DRAUGHTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2955, 2 November 1910, Page 67

DRAUGHTS.

Conducted by Jos. Abernethy.

Solutions of problems, games, and analyses invited for this column. Games should be written in six columns as below, and all correspondence addressed to the Draughts Editor. Otago Club.—The Otago Club meets every Saturday evening _at Sweetings, Rattray street. Visitors welcome. Goee. —Gore Club meet 3 on Friday nights in the Criterion Hotel. Visitors welcome. PROBLEM 2805By A. Jobdan, Champion of England. [Black]

Black: 3, kings 7, 13, 22. White: 12, 29, kings 7, 9. v Black to play and win. Mr T. Frascr, Peel Forest, sends this ending from a " Waterloo," which Jordan won from him. It will be useful to some players. PROBLEM 2806. By W. Veal, Southampton, England. [Black.]

Black: 2,4, 14, 16, 19, king 21. White: 7, 11, 22, 27, 31, king 20. White to play and win. TO CORRESPONDENTS. J: D., Gladstone House. —The problem is all right. You should have sent in your play. Solution may appear next week. Waikouaiti. —Thanks for results of tournament. W. P., Huntly.—Pleased to hear from you. Thanks for contributions. W. D., Christchurch. —Thanks for problems, which aire welcome. Captain C, Great Yarmouth, England.— Yours of September 17 to hand. W. Veal. —Your continued favours are appreciated. GAMESJORDAN'S GAMES. The following are the only games played between Messrs W. Penman, champion of New Zealand, and A. Jordan, champion of England, during the latter's visit to Huntly just prior to leaving New Zealand. Game 3032.—" Dyke." Black —A. Jordan. White—W. Penman. 11 15 25 22 13 22 23 16 7 10 25 21 22 17 8 11 25 18 12 1!) 14 7 16 15 19 30 25 11 16 21 27 2 20 18 15 21 15 4 8 20 25 « 9 21 17 3 7 10 19 22 18 8 12 27 24 9 13 26 23 23 16 9 13 27 23 20 27 17 14 a- 7 10 12 19 18 14 16 20 32 16 13 17 14 7 Then 6 9, drawn. (a) 17 22, 23 19, 22 26, 19 16, 26 31, draws. The game has proceeded along familiar lines, Slaving the players any trouble. Game 3033.—" Whilter." Black—W. Penman. White—A. Jordan.

(a) This game also runs along familiar tracks. The following games exemplify the skill of the late Scottish master, George Buchanan: Game 3034.—" Aryshire Lassie." (From the 1897 Scottish Tourney.) Black—Ballantyne. "White—Buchanan.

(a) Black gains a, powerful game after this ruove. (b) Buchanan- from this stage begins to build up the splendid conception which ultimately gave him a draw out of what appeared a hopeless game. (c) The position is now Problem 2799 this column. Buchanan astonished his o'ppc-* nent and the spectators who were grouped round th-e board with forcing a draw by the sacrifice of three pieces, as follows, being solution to Problem 3799 :

Game 3035.—*' Millbury." Black—K. Stitt. White—G.'Buchanan.

Then 13 19, 27 24, 20 27, 32 16, 28 32, 7 y., ■32 27, 26 22, etc.—Buchanan won. m.) Forms ProKhaan QSWt. Solution follows.

Game 3036.—" Edinburgh." By W. Veal, Southampton, England.

(a) Loser; 2S 24 looks like a draw. <b)t Left as looks like a White win in Eastern "Weekly Press; above play turns the tables. (c) In play I sent to E. W. P. and Gin*, gow Weekly Mail I gave 9 14 here, but Mr M'Gill showed a draw against it. This, howover, sustains my play for a- Black win. (1) 9 S, 26, 5 1, 6 9, 1 5, 9 14, 5 1, 10 15, 1 6, 15 18, B. wins. WAIKOUAITI CLUB. A correspondent writes under date October 24: —After somo delay and the scratching out of several of the original entrants, our handicap \tournament has at last corns to an end. Mr J. A. Townsend wins first prize (donated by Mr D. W. Malloch) and Mr J. Feather3ton second prize (donated bf Mr J. A. Townsend). The maximum nunibef of points was 24 (two games each). th< thanks of the players are due to Mr W. Fell, secretory, for his painstaking worl in connection with the tournament. The following shows the positions of thT various players:

