CHESS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2394, 18 January 1900, Page 58

CHESS ITEMS.

The championship tourney of the Auckland Chess Club is now finished; the champion for the current term being Mr J. C. Grierson, who outdistanced all other competitors by the fine score of 18 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw. Mr Parker was second, with 12 wins, 6 losses, 3 draws; Mr A. Lelievre third, with 12 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw; Mr J. Wood fourth, with 10 wins, 7 losses, 3 draws. The winner is a painstaking and studious devotee of the game, thoroughly deserving the success attained. He also secured the championship in 1896, and took second honours las'c year. Another handicap tournament has been staited, with 14 entries. Pietty well half the competitors are of "the first class, conceding varying odds to the remainder. — A. W. News. The following curious little chessikin occurred recently in. a game between Mr Galbraith and Mr Alfred Augustin, one of the Crescent City's rising amateurs: — White. Black. Wllite. Black. Galbiaith. Augustin. Galbraith. Ausustin. IP-K4 r-Q3£t3 6PxP Kt-KB3 2P-Q4 B-Kt 2 7 P x R P dis. 3 B q 3 P-K B 4 eh. Xt x Q 4 P x P B x Xt P 8 B-Kt 6 mate ! 5 Q-Rsch P-lU3 Whereupon Mr Augustin rose, with genuine French enthusiasm, and warmly shook hands over the cute and unexpected mate which was "administered to him. The Brooklyn Chess Club has received a challenge, on behalf of the British Chess Club, from Secretary Junius L. Cope for another cable chess match, to be. played in March of next year. Master George D. Cairns, the boy champion draughts player of the Ballarat district, has just won the first prize in the handicap tournament of the Ballarat Mechanics' Institute Chess Chib. It is not perhaps generally known that the late Dr Zukertort holds the record for blindfold play. Some years ago he undertook 17 blindfold games simultaneously against a particularly strong London contingent, including Dr Ballard, Mr Minchin, and Mr Blunt. The seance was resumed on the following evening, and the talented master came 'off with flying coloiirs. Chess by Flashlight. — The Gourock Chess Club held a flashlight tournament, m which 16 players took part. The finalists were Messrs W. Barraclough and D. R. Holmes, who played off the last game, the former winning the prize, " The Chess Bouquet," presented by Mr R. Porter, a member of the club. — Glasgow Weekly Herald. Morphy. — Paul Morphy returned to America, and in May, 1859, he was presented at New STork with a set of gold and silver chsssinen. After that, however, he retired into comparatively private life, taking no part in tournaments. It was said that he took a dislike to chess, as having interfered with his success in life. Later on his mind was said to be affected, and he died at a. comparatively early age. He is believed to have been the' greatest chess genius that ever lived. As to " Alter," in Lowenthall's collection of Morphy' s games, he is referred to as a high-class amateur, but his name is evidently intentionally concealed, and we do not remember at this moment if we ever knew who he was. We will make some further inquiry, and if it results in anything will let you know. — Glasgow Weekly Herald, of November 25, 1899. ["Alter," the opponent of Morphy, was the Rev. John Owen, of Liverpool, where he is still living. He took third prize m the London Chess Congress of 1862. — Chess Editor of the Evening Journal and the Adelaide Observer.] The London Ladies' Chess Club. — The ladies have begun this year's season in very gratifying manner (says the Pall Mall Gazette). They are playing in the " C " Division of the League, and their first encounter was with Herne Hill, whom they defeated, and the Polytechnic Chess Club, who came next, shared the same fate. A friendly match against London Hospital was won by the ladies by the handsome maiority of 9J to 2*. The allocation of the prizes for the best threemovers sent in for the eighth problem tourney of the British Chess Mag&zine is as follows: — First, A. F. Mackenzie (Jarnacia) ; second, M-. Feigl (Austria) ; third, M. Ehrenstein (Hungary) ; and fourth, M. A. Dahl (Norway). A chess match played by telegraph took place on New Year's Day between teams of 12 players each, organised respectively I) 3' the Chess Associations of South Ausutrslia and New South Wales. The chess strength of this colony was well represented, as three of the strongest of the country players — Messrs Coombe, Holloway, and pp U ss — were enlisted to co-operato with the most skilful of the city and suburban players. A spacious room at the Cape de Paris was engaged by the Adelaide players, and telegraphic connection was obtained with the General Posf Office by means of the telephone wire in use at Messrs Ch'arlick Brothers' establishment next door. These arrangements were found in perfect readiness when the Adelaide representatives and their friends assembled at 10 o'clock, but a vexatious delay look place in completing the communication in Sydney between the Central Telegrs.ph Office there and the room at the Town Hall in which the Sydney players assembled. In consequence play did not begin till 31.46. Mr D. Daniels, secretaiy of the South Australian Chess Association, acted as general manager in the Adelaide camp, whilst Mr T. J. Exton was director of play, and Mr W. Lathlean officiated as umpire in Adelaide on be; half of the Sydney team, and Mr Ash fulfilled the same duties in Sydney for South Aii&tralian players. Mr Holloway was chosen captain of the local team, and after seasonable greetings hacl been exchanged with Sydney, the right to first move on each board was decided by lot, and the telegraphing of the play, which was interrupted only for adjournments for lunch and tea. was begun. So. much difficulty w?s felt in deciding the order of precedence amongst the strongest of the Adelaide men that the arrangement of the first five was decided by lot. The following were the players of each team as arranged, with the openiugs they adopted in each game, and the results : — South Australia. New South Wales. KH. Coombe ... J. L. Jacobsen ... J French Defence W. 3?. Harrison ... \- W. H. Jonas } Ruy L^jn-ii. W. J. M'Arthur 0 D. Ileiraan 1. Ruy Ij'.pez. A. Holloway ... 0 L. S. Cradcenthorp 1 Kind's Knight's Gambit. J. M. Belcher ... 0 w. S. Viner 1 Fieuch Defence. V. J. Pavia 0 J. A. IVitzcker ... 1 Centre Counter Gambit. H. Fuss ... (nr-fd.) H. Tavlor ... (unfd.) French Defence. R. W. Swan... (uufd.) G.H.Foster... (unfd.) Centre Counter Gambit. R Bowen .. (unfd.) C. IC. Turner... (unfd.) Queen's Gambit declined. A. J. Laughton ... J C. N. Kite J Fefcroff Dffoiiep. T. H. Clarke... (unfd.) W G. Melville (unfd.) Ruy Lop'-K A. Somervillo (unfd.) J. Sp-ddiug ... (uufd.) Sicilian Gai'ip. The first game finished was that between Messrs Coombe and Jacobseirat'N.o. 1 board. It was a

