CHESS TOURNAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17361, 7 January 1920, Page 8

CHESS TOURNAMENT.

MASON WINS CHAMPIONSHIP.

PLAY IN THE LAST ROUND.

COMPETITORS' POSITIONS. 1 [by TELEGRAPH.-—press ASSOCIATION.] I ' 'WELLINGTON.. Tuesday. The chess championship tournament ' was concluded this afternoon. In the thirteenth round W. E. Mason beat Ewen and won the championship. , The position of competitors at the conclusion of the tourney was as follows Points. 1 W. E. Mmou fch.) .. .. . • 12 Severn© .. .. *1 Barnes lo Kellras . ■ .. • • .. 10 Hicks ' • 9 Dodos §1 Anderson. .. <?} gouhy 61 FUuiknor & &.U:: :: :: :: :: {I W :: :: :: :: :: ft Lindsay . • 1 The first six competitors are prizewinners. i ihe results of the thirteenth round were as follow-.—Mason beat Ewon, Anderson beat Smith, Hicks beat Wild, Lindsayj beat Connell, Fouhy drew with Dodds, Severne beat Faulkner, Barnes drew with Kelling. Details of the best games are as fol. lows—

Fouhy v. Dodds: Fouhy seemed toj get the best of the opening, and won a pawn. He seamed unable to make use of his position, and the attack passed to Dodds. With the exchange down Fouhy looked for a hard end game, but Dodds gave up a rook for a knight, and with three passed pawns against a rook .orced a draw. Faulkner v. Severne: The former opened with the Ruy Lopez. Both players kept the positions free and played to the middle game with even pieces. Severne i won a pawn and gradually wan the position and captured a bishop and won the exchange, when Faulkner resigned. Barnes v. Kelling: The Danish Gambit was played by Barnes, who worked Kelling into a cramped position. In the exchanges, however, Kelling was enabled to even matters up, and the end game, rook and two pawns each, ended in a draw. The game between Lindsay and Fo»hy, I left over from roundel 1, was played. j This was an irregular opening, a very free' game resulting, kings being castled on J opposite sides. Touhy pushed forward, kin? side pawns, broke through, and at- I tacked with rooks and queen. He won! two pawns, but gave up tho exchange.

[ But his preponderance of pawns in the j i end gave him a victory. I MASON'S FUSE RECORD. ! LONG LIST OF SUCCESSES. J [BK TELECfiAPIL—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] 1 WELLINGTON. Tuesday. ' | The winner of the chess championship, W. E. Mason, belongs to Wellington, and j

has resided here all Ills life. For many ; l years be lias been employed as confidential " {clerk to Mr. C. P. Skerrett, K.C. A 'J popular member of the Wellington Chess '! Club, he has for a quarter of a century ' i taken a prominent place as a player. He '* 1 has a uniauc record, including a series of ! years as the club champion, and now, for I the sixth time, he has Grained the chess ? ! championship of New Zealand. This fine record is approached only by his clubmate, R. J. Barnes, who won the New '' Zealand championship five times, and who > , for a loner time was Mason's only serious _ j rival for the local honours. e i Mason's play is forceful, sound, and at ' times brilliant. His combinations, alwurg | well conceived, arc generally invulnerable. His record in the present tournev is a verv fine oriv., namely, 11 wins and two draws out of the 13 carries piaved, This almost equals his remarkable achievement in 190-1, when he scored 14 wins and one loss out of 15 (Tames. He builds up strategic positions of a depth that is not easv to discover until thev are used for attack. Mason first won the New Zealand championship in 1900, when he was 26 years i of age.