CHESS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2997, 23 August 1911, Page 67

CHESS.

Conducted by F. J. Moxjat. ¥xb Otaqq Chjbss Club meets for play at th» rooms, Liverpool street, pumedin, every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evening at 8 o'olpck. Visiting chess players are cordially invited to the clnb on these evenings. PROBLEM 3730. By C. A. Hirst, Leeds. (Prom Bolton Football Pield.)

IKtBo; 3Kt2pl; IpSbHl; ktlpkßPpl; PlB 3KI; 3P4; 8; 8. Wiliito to mate in two moves, PROBLEM 3731. By Kev. Gilbert Dobbs, Commerce, U.S.A. (Prom Bolton Football Field.)

8; 4plpl; PlPpPlpl; SkKtlpl; 4Ktlßl; 2P p 4; 3PIP2; 7Q. White mate® in three move®. SOLUTIONS TO I’IIonLEHS. Problem 3728. f Key move; B-Q 8. VrProblem 3729. ./>'• Key move: R-Q B 2. GAMES. Here is >a brilliant game' —M. Chigorin (White) v. Allies (Black) —which the student will find especially interesting as pointing out one of the weaknesses of the Vienna opening. The notes are from “ Lasker’s Chess Magazine

White. Black. 1 P-K 4 P-K 4 2 Kt-QB 3 Kt KB 3 3 P-B 4 P-Q 4 ! 4P-Q3I P x BP 5B x P-a B-QKt 5 6 P-K 5 P-Q 5 b 7 P x Kt P x Kt 8 Q-K 2 ch B-K 3 9 P-QK.t 3 PxP 10 Q-K 4 Kt B 3

White. Black. 11 Kt-B 3 Q-Q 2 128-QR3 O-U-O-C 13 P x B B-Q 4 14 Q-K 2 QR-K 1 15 B-K 3 B x Kt IB Qxß Kt-Q 5 ! 17Q-B2 Rxßch 18 K-Q I Q-Kt 5 ch 19 KB 1 Q-B5! 20 Resigns

A) If ho plays 5 P-K 5, Black replies P-Q 5 with advantage. (b) The proper- play, as it beeps White busy defending himself, tand thereby pervents him from developing. (c) Excellent {xosition judgment. The result shows that this seemingly unwarranted s«.criflo9 was quite sound.

CHESS ITEMS. A tourney is to be held shortly to decide tlia che3s championship of -the Wairarapa district. JPhe winner will be a competitor in the contest for the New Zealand championship. Mr A. W. Oi. Davies, twice champion of ■New Zealand, and a prize-winner at each of the last seven championship tournaments, haa decided to join his brother in business in Queensland. Section play in the annual handicap tournament of the Wellington Chess Club haa just concluded. The leading scores in section 1 were: —Carman, 8 wins 1 loea; Fouhy, 7 —2; Hicks, 6 —3; Arden, 6 —3; James, 5—4; Barnes, 4 —5; Scott (since deceased), 4 —5. In section 2 the best tallies are: —Gyles, 8—0; Oimino, 6—2; Kelling, 5—3; Douglas, 4 —4; Kemsley, 4 —4. The three highest scorers in each section will now play off in a final full-round tourney of six to decide the holding of the Petherick trophy and the various prizes-. Play in the annual handicap chess tourney of the Wellington Working Men's Club is proceeding rapidly. The General Committee has once more decided to supplement the entrance fees, and consequently five prizes are available as in former years. At present Mr R. J. Barnes, the club champion, is leading with four clear wins. He is closely followed by Wilson, 3—l; Dalrymple, 2—l; C. Eeid, 2—l; Wild, s£—l£; Burgess, 5 —2; and Kelling, 4—2. This tourney is not yet half played, there being nine more rounds to go. The leading scores in the Kilbimie Chess Club's first tournament are as follow:—S. Gyles (class III), 9—l; Purchas (class I), B—2;8 —2; Ward (class I), 7—3; and Banks (class III), 6 —3. Messrs Featonby and Willis were also well to the fore, but the Bev. Blackburne, who was making a good showing, had to withdraw through being unable to attend on the club night (Thursday). It is understood that Mr Gyles will not have an opponent in the final round, and that he has received a number of well-merited congratulations on proving the winner in his maiden tourney. Good progress is being made in the annual handicap tourney of the South Wellington Chess Club, the best tallies to data I, ; ' _ •. - follows:—B. B. Allan, 6—l; Welton, o-z-; Purchas, 5- -2; Penrott, 3—2; Hicks, G—:J: Hturper, 4 —3; Armstrong, 3^—3 l; Thompson. :•'—">; and Low, 2>—2. There is a prospect of the club trophy changing hands, 93 Hicks, the presort holder, sustained his third loss ai week ago when conceding the odds of

pawn and move to Welton. A feature of the> tourney is the rapid advance which is being mado by Berrott. He started badly with, two defeata, and then mad© a._ fine recovery, winning from three of the winners in succession. If he can sustain this success the silver knight trophy may shortly be found in his possession. An interesting chess match was contested at Masterton on the 9th inst., when the local club was defeated by the Lower Valley team. It was practically a, North v. South Wairarapa. contests with Waingawa as the dividing line, and South got the best of the " airgunient," scoring 5 wins (by Messrs Conntll, Walter Kurnmer, St. John, Syvertson, and Hood) to 2 (by Messrs Winchester and H. Summer). The gam© Dagg (Masterton) v. Moore (Carterton) was drawn, and the game between P. Kummer (Maurioeville) and Paul Kummei (T© Whaorau) was evidently broken off at an interesting stage, otherwise it would not have been sent to Mr W. E. Mason for adjudication. The champion's verdict, however, cannot alter the result of the match—the " ashes " are at present on tho south side of Waingawa. Mr H. It. James, the well-known Wellington player .has put forth ia further proposal for the elimination of weak players from the annual contest for the chess championship of New Zealand, Mr James's suggested new rule is in these words:—"Tho council, however, shall be bound to accept without question the , nomination of any person who has been one of the first three prize-takers in any previous championship tournament, or who has in at least two such previous tournaments been a ' eieger ' —i.e., has scored more than half the highest possible number of points attainable in such tournament. Provided that any prize-winner, or ' sieger,' as above, who has in three consecutive subsequent championship tournaments failed to retain his position as a ' sieger ' shall be deemed to be for that reason disqualified for further entry to such tournaments exoept as provided for in section D of this rule. (Section D gives povor to increase tho number of entries, up to ! eight, in tho event of the entries being disappointingly small.) All other nominations! shall, be accompanied by a record of the chess performances cif tie person nominated The council will consider all such records as submitted, a/nd will accept or reject such nomination according as its accompanying record may seem to require."