NOVELISTS AND DRAUGHT?. Wo are indebted to the famoun Yorksnir* player, draughts editor of the Yorkshire Post, for the following interesting contribution: So far as my recollection goes, few of th« classical novelists refer to the game oi Draughts. I have seen such occasionally in lighter reading, but have kept no record ol it. The following may be of interest: In Dickens's " David CopperSeld," iha young hero ? speaking to Mr Peggoity inpraiso of hi 9 school chum, Stearforth, says :' " Nothing seems to cost him any trouble He knows a task if he only looks at it, Ha is the best cricketer you ever saw. Ho will give you almcst as many men as you lika. at Draughts and beat you easily." Again the same author opens " Little Dorrit" with a scene in a cell in the gaol at Marseilles. Describing the setting be says: " Beside tho two men a notched and disfiguredl bench, immovable from the wall, with a Draughts board rudely hacked upon it with a knife, a set of Draughts made of old buttons and soup bones. . . . That was all the chamber held." E. A. Poe, in the opening chapter of "The Murders in tho Rue Morgue," compares Chess, Bra.ugb.ts, and Whist, oo"'ending that in the first, " What is complex w mistaken (a not unusual error) for what is profound," and further asserts that " The higher powers of the reflective intellect are more decidedly and usefully tasked by the unostentatious game of Draughts." He continue'" with the argument that Whist has advantages over both games. Longfellow mentions the game in " Ev&ne geline," and some writers on Draughts point out that it is referred to in the " Odysney * ; of Homer, about 900 years B.C. This, however, is' not clear. In Pope's translation, which I have read, Minerva is described m visiting the Palace of Ulysses, who has not yet returned from tho Trojan war, where sho finds the Suitors: " With rival art. and ardour in their At Chess they vie, to captivate the Queen. Dryden, I am told, translates the word frontf the Greek as Draughts. As tho origin of neither g>amo is known,, tho contention of the Chora author, ton, that " Draughts preceded dices, just a? the simple invention precedes the complex,'" l is worthy of note. The authors thus follow a very old path'. They picture Chess as the pastime of tho palace, while Draughts, where neither King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, or Ca/stle is required! for tho play, is the humble game, tho giamci for the schoolboy, a pastime in the gaol. The average player will not, I fear, be too ready to admit that these writers possessed more than a very elementary knowledge oi tho game 3. The following extract is from Fitzgerald'* version of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.: —a " Wo are no other than a moving row Of Magic Shadow-sha.D63 that come and go, . Round with the Sun-illuminated Lantern helot In Midnight by the Master of the Show; But heloless Pieces of the Game He playa Upon this Chequer-board of Nights wrf Days; Hither and thither moves, and checks, ana slays, t And one by one back in the Cloaat lr.ys. Willie Gaedneu, Leeds, England.

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMSProblem 2793 (Bv A. Jordan).—Black! Kings 10, 27, 31. White: 24, kings 16, 20. Black to play; "White to draw. 10 io 15 10 31 20 £6 23 10 15 I*s 19 19 16 16 11 * 11 8 811 Drawn. The position Mr Jordan wanted to get was this id*fl. of W. Gardner's (England):—■ Black 1, kings 15, 27. White: 5, 21, king 20 Black to play and win by 1 6, etc. Problem 2739 (By the late G. Buchanan).— See Game 3034 above. Problem 0800 (By the late G. Buchanan).— S©3 Game 3035 above. Problem 2801 (By W. Dunn).—Black: 3, 4, 17, 18, 25, king 31. White: 12, 15, 16, 24, kings 11, 13. Black to play and win. 4 S 31 27 27 1) IS 22 13 £9 11 4 15 8 Black wins.

It 15 5 9 12 19. 11 15 W 31 31 2fl 23 1!) 17 13 23 7. 25 22 27 23 32 23 9 14 3 7 2 11 6 10 20 27 26 12 22 17 29 25 26 23 13 6 2 7 14 10 7 11 7 II 15 18 15 18 8 11 4 £ 25 22 31 26 22 15 22 15 7 16 A-10 7 11 16 16 20 10 26 10 26 14 18 Drawn 26 23 19 16 30 23 6 2 23 14

11 15 12 19 15 18 9 13 ?5 29 29 25 24 20 22 17 22 15 17 14 27 23 19 10 S 11 !» 14 19 23 13 17 29 25 25 29 23 18 18 9 27 9 28 24 14 9 9 5 4 S 5 14 6 29 17 21 811 29 25 2(i 5U 26 22 15 6 32 27 23 18 26 22 t-15 lit 11 15 2 9 29 T5 25 29 C-25 29 23 16 29 25 21 17 B-31 26 24 19

18 15 11 25 16 11 7 16 £0 11 1 6 11 7 3 10 5 1 0 9 1 « 10 15 6 13 19 23 15 19 17 22 13 17 Drawn.

11 15 18 15 12 19 26 23 8 12 30 25 22 18 11 18 24 15 2 7 15 8 3 7 8 11 22 15 4 & 31 26 12 19 4 8 25 22 7 10 22 17 7 11 a-28 24 7 10 16 £0 25 22 14 18 23 19 19 28 8 11 29 25 10 19 17 13 5 9 8 4 10 15 10 14 23 16 9 14 19 16 1 5 11 7

9 13 22 25 6 9 £ii 30 e i 69 24 19 29 22 13 6 6 i 14 9 17 22 11 15 11 15 2 18 30 25 1 5 C-1015 28 24 22 17 31 26 I 6 9 6 22 26 8 11 4 8 5 9 25 22 5 1 15 18 22 18 17 13 21 17 6 10 6 2 26 31 15 22 1 6 9 13 12 16 1 5 9 14 25 18 26 22 17 14 24 20 3 7 3127 10 15 7 11 IS 22 8 11 5 9 1410 i!) 10 32 28 26 17 a-27 24 B- 7 10 27 23 H 22 15 IS 13 22 22 17 1- 9 13 10 15 2(i 17 22 15 14 9 10 t; a fi 31 S7 13 22 11 18 22 2t> 17 11 13 17 18 23 30 26 23 14 9 6 Blsck wins.

Points Gained. Hdcp. Total T. Brown .. 20£ — 20J J. A. Townsend .. .. 21J 1 22i W . Mudgo .. .. .. 15 2 17 A. Williamsoifc .. .. 9£ 2 11J w . Flannery* , t ., 11 6 17 J. Fry , .. 10£C MS B. W. Fell .. .. .. 14 ' G 20 D. W. Malloch .. .. 12* 6 ISi J. F&atherston .. : .. 15 6 21 J. M'Tamney .. 10A 8 18| J. Allen .. 7 8 15 J. W. Miller .. .. .. 4 10 H R. Templeton, jun. .. 5 13 19