CHESS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8610, 22 December 1913, Page 2

CHESS

XEW ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIP On Friday a telegram was received from Auckland stating that the Rev. Wingfield (who is fin cx-presidcnt, or the Auckland Chess Club) wished ,to compete in tho chainpionsnip lour 111 s. which commences iu Auckland on Boxiu’rr Day. This entry, although coming to hand after the date on which entries closed, has been accepted. The, number of competitors will thus re-' main at fifteen, the Rev. Wingfield taking the place of Dunlop (Oaraaru). who has cancelled his entry owing to sickness in his family. The Wellington Working Men’s Club will have its full quota of representation, as arrangements have been made which will enable Kelling to take part. Ho has held rung 2 on the club’s “ladder” for many years, and won the second prize in the club’s 1913 tourney, being runner-up to tho redoubtable Barnes. At the Napier Congress two years ago he just squeezed into tho prize-list, and at Nelson a year lie missed >.h© lowest prize by, half a .point, making the best scoroi of the seven unplaced competitors. Dodds (Nelson) passed through Wellington on Friday, en route for Auck-, land. | . Sevorne (Christchurch) and Gyles, (Westport) both ‘called at the rooms 1 of the Wellington Oheaa Club last week, and played a stubbornly contested game, which ended in a dram. A most interesting iboufc between Gyles and Purchas (Wellington South) was also drawn.

The fourth game for rung 2 on the Wellington Club’s ladder (James v. Barnes) was concluded on Saturday, a draw being agreed at move 37. The tally to' date is one win to James and 3 draws. The match will be resumed aa soon as possible after these two players return from /the .Auckland Congress. The coming congress will not, ftpparently, delay completion of the Wellington v. Wairarapa game by cor* respondence, the former’s latest post* card having announced “mate in fourteen moves” 1

Play in the Auckland Congress will'| be at the rate of eighteen moves peri hour, and, so as not to overwork the' competitors, only six rounds are to be disposed of in a week (instead ofi. night as heretofore). Another new feature is that a competitor may. analyse his unfinished game between! the sessions, provided he does notoon-, suit a book or receive assistance from.' any other player. If there are no more withdrawals tbo tourney will comprise 105 games.. The cost of a book of this congress 1 would therefore ho prohibitive, and. unless donations totalling at least £ls are promised by the close of the tour*, ney the Chess Association will be u»-'. able to publish. This is due, of course, lo the insufficient support which the players throughout the Dominion accorded to the book of the Nelson Cony gross, which was ’issued nearly ay ear ago. Of this book the ‘‘British Chess Magazine” and the “American Chess Bulletin” speak in term** of high praise in their November issues. Tributes like this from organs which are the leading ones in their respective' countries are not showered for noth- : ng, and it is hard to understand how. New Zealand enthusiasts (?) can al-; low nearly 100 of these most valuable 1 books to remain in stock, seeing that the price is only two shillings pep copy.

NGAXO CHESS CIRCLE.

The third round of this circle’s cur’■wit tourney was played last Friday week, when some very stubborn oon-v tests resulted. Croskm won from Top in 71 moves, and Brown from Green in 74 moves, each of thee© games taking over four hours to) complete. W. J. Hicks won from Ej' Hicks, T. Barnes from D. Mason, and Hanks from Westbrook. Members arel making ,a keen interest in the game, and there is ©very prospect of a strong suburban club being formed in the Ngaia-Khandallah area at no distant date.