DRAUGHTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14383, 28 November 1908, Page 14

DRAUGHTS.

COHDUCTED BY JOB. ABEB9ITIIT. CLUB DIRECTORY. Otaoo Draughts Clot.—Club meets every Saturday evening at the clubroom, Maclaggan street (opposite Universal Hotel), Visitors welcome. > Gore Club.—During the summer players •will meet on Saturday evenings at Mr Frobarth's rooms. Visitors welcome, Geo. M-'Kay, secretary, PROBLEM 1218. By, Wm, Veal, Southampton, England, [Black.]

fWnrra.J Black: 5, 0, 7, 8. White: 13, 15, 21, 22. Black to play j White toi draw. One of the last instilment from our .esteemed contributor. It is ft pleasing end-.jpme.T-Pa, Ed, PROBLEM 1219. By G. Foreman, Dunediri, \ [Blaci.]

[Whitk.] '''■ Black: 1, 4, 9, 11,-14, .19, 21, 28.SWhite:,-5,: 10, 12, 17, 26, 27,29,30.; 'J.-.' ■ • to play and win. \ v Mr F. Dunne, in his admirable column, in, the Leeds Budget, publishes the above. Svith ' the following footnote:—/-This fine-'strokfe---was recently published, in Hobbies/under tbv name of Mr Llewellyn, being the 'contribit-/ tion of a Welsh . correspondent ,to that'; periodical. The problem, however; 'belongs to Mr Foreman, a well-known New Zealand' expert, and originally appeared in tho Otego Witness, from which it was reproduced in the Draughts World, November, 1893." Tho problem was a prize-winner in a competition in the Otago Witness, and is' a fine production' How Mr Llewellyn came to claim it is not stated.—Dr. Ed. O.D.T.] TO CORRESPONDENTS. W. Veal, Southampton, England.-rrYour budget dated October 14 to hand. Yoihf favours appreciated by all. Thanks. ■' ■ J. F., Colyton.—Letter just in time to acknowledge receipt of solutions and play on Problem 1207. See next week. i GAMES. Game 2376.—" Bristol Cross." By W. Veal, Southampton, England, 11 16 24 19 ti 15 25 21 ■& 18 u-12 16 2318 11 lli 1814 23 2G 7 3 19 28 811 27 23 918 17 13 23 26 lli 14 1814 710 23 14 26 31) 3 8 So £6 918 29 25 15 19 2i 17 26 30 14 ID \22 8 .59 1410-A 30 % 2824 15-19 ill 25 22 11 15 •17 14 12 Iti-c 10 15 26 23 3 8 10 7 26 22 17 14 19 24 10 15 31 27 211 21 17 IS 9 15 18 21 18 ,8 11 2l! 17 16 19 13 6 24 27 15 22 30 25 £0 24 14 10 ■1 lu 32 23 2518 1015 27 £0 19 23 812 2619 16 2u 19 10 l!l 23 10 7-B 16 19 Drawn. (a) An interesting variation from a Scotch tourney game, where 22 17 'is played. (b) If 17 14, -22 17, 13 9, 17 13, 9 6, 1 6, B. wins. ■' (c) If 18 23, 17 14, 16 19,-11 16, 19 28, drawn. (D) If 32 28, 19 23, 12 16, 10 14, 16 7, 15' 18, 1 10, 14 '17, 10 15, 17 22, 15 19, 22 26, 19 15, 18 22. drawn. Mr J. F. Burt, a well-known American player, of Los Angeles, California, contributes the following interesting gam e and variations to the Pittsburg Despatch:— , Game 2377-" Defiance." By J. F. Bubt, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. 1115 15 24 811 17 21 30 25 23 19 28 19 30 28c 16 12-E i 2 17 !! 14 " 11)5 11 20 7]o IUIS 27 23 :1a £8 3127-D 12 8f 3 8 711 15 24 16 2125 32 27 22 18 28 19 22 18 8 3 10 . 16 22 6 9 514 £5 30 27 18 26 9 2218 18 I) 27 23 1714 614 4 8 13 17 20 21 18 9 29 25 20 16 21 14 9 5 514 1115 3 7-B 10 17 24 27 J-15 1!) 25 22-a 26 22 19 16 5 1 B.wins. 811 913 1219 27 32-1 24 20 18 9 2316 26 'it (a) 24 20 is better here. (B) In the international match at Boston this position arose several times, R. Jordan being'the only one to, adopt 3 7 winnin» his game from W. G. Hill. A. Jordan played 3 7 here to a draw in the same contest twice (c) Hill went 22 18, 11 20, 18 15. Instead of 18 15, play 30 26 and draw. (d) This looks like a. loser, although tho old Anderson draw is given in most textbooks after 31 x Z! here. J. Maize disputed this being a loser. (E)Tho "8.D.P." stars 26 22 to draw Maize says that 16 12 draws here; howevor Black wins against cither. The diagram fok lowing shows the situation :- [Blaos.]

