-16 27-24 22-18 9-13 29-25 7-10 19—23 11-15 30-25 11-15 22-17 24-19 18-11 13-22 25-22 10-14 26-31 8-15 25- 9 15-24 17-13 19-15 24-19 5-14 27-20 14—18 31—27 15-24 25-22 10-15 13- 9 15-10 28-19 8-11 31-27 18-22 23—26 4- 8 22-18 15-19- 32-28 10- 6 25-22 1- 5 £3—16 22-26 27-23 6-10 18- 9 12-19 And Black wins. Game 344.—" Kelso."—' Board. Black, Mr. W. Gardner. 10-15 11-16 32-28 3-17 26-17 22-18 28—24 6-10 5-11 25-30 15—22 4- 8 25-21 8-15 11- 7 25-18 21-17 10-17 18-11 2-11 11-16 9-11 21-14 17-21 19-16 24-19 7-14 7-11 24-19 12-19 8-11 6- 9 19-15 21-25 27-24 29-25 30-25 16-19 22-17 20-27 16-20 1- 6 23- 7 13—22 31- 8 25-22 Drawn. Game 345. — " Double Corner." — Eleventh Board. White, Mr. Gardner. 9-14 27—18 7-16 18-14 14-17 22-18 8-12 29-25 7-10 21-14 5-- 9 22-17 2- 7 14- 7 6-9 25-22 12-19 25-22 3-10 13- 6 12-16 17-14 4- 8 31-27 1-17 24-20 10-17 22-17 11-16 5-1 16-19 21- 5 16-20 30-25 17-21 23-16 11-16 17-13 10—14 1- 6 14-23 20-11 8-11 20 -21 White wins.

The death is recorded of Mr. J. lees, the noted analyst, and games editor of the Draughts World, after an illness of several months. lie was 38 years of age, and had devoted the greater part of his short life to the &tndy of the game of draughts. His " Guide" to the pastime is a most popular work. He was, says the Glasgaw Herald, thoroughly posted up 011 all the games, and had amassed an astonishing amount of play, the most of which would no doubt have seen the light within the next few years had he lived. For the last four or five years ho acted as the games editor of the Draughts World and the Draughts Quarterly, a couple of admirable publications. His work for these periodicals was characterised by great accuracy and conscientiousness. Notwithstanding his indifferent health, lie fulfilled his duties almost up to the day of his death. Mr. Lees was a highly intelligent man, and well read in general literature. His death is a great loss to the world of draughts. It will interest draught-players to know that their favourite game is extremely popular with Barnum's employees, and especially so with the group of individuals who are too tall or too short or too stout or too thin to risk attracting attention by mingling with the busy everyday world. Retirement suits these abnormals and most of them have devoted their leisure to draughts. In viow of this tile draughts editor spent an afternoon ill a come one eomo all contest with the gentlemen who aro only visible to the public on the central stage of the menagerie tent. The grille deemed it wise to begin with the weaker players, and so work his way tin to Mr. Stone, the lightning calculator, whose mathematical mind makes him a strong opponent. Ho lie tackled Coffey, the skeleton dude: Hasan Ali. the Egyptian giant; Lalloo, tile Indian; Morris, the elastic skinned man; and others. Stone, tile lightning calculator, followed. He is the champion of the show. Three games were contested, one win each and a draw being the result. The abnormals play a normal game. Although they have not studied the books on the pastime, they have a good idea of building up a position. Whero they lost themselves was in the endings. A little more attention to this point would make them good players.—Glasgow Herald.