Chess Items.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 52

Chess Items.

The Atistro-Hungarian-Kolisch Tourney is ended. Maroczy won the first prize. Schlecter and Brody tied for second and third prizes ; Alapin the fourth ; Marco, Wolf, and Zinkl tied for the three other prizes. There were five more competitors.

Famous chess players appear to be prolific in Hungary just now. Charousek and Marocssy are xindoxibtedly two of the strongest of living players, and young Brody, who tied for second place in the above turney, is oi the same nationality.

The forthcoming match between Janowski and Showalter is announced for next month.

The Paris Tournament will begin in. the middle of May.

We learn from the British Chess Magazine that it is proposed to endeavour to arrange an international match, England v. Scotland.

Few modern chessists are aware that Germany possesses "a chess-playing village," where everybody plays chess. This little place, Strobeck, where all, of course, act on the square, is to have a three days' chess festival at Whitsuntide.

Another eminent German professor, Dr Max Lange, who did more to popularise the "Buy Lopez Opening" than any other modern analyst, has died somewhat unexpectedly. He was the author of one of the best collections of "Morphy's Games," the inventor of the famoiis attack in' the "Giuoco Piano" that bears his name, and he had the uncommon reputation of being a successful business man, as well as a noted player and writer. The following paragraph recently appeared in the "London Letter" of one of our local papers : "I had just been reading the early editions of the evening papers, and was meditating on the incongruity oi this cartoon in the light of the latest news from the front, when I was encountered by the well-known chess player and writer on chess, Mr Gunaberg. Mr Gunsberg is a. Hungaiian by bhtli, but long residence in this country has made him a Britisher in sympathy. 'That cartoon,' he obseived, is to. me t^vjjical of much to. which, some fi£ J&ur

worst disasters may be ascribed — overwhelming confidence in your own powers, and a half disdainful indifference to the powers of your adversaries. The former makes you hasty in action when once you resolve to act, the latter makes you neglect to fully inform yourself beforehand of the real character of the difficulties you have to meet. If in chess one plays with an adversary of uncertain ability, one's best course is to assume that one is fighting a Napoleon at the game, and play accordingly. Careless or hasty openings are often the prelude to defeat.' I am not sure that he was wholly right in his description of the British character, but certainly he well expressed what is to-day a very common view amongst impartial observers as to our proceedings in South Africa." — Bristol Times and Mirror.

Russian National Chess Congress. — Two chess tournaments will take place at Moscow, Russia, from September 13 to October 3, the major totirney limited to 14 competitors and six prizes (£4O, £30, £20, £15, £10, £5). In the miijor tourney there are six smaller prizes.

Mr Pillsbury's chess tour of the United States is to be an annual affair ; and it is hoped that, in course of time, his influence on the encouragement of chess-playing throughout America will be similar in character to the influence which in English chess circles has long been exerted by Mr Blackburne. In Mr Pillsbury's recent simultaneous blindfold exhibition at the Brooklyn Chess Club, he played four games against four single players ; four games agaijjst four partnerships of two players; and four games against four partnerships of three players. His respective scores were — 3 wins, 1 loss; 2 wins, 2 draws; 2 wins, 2 losses — his total score being 7 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses.