CHESS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 581, 7 February 1882, Page 2

CHESS.

In this issue appears an advertisement from Messrs Wilkins and Jacobson, challenging any two residents in the County of Akaroa to play them a consultation game at Chess, We call attention to this no;ice because we believe it was inserted with the Bole reason of endeavoring to awake an interest in this i.Teat game on the Peninsula—an endeavor in which we most heartily coincide. To foster this peculiar pastime hero appears to us a very good thing, for more reasons than one. There is many a lonely whare on the Akaroa hills where two or three persons will have to spend long nights in the corning winter, without any help in the shape of amusements from the outside world, except an occasional paper or book. Nothing is more repulsive to human nature than sameness. Feed a man entirely on one sort of food for a month, and he will abominate it ; make him read the same book over and over again without intermission, and he will loathe it. As it is good for the stomach of man to have a variety of food, so is it good for his mind to have a variety of amusements ; a'ld we should like to see a chess-hoard isi.Vii ' i r-vciy re i-

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•.■.-■i;-.. iii ivnr.te loc.tUties. ■ Many will say that it is ridiculous to spoak of Cuess, probably thj most ancient game in the world, as a thing to introduce I'nd foster; but though it is ancient, we deny it is general, and amongst the implements to kill time in the lonely . wharo how seldom indeed do we see the chess-board and men. The dear old thumbed unci coverless " yellow back," the well-worn pack of cai'ds, of which the mysterious cleanliness of the two, ■thre"c,' four, five, and six show that euchre is their principal destiny, are, like Holloway's pills, everywhere, Out chessmen are hardly ever seen. It is often said in towns, where people are in the habit of mixing together in numbers, that the

fault of Chess is its unsociability, as it isolates two members of the company, and prevents their contributing theii* share towards the general amusement. But of course this very objection, in society, is the greatest recommendation where only two or three people are living together, as it has the power of absorbing them, and making them forget the rest,of the werl'i. N"o doubt the universal euchre or cribbage, which are the only ordinary games at cards that can be amusingly played by two, have afforded an immense amount of innocent fun. Far be it from us to detract from their merits, or propose their abolishment, for they have lightened the hours and given healthful occupation to the minds of many thousands ; but after all, when the half-dozen sticks of " Barrett's Twist" have changed hands many times, and thg right bower is known by the crease in its back, a change in the way of a game ot' Chess would be a really good thing, tt is almost ridiculous for us to sing the praises of Chess, for its merits ar? universally acknowledged. The one fact that it is played for the sake of the game alono, that the keenest interest can be raised without money entering into the transaction, shows its pre-eminence. Its combinations are so infinite that there is no end to its variety, and it is a splendid mental exercise, calling into play many of the higher intellectual qualities. We therefore believe that tho?e gentlemen who are trying to bring it into popular favor here are doing good work, and we wish them every success, We should like to see a central Chess Club in Akaroa, with branches at all the other centres of population in the Peninsula. Country members could join the nearest branch as members on payment of an annual nominal fee of, say, a shilling per annum, and for that could have the right to attend all the meetings of the club, wherever held. Games of any interest cauld be published in these columns, so that every one would see them We do really think that a catholic scheme like this would lead to a wide interchange of ideas, and to a social feeling, which would be of great benefit to many of the inhabitants os the Peuinsula.