DRAUGHTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18961, 7 January 1930, Page 4

DRAUGHTS.

(By “WILL O* THE WISP”). 1 POSITION NO. 433. By J. R. Yeoman. Black—ls, 18, 21; king 29.

White—32; kings 30, 31. White to move and win.

The play is as follows: fo nn 29 25 14 18 24 28 18—22 a 17 —14 19—24 26 30 26—17 15—19 30—26 25—29 , x Then 18—22 and white wins. <a> If 29—25, then 26—22, 25—29, 32—27, etc., and white wins. FROM SOUTH AFRICA. The following game was played in a correspondence match between J. A. Welman, of Pietermaritzburg (Black), and J. Featherstone, of Durban (White) Opening—Slip Cross.

White wins (d). (a) Weak. (b) White ought to win after this move. (c.) The position at this stage makes a nice problem. (d) A neat ending. AMERICAN TOURNAMENT GAME. The following game was played in the seventh American tournament, and is notable because it was the only loss sustained by S. Gonotsky during two years of strenuous match play, in which period Gonotsky contested about 250 match and tournament games in those two years. He won the first prize at the tournament, referred to, and, to the deep regret of the draughts world, died not

llllllllllllllllllllllHllilllilllllillllllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllillllllllU long afterwards. His opponent in the loss was J. B. Hanson. The score and notes are from the “Draughts Review”: “ Kelso Exchange.”

White won. (a) The position is now probablv a White win. If 12—16, 15—S, 3—12 24—19, I—s, 26—22, 9—13, 18—9, 5—14, .22 —18, 14—17, 25—22, 17—26, 31—22 2—6, 18—14. White wins. (b) 2—6 also loses by B—3, 6—9. 2—7 10—14, 7—lo, 14—17, 10—15 17 26’ 18—14, 9—lß, 15—31. White wins. DRAUGHTS NOTES. The first treatise on the game of draughts which we have * ny . record was published in i>pain by Torquemada in the sixteenth century; later works by Canalejgs and Larcez appeared; the former in 1650, the latter in 1685. A French manual on the game was published in 1668, entitled La Jeu de Dames.” The compiler was Pierre Mallet, mathematician to the King of France. Mallet was so confident of his own powers that he challenged, in quaint terms, any Christian or barbarian champion to play a match for a dozen pistoles. The pioneer of English draughts literature was William Payne, who, like Pierre Mallet, was a mathematician. There seems to be something about the game that harmonises with mathematics—probably the exactness and logic of each study. Payne’s book “Guide to the Game of Draughts,” was published in 1756. It was about this time that draughts or checker boards were used as hotel signs in England and Scotland to indicate that the game could be played there.

11 —Jo 29—2;> 17—26 6— 2 23—18 S—11b IS—15 19—23 8 — 11 22 — 37 31 — 38 2— 7 27 —7'7 *— 5 23—14 11—16 33 —J* 25 — 22 9 — 38 7 —13 38 — 33 3— 7 30—14 23—26 lb—20 * 17—13 7—11 28—24 31—27 14—17 14— 9 20—27 7—16 21—14 5—14 11—20 22—18 10—17 24—19 27—31 9— 14a 22—18 16—23 32—2 7 18— 9 6— 9 27— 9 31—21 5—14 13— 6 12—16 20—27 25—22 2— 9 9— 6 4— 8 26—22 16—19c

ITT] iiiiiiiiiJiiii W I .a Whi 3— 15—1 7—1 11 , 2— 8— : 7—1 3— 11—1 18—1 10— I 22—1 14—1 11— 17—2 7—1 22—2 2 7—2 20—2 -Gonotsky. 32—27 10—14 24—19 16—20 25— 24 8—11 19—15 11—16a 24— 19 1— 5 26— 22 9—13 IS— 9 5 14 22—IS 14—17 25— 22 17—26 31—22 Black— l'O—15 22—18 1 5—22 2 5—18 ii—ir> 18—11 8— 15 21—17 9— 13 30—25 13—22 25—11 7—16 23—18 5— 9 27 23 6— 10 29—25 4— 8