Chess Items.

Otago Witness, Issue 2541, 26 November 1902, Page 58

Chess Items.

The Rev. A. T. Chodowski and Mr S. S. Myers have been elected t© the committee of the Otago Chess Club. Mr J. H. F. Hamel, the genial secretary of the Otago Chess Club, informs us that the prize-money in connection with the New Zealand Chess Championship Tourney will be fully up to the average, and that intending competitors will not be able tc exclaim in the language of the Frenchman: "Le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle"! The Entertainment Committee set up in connection with the New Zealand Chess Association's annual congress f.t Christmas comprises Messrs T. Johnstone president of the Otago Chess Club), W. S. Pascoe, S. S. Myers, J. Crow, and the Rev. A. T. Chodcwski. The names mentioned are a sufficient guarantee that the light side of the congress will have a proper share of attention, and that the Entertainment Committee's programme will Ec of a liberal and progressive nature. Messrs R. A. Cleland, D. Forsyth, J. Edwards, and O. Balk have been nominated to represent the Otago Chess Club at the championship tourney. TKe three first-named are ex-champions of New Zealand, and the lastnamed has held the senior cbampionsh'p of the Otago Ches3 Club. It is to be hoped that all these gentlemen will do battle for Otago, and have sufficient provincial patriotism to endeavour to wrest the laurels from o\ir worthy friend Mr R. J. Barnes. - The Otago Chess Club, at its meeting on the 19th inst., minuted a resolution congratulating Major the Hon. Sir W. J. Steward, X.8., on his recently-attained knighthood. The gallant major has been a frequent visitor to the club, where his endeavours to- combat with the King's Knight's Gambit and to turn (k)night info morning have commanded admiration That he should have become be(k)nighted in these efforts and captuied the King is a somewhat unusual variation not mentioned in approved text books; but we hope he will forgive the verbicide, and accept our hearty congratulations with those of the Otago Chess Club. The handicap tourney of the "Wellington Chess Club was concluded last week, when the first prize and Mr E. W. Petherick's gold medal was won by Mr F. W. Collins, of Clacs 4. with the fine score of 9f. wins out of a possible 12. Mr R. J. Barnes takes the second prize with 8h wins, and Mi P. Still the third prize with 8 win c. The next best scores were made by Messrs Mason and Kelhng (each 7i)> and Mr W. Mackay (6). It is seldom that a fiiet prize is annexed by a. player in the fourth class, and Mr Collins, who has a fine "tourney style," ia to be congratulated on hi 5 success. He has only been a member of the club four years, and has taken a first prize every year but one.—New Zealand Mail. The Commonwealth Government have now agreed to a special scale of charges for chess matches by telegraph. As a consequence, the contest between the States of Victoria and New South Wales was proceeded with on the King's Birthday. The Melbourne Leader has commenced an International Problem. Tourney. The competition will be open to the world, and will be in four sections. Fust Section: Sets of direct mate problems, each set to consist of one position in two moves and one in three moves. Second Section—Sui-matcs in mo movep. Third Section Ending studies. Fotiith Section: Eccentricities. The prizes in the fiist section are £7 7s and £Z 3s respectively; m the succeeding sections, £1 Is. Becules the^e. there are two special prize? of £\ Is and 10s 60 for the best three-move and best two-move problems respectively contributed by Australasian composer". In addition, tlicie is a solution tourney in connection with the competition, for which the first puze is £1 If. The chess editor of the Leader, in announcing the tourney, writes- "It is our great desire that the solution tourney in connection with the competition shall attract a large number of entrants. Tins i-> a chance for our 'silent' Eolvors. who, v.c know, are numerous, to come om of their shells and etnke for honest fame, giving the cause of the grand old game, and incidentally ourselves, some of that support and encouragement which they do not appear to reflect are such good things to thosft engaged in chess journalism, whose solicitude and drudgery are bo largely met with stony Pilence." The British Chess Club has amalgamated with the Pall Mall Club, which has very commodious premises in St. James's square. The committee of the Hastings Chess Club is now engaged in making arrangements for the club tour—the third biennial—of next year. The idea is to go up the Rhine from Cologne to Mayence, and to pay visits to Berlin, Dresden, Hanover, and other German towns. The, tour will be open to all the members of the club, but only the strongest of them will be eligible for places in the team matches that are to be played by the way. A two-round tourney, in which Janowski, Albin, Yon Scheye, and Taubenhaus were the competitors, has just been concluded at Paris. Janowski fulfilled expectations by winning the first prize with a score of Ah, without losing a single patne; the other scores were Taubenhaus 3i. Yon Scheve 3, and Albin J. The M'Cutcheon prize (£2O) for best defence, at Monte Carlo, has been awarded to Mr James Mason for his game against Mr Gunsberg.

Every person who has tried TTJSSTCtTRA Bays the same thing, ft tfl absolutely infallible in all eases.