DRAUGHTS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 58

DRAUGHTS ITEMS.

New Zealand Championships. — ll r Flcaang, sccictaiy 01 the Neiv Zealand Duaights Association, h\s i-vao'l the tickets and sub^eirltion ii-3t3 lor the next championship tourney,

to be held' in Wengainu a.t Epster. Theie are many plajers wno will not be- avpilable by si y holder of a 'subscription list, but who would willingly contribute something if applied to personally. We beg all such players net to •withhold their assistance from ttie »-ame merely because no odo "sticks them uv' ? If they will go to the Small trouble of forwarding a postal note for the amount of their subscriotion ye shall be pleased] to acknowledge its receipt through this column. Tib a secretary an his letter to us states that the junior tourney is open to everyone "who has never won a prize ig a championship tourney." The + &!tOm " ney are I llit£l substantial, and ImSm"! Pkyers wIU compete in it who would not feel competent to wrestle with the Ibeavy weights. We W- cm good tutfhorily that!, Mr Minctti, of Wellington, late of Melbourne, will be a competitor m the next tourney, and Wellington players are predicting .his success. According to what we mention above, Mr Minetti cruld eaiter for the junior tourney and if iWellingtonians' estimate of his strength is well-founded, he could toddle into first place comfortably. Mr J. Mulvey. — Gore draughts circles ha^ c Buffered another severe loss m the promotion of Mr James Mulvey from the Gore Post Office to the Inveroargill office. Mz Muh ey is not only a first-clfiss player, but possesses these gentlemanly qualities which make a man esteemed for Ihis own sake, apart altogether from his ability .as a player. As our leaders are aware, Mr Mulvey has done a great deal for the game in New Zealand in general and Gore in particular; and we sincerely hope his xemova-1 to new and perhaps less inspiring surroundings may not weaken his attachment to the game. This removal will, most likely, jeopardise Mr Mulvey's prospects of going to "Wangamii at Easter as he had hoped to do.

The Liverpool Mercury recently had tlie following: — "The little a.'^unaent at Leeds relative to the colour of the playing squares shows that something"- must soon be done towaids remedying a starts of things that some day may causa considerable annoyance. In the present instance we learn that the unfoitunate contretemps was due to an over zealous Yorkshire official who usurped the functions of his clrief and declared it was ' decided ' that play should be on the white squares. Possibly had nothing been said, each couple would, have settled the matter for themselves. As it was we certainly think the Lancashire plajeis overlooked the E.D.A. rule taken from "Anderson's Second ' that where it is the custom to play on white squares, that colour is to bs used. The old English rule stipulated ' White squares,' but now in London, Manchester, ai*di the Newcastle district the Black squares aie favoured, the rest of the country following the old rule. What is really wanted is a clear board -with, well-defined distinction as regards, the colour of the men. Unfortunately, on so many of the boards in use the black pieces are * lost ' when placed on the dark squares. Our fathers must have had something of the same difficulty, fox -we iind Hay working out his games as ' red: wins ' and ' black wins,' but in his time a regular method of recording cumes with black moving first and fiom the smaller numbers had not come into vogue, and the late T. J. Riley, in order to clear matters up, ■wrote the following choice Hibermcisni in Ins copy of 'Hay': — 'Red is Black, and Black is White.' " — [We cannot for a moment underetaud why in the name of common Eer-se black-and-white boards aie ever manufactured, as as they s«em to be an abomination. Nothing but the veTy best of light can make a black-and-white board at all endurable, as the colour contrast is too violent. Almost every board ■we have seen in New Zealand is coloured cream and dark recb, or nearly vermilion, and even in a poor light either colour can be used to play on. — Ed. Witness.] There are few games, says the Sur.day Magazine for Septembei. that require a clear head and a mathematical brain more than the game of draughts ; and thero are few also that give more of scope foT ingenious methods. In several great cities, and notably in Liverpool, the game is much in vogue among employees of great business houses over an afternoon cup of coffee; and tht effect has been most beneficial in the substitution of a game of diaughts and a cup of cofEee for the once prevalent phrase: — "Will you come and have a drink? It may be true that educated persons ought to be able to play chess; but this needs more of time and deliberation than many of us are able to give; and, therefore, it is both easier and more convenient to be able to play a good game of draughts. A match of four games, fo: a stake of £20 and the championship of Malta, was played recently between E. Trulufe and H. M'Manus (late of Gateshead), resulting in an easy victory for M'Manus by the score of 3 wins to 0, and 1 drawn game.