[White.] Whito to play, to 26 22.H 1015 8 3 15 IS B.wins. 21 25 12 8 SO 20 8 U 22 J7-G 25 HU 3 8 28 22 w 27 2! 30 2« IS IB Kill 16 25 31) 5319 23 IB ti 1 20 24 22 18 2ti 23 15 (j 11 15 B.wins. (B) 27 23 2d 23 23 18 1815 3 8 21 25 30 28 3127 2315 1!) 15 23 19 ]2 8 8 3 15 « tt.wins. S5 30. 21)31 27 23 IB 19 (I) Maize's draw after 27 31, by 1 G, 2 9, 8 7, is pretty, but, alas! the above'wins. (j) Black crowns, and forces White Kings back, leaving an open field to crown piece on square two. THE TWO-MOVE RESTRICTION. Mr J. Alexander, English champion, 1908, contributes the following instructive little e3say on the "two-move" restriction:— " Though the two-move restriction is generally accepted by the top players, one often hears the weaker ones complain that they are not sufficiently developed for it. Those who look on our game as a ' Ecience,' and those who want it a sport, perhaps a gamble, will agree or disagree with the objection. Cer- I tainly to push out into the ocean, an uncharted ocean to most, and to battle with its unknovm'ivindß and tides, is against the whole I Rental sltito&'flJ-jma, fjttyi 'in or 'I

sport; experience is a thing everywhere looked for. On the other hand, advcnturjng into unknown seas has its charm, while clinging to stereotyped lines is turning, or in the circumstances trying to turn, draughts , into pure knowledge, Now, to rely on pure knowledge is in general to be on the defensive, and waiting for the other fellow to vaiyN,or_ go wrong is really stultifying your own abilities. A maxim of war, 'That tho offensive"is the'best defence,' Ims a much wider application, and trying to beat an opponent not only gives confidence, but the keenness on which depends future excellence. "But not only is the wider experience of any restriction an improvement on go-as-you-ploasa, but it also teaches body game play (though at the expense of end-play). When one sees the huhdred-and-one different ways in which 'two-move' games are built up, one has an idea how to handle an opening or/ possible lines of play. What may be cilled system moves—i.e., moves naturally ■■playcd in similar positions—become impressed on one, while the tendency to consult the book on those game 9 that one failed with is greater than looking, up to see where you varied on a game you nave played a hundred times. "It.is o- doubtful question for the lesser lights, but perhaps it leads to as much 'knowledge' as any other system of play, while it gives the mental stimulus of ' sport,' puis an'end to tho ' cut-and-dricd' element, and affords a better measure of each player's abilities. Against this must be cited the sayiug that knowledge is power (but then it is not good) that that be all-powerful), while it may be fairly argued as giving a rein to carelessness. There are dfficulles each _ way. To use a limited'number, of the lopeniugs at one time has been advocated as helping the memory, and giving grasp, arid there,is something to be said in favour of the idea, but experience shows that the adoption of tho widest restriction is no '.hindrance.'.to a player.; even the weakest learn to make up a decent and improving game; the great thing is to have an incentive to the player to ' read (play), mark, learn, and inwardly digest'-first the. incentive, and latterly the cultivated alertness of mind thinking for itself."—Leeds Budget. DRAUGHTS ITEMS. Th 6 Accident to Mr Willie Gardner.—The Yorkshire Weekly Post (of which Mr Gardner is draughts editor) of, October 3, has the following:—Wo ore pleased-to be'able .16 report considerable improvement in Mr Willie .Gardner's condition during -the week. The doctorr;'.stated on . Thursday' that ?he was " going on-, nicely." A ta'ge number! of sympathetic letters- have been'; received from draughts players in. many port? of the country expressing hopes' for' Mr Gardncr'6 speedy recovery.-.- > '■■■ . J ; ;,Mr Herbert 'Spender once engaged'-.in a game of billiards with -a.young friend and su'stained-,a severe defeat.-- 'This disturbed his nsual philosophical ■equanimity, and instead of congratulating - hi's victorious 'opponent 'tie admonished him 'in' the"'- following 'terms':— \"Young man,- a moderate/'.degreejj-'of proficiency at billiards is worthy .'of. commendation, but the skill you possess; is evidence of wasted time and misdirected -talent.'", Lasker says, much the same thing regarding the expert chess player! " Problematicus," in the current issue of the Draughts World, says:—l had the privilege the other tkv of iusuecting part of .the library of-the immortal "Herd Laddie.-" The condition of the books suggested thai; their late owner did not make.'much use of them. Not a thumb or pencil mark was to be seen on any of the volumes which I sav,-, Bui perhaps this was to bo expected. We simply cannot imagine tho old warrior, the man who "made the books," imbibing his -plav from others! Among the rest there was'a fine [morocco-bound first edition of " Gould's Match Games" marked' contributor's copy, and bearing the inscription, "With compliments to Mr James Wyllie, champion' draughts player of the world. Principal contributor to this ( work.—Joseph Gould. December 14, 1888." [We think there is some mistake about.the date—lßSß. We hav e a similar copy of , Gould's first edition, and the date is IS6L—Draughts Editor, Budget.] Mr Bert Titus writes as follows in' the Formers' Despatch (St. Paul's):-" People often ask:.' What benefit is there in playing checkers?' The answer is that ■ the game helps to balance a man's mind. It soon shows the errors tlwt may have been due to impulsiveness. It. shows the defeats that are caused by slow,and inattentive playing. It shows the difference between.positiveness and certainly. It shows that a man may be positive, but not correct. He may he sure that he is going to win when he has already made a losing move. To be successful as a checkers player a man must take account in his calculations of all the pieces on the board. If any detail escapes his notice, he will fail to reasoi\correctly. Tho game requires 1h e full scope of the player's mind, and his constant attention. Players learn to reason step by step, .because they have io. They o C t accustomed to method and-regularity. There are fast players, and there are slow players; hut, lacking the mental balance between extremes of thought, neither class makes the highest grade. . ■ \ SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. Problem 1214 (By .W. Horsfalß-Black: 22 2|, 27. White: 11, 30, king 13. White to play and win. 13 9 914 14,10 .10 15 30 26 ,f6 23 :7.tl 2127 -.27.3 a 32 27 22 25W.wins. Problem 1215 (By W. Horsfflll).—Black: B, 11, 23, 27. White: 6, 9,. 19, king 14. White to play and win. , B 2 2 7 716 1418 IGIO 2( ,)1 3157 27 21 24 22 W.wins.