DRAUGHTS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 59

DRAUGHTS

(Communications to this column will be welcomed. All correspondence to he addressed, Draughts Editor, "New Zealand Mail.”) (Those forwarding games would oblige by placing record of play in four columns. Solutions of problems are invited.) SOLUTION TO PROBLEM No. 179. (By W. J. Wray.) Position:—Blaok men on 1. 3,7, 11, 13, 17. White men on 9, 12, 18, 22, 23, 24, 32. White to play and draw.

(a) If 11—16, 19...15, 16—20, 24...19, 26- 31, 9...6, I—lo,1 —10, 15...6, etc., drawn. PROBLEM No. 180. (By C. Taylor Fulham.) Black.

White.

Position: —Black men on 2,3, 4,8, 14, 19, 25; Kings, 28, 29. White men on 10, 12, 15, 16, 23, 23, 24,'26; King, 5. White to play and win. PLAY IN AMERICA. ’ The "Chicago Inter-Ocean” states JJiat a little match of ten games was recently played at Joliet, in Illinois, between Mr P. H. Burns and Mr John T. Denvir. Mr Denvir was the winner by the score of 8 wins, 1 draw, to 1 win. 1 draw. Two of Mr Denvir’s wins are. appended : (“The Single Corner.”)

And Mr Denvir won. (“The Single Corner.”) Black—Mr Denvir. White—Mr Burns.

And Mr Denvir won. The following was one of the games won by Mr A. J. Heffner (of Boston) in his recent match with Mr H. B. Reynolds (of Syracaise, New York). The score is from the "Aberdeen Weekly Press”:— (“The Kelso.”) Black—Mr Heffner. White—Mr Reynolds.

And Mr Heffner won. (a) A masterly move. (b) If 26...23, Black wins at once by 15—19. THE "HERD LADDIE” AND HIS “SILLER.” Many stories have been (old of the "Herd Laddie,” and the following, which illustrates his ‘‘carefu’ ” disposition,' i 3 worth recording. During Wyllie’s stay in Dunedin, New Zealand, in 1888, he was accommodated with hoard and residence in one of the leading hotels in that city free of charge. A notable Scotsman likle him was sure to be a big draw in the “Edinburgh, of the South,” and a profitable guest to any hotelkeeper. And he drew like a mustard plaster. Still there were intervals in the afternoon when playing was slack, and the "Herd Laddie” would ofttimeß pass the time yarning, in his quaint way, with the young lady in the bar at the corner of the large room in which he played. She didn’t happen to be of Scots descent, and probably did not appreciate his fatherly advice; but he was deaf, and remonstrance with a deaf man is useless. One afternoon when wyllie was so engaged a well-known Dunedin checker player came into the room, and, as the "Herd Laddie” spoke very loudly, had to listen to his lecturette. Let us tell it in his own words: "Wyllie was telling the barmaid that folks should be awfu’ carefu’ o’ their siller. They didna’ ken what micht happen and how soon the rainy day would come round. After enumerating his principles generally he wound up by solemnly remarking, 1 m pretty carefu’, Miss, but I wisna aye carefu . • " ‘One time I was travelling in America, and stopped at a hotel at mchL I put m v siller in a pouch, and I put tne. pou m under my pillow.. Well. Miss 1 bad to catch an early tram, and catch iit 1 di .. and travelled past twa stations before I discovered I had. forgotten my pnuen “‘Of course, Miss, I got out ol (lit. tram and walked back, and fortunately lor me. the hotel folks were honest, and. noholv

had been in the room, and I- got back my siller. But, Miss,’ and here the old man spoke quite seriously and impressively, it made me awfu’ carefu’ since. Nowadays when I’m travelling I always put my money in a pouch, and I put the pouch in my trousers pocket, and then put my trousers under the pillow. I think I’m no’ likely to go awa’ in the morning and forget my trousers.” —"Melbourne Times.” NOTES. Mr Richard Atwell, who lost the March match for the Championship of London, was Mr Alfred Jordan’s challenger for the April match. A correspondent of the "Liverpool Weekly Mercury” regards play between these opponents as a kind of perpetual motion. At a meeting of the executive of the Yorkshire Draughts Association at Leeds on Saturday, May 7th, Mr W. Gardner said that he was willing to give up his claim to the championship of Yorkshire; and it was decided to hold a County Championship Tourney in the month of October. The "Pittsburg Despatch” gives a long description o f a board and set of men which, at the "Old Headquarters” of the city, have been in almost daily use for over 40 years. It was on this board and with these men that the two Beed-Priesr matches of 1876 for the championship of America were contested; that in 1876 Martins won an exhibition match from Reed; that in 1822 Wyllie won two exhibition matches from Reed; that in 1887 Barker defeated Reed in a match for the championship of America; tliat in 1892 Reed won an exhibition match from Schaefer; and that in 1893 Reed won an exhibition match fi’om Freeman. The old board and the old men have been used for all the City versus Country team matches of the last fifteen years; for all the .tri-state tourney heats of the last four years, and for some of the contests for the “Despatch” championship medal. They have also been used by "quite a small army” of prominent players in contesting countless thousands” of games. Probably there are not in existence elsewhere a board and a set of men that have a record so long and so notable.

23 19 7 10 4 8 31 26 17 26 28 24 18 23 6 2 32 28 31 27 8 11 26 23 (a)26 31 24 19 23 26 11 7 9 6 27 24 19 16 3 10 1 10 18 17 24 20 2 6 19 15 10 14 15 10 20 11 10 19 8 4 26 31 6 8 24 8 14 18 10 6 Drawn.

Black—Mr Denvir. White--Mr Burns. 11 15 24 15 22 18 3 10 22 18 16 20 3 7 6 31 15 22 ' 25 22 31 27 27 24 25 m 8 12 5 9 20 27 12 16 23 19 23 24 30 25 29 25 4 8 12 16 9 14 9 13 27 23 19 3 25 22 18 15 10 19 7 10 10 23 1 5

11 15 32 28 28 19 18 11 22 18 4 8 1 5 27 25 15 22 18 15 22 18 3 7 25 18 7 10 20 24 ■ 2 6 12 16 19*16 25 22 11 8 v 29 25 12 19 24 27 13 17 9 13 23 16 19 15 8 3 24 19 10 19 27 32 25 22 8 12 24 15 15 11 26 23 28 24 8 11 32 27 22 26 5 9 15 8 11 8 23 19 26 22 3 19 6 10 17 22 16 20 27 23 8 3 30 23 31 26 19 24 10 15 14 17 10 14

10 15 31 26 19 16 24 19 23 19 11 15 12 19 15 24 15 18 28 24 23 16 28 19 22 15 6 9 14 17(a) 25 30 11 18 13 6 21 14 22 18 21 17 2 9 10 17 5 9 8 11 25 21 25 22 16 12 17 13 9 13 18 25 7 10 9 14 30 25 29 22 26 22 26 23 4 8 17 21 10 14 6 10 32 28 27 23(b) 19 16 24 20 1 6 8 11 21 25 30 26