Chess items.

Otago Witness, Issue 2454, 27 March 1901, Page 56

Chess items.

Mr Wordsworth Donisthorpe, a present member of the British Chess Club, an enthusiastic chess player, used to pride himself on his ability to give odds of a Queen to plnyers who -would probably not have received more than a Eook from ZukertoTt. One day at Simnson's he was performing this feat, as much to his own satisfaction as to the chagrin of hi*- en--tagoaist, when a nicdeat gentleman with a Caledonian accent came and sat down to watch the game. At"last the edds-reeeiver being vanquished, rose and departed in disgust, and the gentleman from Scotland thereupon asked Mr Donisthorpe if he would give him a queen. " Certainly," replied the latter, who had never seen his new opponent before. As the game proceeded, the smile of anticipated triumph that had at first illuminated the challenger's face gradually faded into a look of dismay, and in the end he had to confess himself beaten. The amusing part of the story is that the Scotoh gentleman turned cut to be an amateur whose great ability is well known, pnd who had thought to play oil a little practical joke on Mr UonisUiorpe, but as it happened the joke v. fa 9f a 9 against himself. The B.C.M. End Game Tourney has resulted in Mr A. F. Mackenzie winning first prize, Herr Quickenstedt, of Rendnitz Leipsic being second ; Mr A. Eastwood, of Alrnondbur^ Grammar School, Huddersfield, receiving honourable mention. The first prize winner is very highly spoken of, and deservedly so. Dr J. TV. Hunt in his excellent column in Brighton Society, says, refenmg to the success of Mr Macken2ie s end-game — " It has often struck ua with astonishment that a blind 1 composer should produce such magnificent pro- ] blems as Mr Mackenzie has done, and still does, I but that h.° should be able to produre such an intricate piece of work, full of variations and sub-variation?, each of which has to be worked cut to the very end, lest some little* flaw thoixld escape notice, and so invalidate the vW.e composition, seems to us more than astonishing. Unless we h'atl seen it we should have said it was impossible." The second prize winner is pretty, simple, and easy, and to a tjit at extent owes its positiori to the failure of orher more pretentious and intricate compositions. The British Chess Company's miniature Chess board and ches3 men are quite unique and cxce?dingly useful for recording posit ods m pia;*. This boavd and men may be easily carried hi the coat pocket, and yet are large enough to piry a good g-anie with. The boxwood and ebony men are elegant and yet workmanlike, and, although small, they are convenient to the hand and very neat. For travelling problem ists, indeed, we have seen nothing to compare with this latest production of the British Chess Company, Strcud. Gloucestershire, while for railway carriage player? the thing is perfect. Tha ches3 editor has a limited number of these miniature chess boaide, nnd will dispose of them at cosx price — namely. 8s 3d each, with postage, if necessary to send by post. Applications must be addressed to the chess edror. The price in Britain is 2s 6d, and in New Zealand 20 per cent, duty is paid. The announcement that Dr Laskcr has entered into an arrangement with the North Manchester Chess Club to associate himself with that club and reside in Manchester for at least six months in this present year has recently been going the rounds of the chess press. It was stated that Dr La3ker would attend the club rooms daily for the purpose of theoretical and practical instruction in the game to the members. However, the Hereford: Times discounts the report, and states that the champion and Herr Maroczy are settling down to business in Manchester. In his rectorial address to the students at Glasgow the other day, Lord Kosebery put chess in the forefront of games, saying : "It now taxes the most acuto minds, and elicits new powers from the brain." Referring to the extraordinary fascination of chess, and to the harm it has sometimes caused through this, as enticing men from their duties and absorbing their in- | telligence, Mr Guest thinks this fascination is its greatest compliment, and that, if it prove too engrossing, the fault must lie more with the player than with the game. It is at least better he should be attracted by chess than by ! cards or billiards, as these latter are frequently associated with gambling and drinking, which can never be said of chess. From an article in the New York Post, we learn from new discoveries in the Egyptian pyramids that the game was known in that wonderful land more than 5000 years ago. North of the pyramid of King Tetu or Teti two grave chambers have been discovered, erected for two of his high officials, Kabon and Mera. The chamber of the first is divided into five., and is built of limestone. Its walls are covered with bas-reliefs and pictures of various scenes. The other grave chamber is the^ most valuable. Twenty-seven of its halls end corridors have been uncovered full of beautiful columns. In the chief room there is in a niche a tinted statue of the King, about 7ft high, with a sacrificial table of alabaster in front. Among the many wall paintings in this and other rooms are hunting and fishing scenes, a group of female mourners, the three seasons, Mera and his sons holding each other by the hand, and Mera playing at chess, are visible. King Tetu belonged to the sixth dynasty, and his reign was assigned by Professor Lepsius to about 2700 8.C., but Professor Brugsh corrects this, and puts it back to 3300 B.C. [It seems unlikely that the gome- represented was chess. The ancient Egyptians had a gpme played on a board with a small number of squares, and supposed to bear some resemblance to draughts. — C. B. O. TV.]