Chess Items.

Otago Witness, Issue 2666, 19 April 1905, Page 66

Chess Items.

The membership of the Otago Chess Club now stands at 43.

Mr J. C Ponsonby, the newly-elected treasurer of the Otago -Chess Club, commences his term of office with £10 Is 5d cash in hand.

Not a single word was uttered at the annual meeting of the Otago Chess Club last Wednesday night in reference to the Blackburne v. Coanell duel.

"These prizes," explained the Chairman (referring to those about to be awarded to Messrs Stone and Borton, winners of the ladder tourney), "are orders on the D.I.C. for two silver-mounted umbrellas." Voice from the back : ''Any chance of the orders being fulfilled at the Poliice Station?"— and the pointed allusion to the local police scandal fairly brought Sown the house. "Chess," remarked Mr O. Balk at the annual meeting, "is essentially a select game for th© few. Wherever you find an intelligent community, there you will find chess players — and Dunedin is an extremely wide-awake and (intelligent community." — Laughter and applause. Mr F. W. Claytonr*lhe newly-elected secretary of the Otago Chess Club, is an exOamaruvian, and players in the White Stone City esteem him an opponent of considerable mental calibre — one not to be lightly despised. Mr Clayton has, indeed, been senior champion of the Otago Chess Club, and on former occasions filled the office of co-mmitteeman with credit. The new exectitive are to be congratulated on having at the helm a young and energetic man who promises to be unremitting in his efforts to advance the interests of the club, and of the game jrenerally. The dilatory attitude of the New Zealand Chess Council in re the trophy to the memory of the late Mr John Mouat was the subject of scathing comment at last week's annual meeting of the Otago Chess Club. A resolution proposed by Mr R. A. Cleland, withdrawing the offer of funds to the chess council for the institution of the trophy, and making the matter of the trophy a club concern pure and simple, was carried neni. con. Various ways and means of increasing the membership of the Otago Chess Club and of popularising the game of chess were discussed by the speakers at last "Wednesday night's meeting. The Rev. A. Ti Chodowski, the newly-elected x^resiclent, expressed the opinion that if members of the club were allowed to teach chess in the public schools after school hours to those desirous of learning, the generations to conic would not loaf about street corners at night time and indulge in gambling and drinking to the same extent as the youth of to-day. The rev. gentleman pointed out with some degree of vigour that anyone devoting leisure time to chess really saved money, as the game was entirely innocuous and in ex-, pensive. Moreover, the mental exercise sharpeneed the intellect to an extent that could not be assessed at a monetary value, and the refined intellectual pleasure derived from the game must always have a-n elevating influence on players.

At the annual meeting of the Oamaru Chess Club the office-bearers elected were : — President. Mr F. Adair; captain. Archdeacon Gould ; secretary and treasurer, Mr H. Mowbray ; committee — Dr A. I. Ga,rland, Messrs C. Banks and H. Familton ; delegate to New Zealand Chess Association, Mr C. R. Mowbray. It was decided to proceed with a sealed handicap tourney with set openings, and also to hold a knock-otit tourney at a suitable da+e.

Of the 15 games played in the Marshall.Tanowski match, Marshall has -won seven, Janowski four, and four have been diawn.

Mr C. H. Osmond has been appointed one of the Ota<ro Chess Club's delegates to the New Zealand Chess Association, vice the Hon. J. Rigg, resigned.

It was announced at a meeting of the committee of the Otago Chess Club, held on Monday night, that the president, the Rev. A. T. Chodowski. had received donations of one guinea each from Messrs J. Stone, Robert G-lendming, Saul Solomon, and Leslie Harris, and half a guinea each from Messrs L. R. Wilson and Gr. D. Wright for competition pmzes during this current year for the member of the club. Details of a. telegraphic match with Oamaru players were, arrangedt

WOLFE'S SCHXAPPS is the pui^t spirit in th. a world,