The Wanganui Tournament. TO THE DRAUGHTS EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 40

The Wanganui Tournament. TO THE DRAUGHTS EDITOR.

Sir,— As one of the committee of the late championship tournament held here, I beg to say a, few words in reply to a very senseless letter that appears in your issue of April 30, written by a person calle'l David Alexander Brodie, who styles himself " New Zealand champion draughts player." Of course this must sound very nice in Mr Brodie'js ears, still we (that is, the New Zealand Draughts Association) don't recognise him «3 such, and never will. Why, Mr

Brodio didn't want to recoguiae himself, and em« phatically saya so, in his letter to Mr Williamson which you print alongside of Mir Brodie'e tarra. diddle. It is »11 very well for Mr Brodie to try to belittle our labours here by terming the con» cress held here as a "little tournament, bnt can Mr Bro'lie Inform you or us whether there has bfeon anything done on a larger scale in New Zea« land, and if so, was it attended by such a representative gatharinji as astemblod here? I am eajer to hear Hie news if such is the case. Mr Brodie' b B»,yB that the championship tournament "was 'more of a local one than otherwise, and few, indeed, if any, of the representative draughts playeTs of the ■colony took the trouble to journey to Wanganui." This .is deliberately untrue. Out of 17 competitors three were ol Wan> gauui— i c , Anderson, Murray, and Oliver; The rest came from all parts of New Zealand, ranging fro -u Auckland to Port Chalmers. ,As for representative draught pluyeis, of emme Mr Brodio may perhaps ignore such players At Mr Leggat (Wellingtou). Mr Kay (Wood villa). Mr Henderson (Auckland), and our three men here, or Bruce, of New Plymouth. Ho hasn't met them ; when he does he may sing a different song, and recognise in these names draught players of supeiior skill to hinihelf. Has Mr Brodie ever attended a tonrnament in New Zealand that could boast of such a representative' gathering as the one so successfully carried out here? Has any other draughts player in New Zealand— except those attending the firefc championship tournament? Idou't think so. And it is unworthy of Mr Brodie to ridvule our work, especially vrhen he tried to ease our purst-Btringa of £7, the value he places on the title he claims. What right had Mr Boreham to the title of cham« piou that he should risk it in a match with Mr Brodie? What representative draughts player did Mr Bore hum meet before he tat down to the match with Mr Brodie? Supposing Mr Henderson had met Mr Leggat for the championship; they certainly had as much )ight-to do co *s either Mr JBorehain or Mr Brodi? had. The idea of the championship tournament just h-ld was to find out th*. champion, and this was done in the bent draughts tournament ever held in New Zealand. The draughts players of New Ze&liind don't -*ll live in Itanedin. We have sufficient rnemberxof our association to make the next fixture a better success than the nret, and I suppose i/ Dunedin does not etre to turn up we shall have to manage without them. I suppose /we shall get along all right. And rest assured if we do try we shall certainly succeed. The draughts championship of New Zealand was never really played until at tbe late tournament, and that tournament unearthed for the first time a pi -yer deserving of the title of champion by good all-round P'»y, against all comera, incluJing rerresantativwfrom both islands of New <Zoaland, The wiuner of this title is Mr Boreham. There is no other champion of New Zealand, neither Mr Brodie nor anyone else.— l am, Ac , Krnest Mansfield, One of the committee and vibe-president of tho N.Z D.A.

XO THE DRAUOHTS EDITOR. " In peace there's nothing bo becomes a man As mild behavionr,andhnmanity." —Shakespeare.

