Chess Hems.

Otago Witness, Issue 2181, 19 December 1895, Page 33

Chess Hems.

Mr Hojkhum has adjudicated upon the unfinished games in the late match between the Otago and Oamarn Clubs. As was auticipated at the time, the result is a win for the Otago Club, but by the narrow majority of two games out of 15, the Otago Club's core being 8£ to 6&. Mr Houkhatn decided that the games between Messrs Francis and Mellor, Mr Lee and Dr Heinemann, and Messrs-Earle and Colclough are drawn games. -Mr Balk (Ducedin) is deemed to have a win against Mr Bolton, Mr King (Oamaru) a win 'against Mr Friedlander, Mr Dawe (Duoedin) against' Mr "Banks, Mr Moody (Dunedin) against Mr M'Donald, and Mr Davis (Oamaru) against Mr Irwin. Messrs J. Eiward*. J. W. Mellor, O. Balk, and J. Mouat have been delegated to represent the Otago Chess Club at the ensuing congress of the New Zealand Chess Association to be held at Wanganui. Steinitz still objects to allowing Lasker to bear the title of the " World's Champion," and has written to The Times on the subject. Tt is the old grievance—the return match remains unplayed. jhe awkward point is that the younger man holds the field.—Times Weekly Edition. In the late match between the Otago and 0.v,, aru Oho'S Clubs n'o'penallies were incurred by any plajec In the ca^e nieiitinu<s<l la3t wtek in the match between Mr Fiit-dlaT.iler nncl his opponent, the former penalised himself by inadvertently leaving out" one' of his opponent's pawn 3on setting up hfs position at the third sitting. He then went merrily oii with the game,' and sacrificed a rook in the confident*) hope of immediately queening a pawn,' \vhi<Jb unfortunately was blocked by his opponent's' missing pawn. British Chess Club v. Brooklyn.—A cable match, similar to British v. Manhattan last year, will probably be paid during the (northern) winter.— Times Weekly Edition.

SOME GLIMPSES OF HASTINGS. "If ever we come to organise in Franco an international chesa tourney — a matter, alas ! very doubtful— l would propose haviDg it at the se*side, not at one of the fashionable resort, but in one of those cbeip little places which abound on our coasts, and in the poster? at our railway stations. How Well they are fitted for chess play we have seen at Hastings, which, do-pite tl\e number of its inhabitants, i», in fact, only a big petit trait. The pld lojvu, with its steep and crooked streets, is built between two hillocks forming promontories— the East Hill and the West Hi I—whilst1 — whilst the new town, the town of summer, withitsi-lcgantfuburb.St. Leonards, extendsalong the beach, bordered by a magnificent quay nearly three miles long, extending itself beyond the a-cient cliffs covered with houses and villas far into the green meadows of Sussex. The town, haviug no port, has no trade. In winter a resident would fancy himself in one of tho<e dismal old provincial cities. A small jetty extends into the sea and permits of the approach of st.'amers ; a small wooden casino built at the end of this jetty serves as a rendezvous for numerous pedestrians. There are concerts almost every evening, and these concerts are almost ail that the place affords in the way of amusements. A bettor place could not be chosen for such a serious affair as a chess tourney. In the way of recreation, nothing but the beach, again the beach, always the beach. Recreation remarkably strong in this, that tho spectacle so simple and j et so varied comprises effects of water, of sun. and of cloud. "With its nearly straight line, bounded on the east by the East Hill, far to the west by tho ; promontory of the Uißt Hill, -the beach is really beautiful I And when at night, in walk ng a'oug the quay, one sees far oif in the horizon the great ships going up aud down the English Channel, whilst at his feet the t>pont waves come to bi-eak on the sand, one gets to cease regretting the absence of cafcia and beer shops, the abseace of i gossiping and drinkinjr, which in other countries would often Lave united the ch<ss masters till dawn. The games played ia this tourney reflect this environment of the seriou«,lthe healthful, and the simple. I do not believe that there ever was better play than iv this tourney, and all the games but one were really played ! The committee of management had, besides, made arrangements worthy of the importance of the prizes and of the competitors. The games were played at the Brassey Institute, a great freestone building 1 , a kind of popular club, which the town owes to the munificence of the Mccrcns of tho region, Lord Brassey (now Governor of Victoria), the great naval expert of Great Britain. The splendid residerce, Normanhurst Court, is situated about 15 kilometres to the north of the town^ and in going thither the village of Battle, the place where in 1C63 was fought the famous battle of Hastings, by which we conquered England is parsed. Ihe committee had organised for the first Tuesday of tire tourney an excursion to these two sites. I reaut the temptation of describing to you that lovely day ; the splendours of Normanhurst C*utle and peak; "the ruin.", more or less well preserved, of Battle Abbey, where we were photographo.i ; the learned comments given by a member of the committee (Mr Cole) on the diffeient phases of the battle— the position of the Saxons and tbe Normans, the place where King Harold was killed and where his body was found by Edith ; and return to the Bra*sey Institute." — M. Geoffhoy D' Aus ay in La Strategic. {To be continued.)