DRAUGHTS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2388, 7 December 1899, Page 45

DRAUGHTS ITEMS.

With Barnum's Abnormals at Draughts. — It will interest draughts playtrs to know that their favourite game is extremely popular with liai mini's employees, and especially so with th? group of individuals who are too tall or too short or too stout or too thin to risk attracting attention by mingling with the busy, everyday world. Retirement suits these abnormals and most of them have devoted their leisure to draughts. In view of this the draughts editor spent an afternoon in a come-one come-all contest with the gentlemen who are only visible to the public on the central stage of the menagerie tent. The scribe deemed it wise to be- j gin with the weaker players, and so work his way up to Mr Stone, the lightning calculator, j whose mathematical mind makes him a strong opponent. So lie tackled Coffey, the skeleton dude; Hasan Ali, the Egyptian giant; Lalloo, the Indian ; Morris, the elastic-skinned man ; ■ and others. Stone, the lightning calculator followed. Ho is the champion of the show. Three games were contested, one win each -and a draw being the result. The abnormals play . a Eormal game. Although they have not studied ! the books on the pastime, they have a good t idea of building up a position. Where they lost themselves was in the endings. A little more attention to this point would make them good players. — Glasgow Herald. The Warnngton Draughts League. — Thursday, the 14th September, was a red-letter day in tht annals of the Warrington Draughts League, . when the members, with their wives and sweethearts, to the number of about 80, were enterlar'ned .at Cuerden Hall, Cheshire, by their

worthy president, B. A.- Naylor. Esq. Tliers were also pr :aent a- number or {he Warrington Police Force and railway employees, bringing the total nu • ber of guests up to over 200. The various partis.-, were conveyed to the hall in 'buses, engaged for the occasion by Mr Naylor. The weather was splendid, and it is needless to say that the affair was a real treat in every respect. The guests were received personally by Mr Naylor and his sister, Miss Naylor, and tho fine hall and griunds were thrown open to them, all, to wander over at their sweet will, whilst mtmerpus outdoor games were provided for their ertertainment. ■ Cuerden Hall is literally, crammed in every nook and corner with valuable paintings and art curios, and the inspection of these was greatly appreciated and-en-joyed. ,

"APPENDIX TO THE CHECKER PI J.YER. '

Mr Henry Spayth, author of " The Americas Draughts Player. ' ' Game of Draughts, or Suy plement," " Draughts or Checkers for Beginners, ' and " The Checker Player," has just published a new work, " Appendix tc the Checker Player," giving improvements on previous play. There are 26 openings treated, with numerous variations, three positions with solutions, and the 12 positions in the Checker Player, Nos. 19 to 30, with solutions; total games, variations, positions and solutions, 960. The bopk is got up in a highly workmanlike t style, being printed on finely toned paper- andneatly bound in cloth, uniform with " The .Checker Player." Mr- Spayth's. well-known abi'ity should make his "latest work a welcome addition to the literature of the game, as the volume is complete in itself. Unfortunately- Mr Spnyth ha adopted the somewhat confusing plan of having only one trunk game for the whole .book. '_That is, the first 'move in ". the work 'is 11 15, and from this -springs varia- . tions l'to 6; from the -second move, 23 19, spring six more variations, and so- on. Thus there is no classification of the openings. But this is a detail which most players will readily o\erlook. Mt Spayth's enterprise deserves en> couragement. Price Idol, post paid, from Henry Spayth, 125 Hoyt street, BuffaloAugust 1.