CHESS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17347, 30 September 1924, Page 4

CHESS.

BY W. S. XING.) Items of interest are invited and the editor will be pleased to answer questions concerning any branch of the gam© or chess. Short games having points of merit will be welcomed for publication. Solu tions of a. problem should be sent within a week of appearance of the diagram. PROBLEM No. 176. By IV. Higgs, Caulfield. Black (eight men).

White (nine men). b 6 b, Kt q P R 4. 6 Kt 1, 3 p 4 1 F k 4. p P 1 p 4. 5 K B 1, 1 kt 2 Q 3. White to play and mate in two moves. SOLUTION. Problem No. 175, by R. IT. Bridgewater, two moves. Key move. K—B 2. A USTR ALIA X CHAMPIONSHIP. By winning the following game in the final round of the Australian championship tournament, Mr C. 0, Watson (Victoria) drew level with Mr W. S. Viner (N.S.W.), but Mr Watson lost the play-off game, the score of which was published last week. The score and notes are from the ‘‘Australasian”:— Zukertort Opening. j White—Watson. Black—Viner. I 1 Kt K B 3 IP Q 3 (a > 2P—Q42 Kt K B 3 3 P B 4 (b) 3 Q Kt Q 2 4Q—B2 4 P K 4 6P—K4 6 B K 2 6 P QKt 3 6 P B 3 (c) 7 B Kt 2 7Q-B2 8 Q Kt 0 2 8 Kt R 4 9 P to ICt 3 (d) 9 B B 2 10 B Kt 2 30 P K Kt 3 11 Castles K 31 Kt B 1 ■l2 P B 5 (e) 32 P x B P 13 P x K P 33 B K 2 14 Kt— B 4( f i 14 Kt —K 3 25 Kt Q 6 ch 15 K B 1 16 Q Q 2 16 P Kt 3 37 K R Q 1 17 B B 3 15 Q It B 1 18 K Kt 2 19 B KR 3 (g) 19 QR-Qi 20 R B 3 <h) 20 K R B 1 21 B Q E 1 21 B x Kt (i) 22 P x B 22 It x P 23 Q x R 23 R Q 1 24 P K 5 (j) 24 R x Q 25 P i E 25 Q Q 1 26 B x Kt 2G P x B 27 B Kt n 27 Kt B 3 (k) 28 Kt K 5 26 B B 1 29 Tt B 3 29 Q K 1 20 B x Kt. ch 30 Resigns (a) We must admit to an inability to understand why a player voluntarily prefers to play a Philidor defence to defending a Queen’s Pawn Game—the former is j generally admitted to be a weak defence, vhilo wo see no reason to dread the latter. We can only echo Lasker s comment on a similar opening:—” A weak opening; qu’te in accord with the modern school.” (b) 3 P K 4. P K 4 would be the ordinary Philidor’s defence. (c) In the second game to the tie match Mr Viner played P B 4. (di Unnecessary defence; P B 5 would be more aggressive. fe) A strong move • with its threat, of Kt B 4 it makes Black's game difficult. (f) If P K 6. P B 3. and White Joses his forward P. (e) White’s position looks fine, but owing to having the diagonals of both his bishops blocked by White pawns, it is not easy to hreak through before the 33’s arc better placed. (b) Making room for the Q. B. (i) A miscalculation. Black overlooks P K 5, but he has a difficult, game. (j) If Q x Q. R x R ch: 25 K Kt 2, £ B £ ch; 26 K R 1, B x B ch; 27 Kt to Kt 1. Kt x Q wins. (L Tf Q moves; 23 P Q 7 wins. CHESS CHAT. ’J he winner of the Brisbane Congress (Australian championship), W. S. Viner, was champion of Western Australia in 1900, 1901, 1903 and 1905. In 1906 he won the championship of New Zealand. In 1303 he issued an open challenge for the Australian championship, which was then vacant. By defeating the only acceptor C. G. Watson, in a match at Perth, Viner became the champion of Australia. Tie successfully defended the title against Dr Lancaster in 1912. and against Spencer Crakanthorp in 1914. In the 1922 congress oj Melbourne he lost the title to C. G. Watson by half a point. T.ater Viner challenged Watson. The latter, being unable to arrange a match, resigned the title in 192?. Viner thus again became champion. In the 1924 tournament at Brisbane lie tied with Watson, but won the play-off by two games to one. and so retains the honour. In 39J1 he competed for the British championship and came out halfway in the list. .Efforts arc being made to arrange a set match between the Auschampion and Boris Kostich, the Following were the competitors in the British chess championship, won by 11. E. Atkins, with F. D. Yates second and Sir George Thomas third: H. E. Atkins, Huddersfield; J. H. Blake. London: W. A. Fairhurst, Manchester; W. Gibson, Glasgow; V. K. Khadelkar, Bombay; B. P. Michell. Kingston; H. E. Pr.ice. Birmingham; H Saunders. London*. R. H. V. Scott, London; F. Spencer, Liverpool; Sir George Thomas, London; F. D. Yates. Leeds.