CHESS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 67

CHESS ITEMS.

Tie adjourned annual meeting of the Canterbury Chess Club is to be held on the 22nd ins*. Mr J. J. Marlow his this year won the junior championship of the Otago Chess Club with a score of 7 wins and 1 loss. One of the games in the Masters' Interi national Tourney recently concluded at i Carlsbad lasted 158 moves! [ London Opinion says that Dr Jan Dubrosky (deceased) was one of the very finest of composers, and that his problems will long be remembered for their subfltety of design and construction. Professor Osier's old age theory that a man is useless after 45 and should 1 be chloroformed at 60 has exceptions in the ''case of H. E. Kidson, of Liverpool, and F. Schrufer, of German fame. The former is now 75 years old, and the latter 85, and both are active and vigorous, and turning out first-class chess problems of surpassing 1 beauty and difficulty. Torquay Directory states that Mr C. W. Jeffery has secured the championship of the Leeds Chess Club without losing a game. He also won the Rayner Memorial Handicap Tourney, gaining 19J out of 20, as well as the Yorkshire championship. A brilliant performance ! " Chesa " (says an eminent King's Connect) "is excellently calculated to chain a wander> ing mind to its task — to induce those habits of patient and original attention, cautious circumspection, accurate calculation, and forecasting of consequences which are essential to the successful study and practice of 1 The Times, referring to Mrs Baird's " Farewell," as announced in her new book, says: — "The problematic world can ill afford to lose a lady who has shown herself capable ! of such good work as appears in her two books." Norwich Mercury also- expresses the hope that Mrs Baird will continue her activity in the problem world 1 . Mr A. W. O. Davies, of Wellington, to whom the three unfinished games in the recent match by telegraph between the Timaru and Christchurch Chess Clubs were submitted for adjudication, has announced hi* award. The game at Board 1 between B. PaTker (Chriatchurch) and T. O'Mara (Timaru) is declared a draw; the one at Board 7 between W. Buckett (Cbristchurch) and J. Mallouk (Timaru) a win for Mr Buckett; while the game played at Board 9 between F. H. Cumberworth (Christchurch) and W. King (Timaru) is awarded as a win for the latter. The final result of the match is therefore a victory for the Chrißtchurch i team by 7 wins to 4. \ William Cook, better known in connection \ with " Cook's Compendium," writes : " There was never a period when more chess was played in London and province than at the present day. . . . Never were there more 1 clubs, club members, matches and tourneys, while outside the magic circles may be found thousands who indulge in the 'parlour play,' and thousands more who find a constant source of entertainment in BOtlving the problems that appear in chess columns, solvers who never trouble to send in their solutions, for they do notr appreciate the delight it ■ would give chess editors to receive them." According to the rules of the New Zealand Chess Association the Committee of Management for the next congress tos to be set up by the three Wellington affiliated clubs jointly. The Working Men's Club has accordingly nominated Messrs R. J. Barnes, J. G. W. Dalrymple, and F. K. Kelling as its representatives on said committee. The other two clubs have not yet dealt with the matter. Mr Dalrymple has also been elected as the Working Men's Club's delegate to the New Zealand Chess Association (vice Mr J. F. Pearson, removed to Hastings, Hawke's Bay). In acknowledging " the blushing honours heaped upoq him" Mr Dalrymple modestly said that if there was any money left in ■Wellington when the V.M.C.A. people had done he would collect Bcme for the coming congress. The award of the judges (Messrs H. W. Barry and Max J. Meyer) in the problem theme tourney promoted by the Norwich Mercury is announced. The tourney wa3 a novel one. Its main feature was a model mate, or mates, in a two-move problem, which had to be reproduced in similar style in a tiwee-mover. The first prize has been won bj P. F. Blake, Liverpool; second, F. Gamage, Westborough, Mass., U.S.A.; third, Br. A. Comas, Ozieri, Italy; fourth, F. W. Wynne, Dudley. In addition to the prizes for sets, two prizes were also offered for the best two-movers and three-movers not winning one of the leading prizes. These were awarded as follows:— Two-movers: First, G-. Heathcote, Amside; second, F. A. L. Kuskop, New Zealand. Three movers: First, W. Geary, London; second, Sigmuna Herland, Bucharest, Boumania. Other sets were highly commended, and special mention was made of a clarer miniature set by B. J. Wjntei-Wood,