Srß.—Mr Boreham essays the somewhat difficult task of explaining his apparent Inconsistency with regard to bis actions in connection wUh the Waugiuui tomn&roeufc, I havi-g in my-lelfcr of March 28 op< nly clia-ged him with acting against his principle*., ma much as he openly avowed his intention of being a nou competitor, and afterwards, presumably when he ascertained that I ■vrould bo an absentee, changed his mind. In good faith it was stated in the Witness that I did not jnt-ud to compete at Wanganui. Mr - Bjreham in a letter to the Oamaru Mail stated likewise regarding himself. He accidentally (Uncovers that he baa m <de & mistake in his refusal to c mpete, and wilhoit further ado dtcides to go to the Wanganui tourney and -to call himself, should he prove successful, the champion^not of Wanganui or of Oaniaru but of .New Zealand. Had I competed I feel sura that Mr J. A. Boreham would not have occupied the position ho did at the conclusion. As- regards my written consent to play for the title of chaii.pion, held by me, I can refer Mr. Borehnra to eixht gentlemen of good standing in Otago who were in the loom when stakes and title were handed over to me, and thcte gentlemen can prove it was agreed that in the event of auy tournament being inaugurated such* as, that at W,aTiganui my written consent should firiri^ b« obt-aincd for permission to play for the title. Mefcsrd B iroham an<l Montgomery wera prevent »t the time, and th» gentlemen I refer to were not Btr*nt:ers to them, as they knew them well. The W.inganui committee ignored me and my title ; therefore they had no right whatever to play for it without my consent. With regard to - the correspondence between Mr Williamson and myself, Mr Boraham charges me -with vindic.tiveness, which. I deny, a«i I considered it my duty to write as I did to Mr Williamson, asking him to read my letter of March .28th to the playeri at Wanganui. Mr Boreham in another portion of hi« letter says that I " have not much lespsct for the "title, although holding myr-elf up as the champion." Lst me tell Mr Boreh&m thnt I had «o much respect for the tile that I did not dare to assume it until I was acknowledged on all sides to be justly entitled t > it by reason of ray ability at the game. Nor was or am I afraid to meet any player who chooses to meet me in fair play. In conclusion, I may Bay that, having carefully analysed this letter of Mr BoTeham's, I cannot diacover anything likely to alter my convictions either in rci-p-ct to tbe bogus tournament or tb.o usurped title, jllowever, "A little nonsense lfow and then Is relished by the wisest men." I still have the honour to remain, . David Alexander Brodie, New Zealand Champion Draughts Player. Dunediu, April 30.

TO C«2IfIKStM}NDK\TS. White Doctor. — (I) The winner of the Wanganni tournament may bs recognised as champion by a few ■player, but ac prJing to all recognised rule 3 governing championships of any pastime Brodie still holds the title. (2) No one gave the Wanganui committee the right to play for tho title. H. B. Williamson —The letter in this column bisrned " Damhrod" was 1 wiitten and nos+ed in Wanganui. We don't know whether the writer is a prominent player or not, bnt he attached his name. J. M., Gore.— Thanks for play.

Solutions of Pkoblkms. Problem 1377 (By W. Dunn).— Black men on 4, 7, 9, 15, 16, 22, 25, 27 ; White men on 8. 11, 14, 18, 23, 29, 32, k5. Black to play and win. 710 25 30 22 25 1619 30 26 2626 14 7 514 29 22 2316 32 23 B. wins. Problem 1378 (By G. E. Peter*) -Black man. on. 4, ks 10, 19 ; White man on 11, ks 2, 12. White to play and draw. 12 8, 10 7, 8 12, 7 16, 27, 4c, drawn. Problem 1379.— See Game 2163 above. Problem 1380.— See Game 2464 above.

The Eltham rail way etrbion was broken open on Thursday and looted. The thieve* entered by forciug the door. The safe was then blown open by some explosive .and £100 in cath etolen. At 7 a.m. the empty c»sh\ boz, which had been blown open, was found, and this was the first known of the rob« bery, though it h reported' that about 2 «.m. m noise was heard -which is now euppoied to h»v» - been the explosion. On the 4th a determined attempt »t barglary was made at. the k post*bffioe at Coronifcndel. ' Everything of value, ■ including, stamps?, registered letters, and cash, was locked up in the safe, to open which an trasnooesEful bub desperate effort was made. In the office packets of letters, were torn open, bnt so far ifi is impossible to say if anything has been taken. It appears an entrance was effected at the bank door, a pick being used to force the door jock. The pick was found this morning beb±dl<9 blacksmitli'e shop, with the point broken*