spirited contest, in which each party occupied about 35 minutes, and Mr Coombe, after sending his 21st move, offered a draw, which was accepted. This result, in view of the reputation to which the Sydney crack has attained, was giceted with applause by the Adelaide players. It was 7 o'clock in the evening before any other results were arrived at. Mr Belcher, who had lost the exchange and a pawn at an early stage in his game, was obliged to resign to that rising Sydney player, W. S. Viner. Mr Harrison almost at the same time proposed to terminate his game with Mr Jonas by a draw, and this offer was accepted. Before the time agreed upon for ceasing play Messrs M'Arthiir, Holloway, and Pavia had decided that their games were hopeless, and had accordingly resigned, althoiigh in, the case of the firstmentioned this misfortune was due to a mistake in receiving the Sydney player's move, and Mr Laughton had decided to end a most stubborn contest by- a., draw with Mr Kite.,, The remaining five games being, unfinished a\ 10 p.m., it was decided to refer them, to Mr Esling, of Melbourne, for adjudication. It must be acknowledged that the play of the Sydney representatives was characterised by steady strength throughout, and the match, judging from the results of the unfinished games, will probably result in a win for the newly-formed Sydney Chess Association. — Adelaide Observer. Is chess really popular in this country? asks an English exchange. Aa there are over one hundred chess clubs in the metropolis alone, the answer should be in the affirmative, especially as nearly every other person one meets claims to have some sort 01 knowledge of the game. Speaking generally, however, it is feared that chess, as played ' in England, bears no more relation to -the real article than did the yearly struggles at Donnybrook Fair to the Battle of Waterloo. The fact is, the age, as far as this country is concerned, does not favour the cultivation. 01 chess. This id to be greatly deplored, for the game is a. unique one. It is peaceful and yet warlike, light yet profound. It is independent — a mo3t important consideration this— of the weather, and can be played at any hour of the day, by> yoiing and old of both sexes. It is, also, so lull of variety that it may be safely stated that even if it survives for a million years more, 110 two games will ever be played alike. Ana yet, m spite of the game's numerous virtues, the noise of tournaments and the matches beween clubs, the general public remains unconverted, bestowing 110 more attention to the little square- diagrams which periodically adorn the pages of certain papers than it does on political programmes declared by their authors to contain the germs of the millennium. What is the explanation of the national indifference to this great game? Is it because, being a busy race, we lack the leisure necessary for the production of first-class chessplayers, or is it owing to the pride of the Briton, who, flncling that perfection is only to be attained after innumerable defeats, declines to patronise a game fraught with so much humiliation ? Whatever the reason, English chess remains am exclusive game, offering so few emoluments that the* professional foreigner, content to live on a wage that Englishmen would despise, has had no difficulty in making it his own.