Chess Items.

Otago Witness, Issue 1957, 23 May 1889, Page 29

Chess Items.

The Pope has a weakness for chess. He is a rery fine player, and in the amateur ranks Is said to have few superiors in the knowledge of gambits'and openings. There is one priest in Borne who has the especial honour of being the Popejs adversary over the board. This priest—Father Giellar-has ployed chess with Leo Pecci for 32 years past. When 1 ■Cardinal Peed was raised to the Papal Throne, Father Qiella, who was then in Florence, got an invitation fco proceed to Eome and take up his quarters in the Vatican. Glella is hot-tempered, and has been known-to look very black, indeed at the Vicar of Christ across bis chessboard. The Pope takes Giella's temper good-naturedly, and often improves the' occasion by a little homily on the virtues of resignation and meekness. Oamaru v. Maheno.—The return match between the Oamaru and Maheno Chess Clubs was played in Oamaru on the 15th, when the local men again proved victorious. Oamaru was represented by Messrs Banks, Clayton, Franois, Lindsay, and Lemon; <and Maheno ,by Messrs Parker, Clark, Andrews, and Cossgrove. At the finish of the match the visitors ware entertained by their opponents, and altogether a very pleaeant evening was spent. Thb Gamb of Life.—Suppose if; were perfectly certain, says Professor Huxley, ttiat the life and fertune of every one of us would, one day or other, depend on his winning or losing a game of chess. Don't you thinK that we should all consider it to Da % primary duty to learn at least the names and moves of the pieces ; to have a notion of a gambit and a keen eye for all the meant of giving and getting out of check ? Do you not think that we would look with a disapprobation amounting to scorn upon the father who alldwed his son, or the State which allowed its members, to grow up without knowing a pawn from a knight ? Yet it is a very plain and elementary truth that the life, the fortune, and the happiness of every one of us, and more or less of those who are connected with us, do depend upon our knowing something of the rules of the game infinitely more difficult and complicated than cbe«. It is a game that has been played for untold ages, every man and every woman of us being one of the two players in a game of his or her own. The chess board is the world, the, pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of nature. The player on the other side is hidden from Us. We know that hit play is always fair, just, and patient. But also we know to our cost that he never overlook! a mistake or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance. To the man who plays well the highest stakes are paid with that sort of overflowing generosity with which the strong show delight in strength. And one who plays ill is checkmated—without haste, but without remorse. Gunsberg v. Lee.—This match was concluded on Saturday, January 26, at the British Chest Club. Gunsberg won. The score was as follows: Gunsberg, 3 ; Lee, 0; drawn 2. The Sheffield Independent announces the death of Mr J. W. Barton, the well-known chessplayer.