DRAUGHTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 47

DRAUGHTS.

CONDUCTED BY. JOS. ABEUNETEIY. Eolations of problems, games, and analyses inritcd lor U)is column. Games should be written In six columns as below, and all correspondence addressed to the Draughts Editor. PROBLEM 4367. By W. Veal, Southampton, England. Black.

White. Black to play and win

TO CORRESPONDENTS. J. F. S., Gisbome.—Thanks for letter and games.

GAMES.

A correspondent sends the following games, played in the (final of the Gisbome Draughts Club championship between Messrs Turbett and W. Dixon. The latter is an old Otago Club player, and these game® will serve to show how he did not play when in Dunedin. He evidently had an "off" night, losing the first and third games and missing a win in the second. His one consolation would be that his consistent and victorious opponent was a brother Scot. Mr Dixon sends his seasonable greetings to all old confreres in the south, and the Gisborne Club members also extend the glad hand and best wishes to the local players, on whose behalf we heartily reciprocate these northern felicitations. Game 3586—" Fife." Black: Turbett. "White: Dixon. 11 16 25 22 11 27 24 19 11 15 27 18 23 19 14 18 82 23 2 6 16 11 14 30 9 14 23 14 10 14 28 24 7 16 2 7 22 17 9 25 31 27 4 8 20 11 10 14 5 9 29 22 8 11 24 20 15 19 B.wins. 17 13 3 8 80 26 8 11 11 7 8 11 27 23 v 6 10 19 16 6 9 26 23 15 18 19 15 12 19 6 2 15 22 15 11 18 23 16 18 23 Game 3589—" Paisley." Black: Dixon. "White: Turbett. 11 16 15 24 13 22 16 20 11 15 81 26 24 19 28 19 26 17 22 17 20 16 2 7 8 11 4 8 10 14 20 27 15 24 26 19 22 18 22 18 17 10 81 24 16 11 7 11 9 14 8 11 7 14. 11 15 10 15 15 18 18 9 18 9 30 25 '32 28 17 10 1116 6 14 6 13 6 10 7 11 24 27 A-19 16 25 22 25 22 25 22 24 20 11 7 Drawn. 11 15 2 6 8 7 15 24 27 31 29 25 22 17 27 24 28 19 7 2 (a) Overlooking the win by 1 6. The two games following were played in the match some months ago between Newell "W. Banks (American champion) and A. Jordan. The match took place at the popular Cedar Point, Ohio, gathering, and consisted of 20 games with 11 pieces Each player balloted a piece off the board, this being Banks's form of restriction with the idea of eliminating "book" play.' Readers will remember that Banks won. by 5 to 2 and 11 draws. We give the scores as published in the Chicago News: Before commencing play remove the pieoe3 from 10 and 24. Black: Banks. ""White: Jordan. 6 10 4 8 9 13 12 16 19 24 23 19 28 24 25 22 24 19 19 12 15 6 6 9 11 15 8 11 11 16 ll 15 24 31 20 24 22 18 22 17 27 23 14 10 6 2-A 14 10 15 22 15 18 18 27 2 7 26 23 19 18 25 18 23 14 82 23 10 6 81 27 9 14 10 15 9 18 7 11-1 1 10 23 18 16 11 18 11 80 25 25 22 23 18 27 23-b 14 18 8 5 6 9 16 20 16 19 11 15 24 27 29 25 17 14 81 27 18 15 2 6 Drawn. Variation 1. Black: Jordan. "White: Banks. 16 20 12 19 21 14 16 21 14 17 21 31 27 23 7 13 17 14 9 - 13 17 26 22 7 11 19 16 3 7 25 21 6 13 14 10 Drawn. (a) After 6 2 play 7 11. (b) After 27 23, 18 14 should be played. DRAUGHTS ITEMS. A memorial to the late Mr P. T. Best, the well-known Melbourne expert, takes the form of a framed enlarged photograph of the deceased player. It will be hung in the Central Draughts Club rooms, Melbourne. The country players were to present an armchair to the mother of the deceased, who was killed in actioli at the front last March. He offered himself five times, being four times rejected. Private "Tom," Best was a popular player, and was' for years champion of Victoria. During the progress of the last Melbourne Town v. Country match two visiters to another function in the same building were directed by mistake into the Draughts Club room, and stopped a moment to watch the play. Two oldl hands were having a tussle. One of them, who had an oid-historical-character look about him, lost several games straight away. One of the visitors, with a look at "Old Historic," said, "Is that Appius Claudius, I wonder?" "No, I'm not," quoth the old 'un (who had overheard); "I'm as miserable as blazes." Victorian Championship.—This contest concluded a couple of months ago. There were 10 entries, but only two outsido Melbourne. Tho winner turned up in Mr George Cottrill, of whom the Melbourne Times gives the following:—Georgo Cottrill, tho winner of the first prize, was born at South Melbourne in iBBO. Ho started to play abou'. 19 years ago, when he joined the Brighton Draughts Club. Later he was a member ot tho Eletcmwick Club, and signalised his appearance with this club by scoring highest points from scratch in a handicap tourney. Cottrill, more recently, was a prominent member of the Prahran Club. Ho won several handicap tourneys in the "second city," and finally was champion of the club for three years. Cottrill won third prize in the Victorian championship tourney of 1913; was runner-xip in 190-1 and 1905; and secured the premier honour in 1910. His crowning achievement, however, was the winning of the Australasian championship at

Melbourne in 1915. The champion is a most brilliant end-game player, and is remarkably well versed in "book lore." Ho was defeated in the first round of the recent tourney, but never "looked back" afterwards, his victory being a very meritorious one. SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. Problem 43G2 (by Messrs S. Shaw and W. Epsom).—Black: % 6,7, 11, 12, 21, king 31. White: 13, 14, 19, 20, 23, 24, 27„ v 28. White to play, Black to draw:—l3 9, 11 16, 20 11, 7 16, 19 15, 16 20, 15 11, 21 25, 23 19, 31 26, 11 7,2 11, 19 16, 12 19, 24 8, 26 22, 19 6, 22 18, 14 10, 25 30, 8 3, 30 26, Drawn. Problem 4363 (by H. D. Lyman).—Black: 10, 16, kings 14, 20. White: Kings 11, 28, 27. White to play and 1 draw:— 26 31, •14 9, 27 24, 20 27, 81 24, 16 20, 11 7, drawn.