CHESS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2332, 14 December 1914, Page 7

CHESS

THE N.Z, CHAMPIONSHIPS

ENTRIES FOR THE TOURNEY

Entries for the twenty-eighth tournament to decide the Chess Championship of New Zealand closed on Saturday. There are sixteen nominations, of which two are marked "withdrawable." The list is as follows:—A. W. 0. Davies and J. 0. Grierson (Auckland CO.), K. A. Hicks (Napier CO.), S. W Moore (Masterton CD.), 0. 0. Pleasants (Wanganui CO.), John Mason (Palmerston North), W. C. Hill and H. A. Mackenzie (Wellington C.C.), G. F. Dodds (Nelson CO.); E. H. Severn© and W. H. Buckett (Canterbury CO.), T. Mara (Timaru C.C.), Rev. B. G. Fox .(Little River), Rev. 0. E. Fox (Norfolk Island), and the "withdrawable" nominations of R. J. Barnes and F. K. Kelling (Wellington Working Men's Club). Of these entrants 10 boloug to .the North Island, live to the South Island, and one to Norfolk Island. The number of competitors (if none of them drop out) has only- been exceeded once, viz., at the Chistchurch Exhibition Congress of eight years ago, when 20 players took part. !

There is every prospect of a most interesting contest. Mr. Barnes has been champion five times, Messrs. Grierson and Davies twice each, and Mr. John Mason has tied for the. ohampionship three times, being successful in the play-off on one occasion: Mr. Barnes is at the present time champion of the Wellington CO., and also holds the top rung in the Working Men's Club. Mr. Davies recently won the Auckland Championship with the fine score of .17$ points out of 19. Mr. Grierson came second to Mr. Davies in this contest. Ho has held the Auckland championship very consistently during the past 20 years—oftener, in fact, than all his opponents put together. • John Mason has been to nine congresses and won prizes at eight of these gatherings. It will thus be seen that, like the players already mentioned, he is a most consistent performer. Mr. E. A. Hicks, who came very near to winning the ohampionship at the Nelson Congress two years ago, is evidently in fine form at present, seeing that he won the first prize in the recently concluded 1 Napier tourney with the excellent score of 23} points out of a possible 24. Mr. 0. 0. Pleasants has. been champion of Wanganui ever since he_ left Halcombe to settle there. His this year's tally in the local tourney is 10 wins, one loss, so it may be assumed that he has not lost any of tho form ths.t secured for him the second prize, whim the championship was fought out in Wanganui. Mr. W. C. Hill is the hon. secretary of the Wellington Chess Cluib. He formerly belonged to the Plymouth Club. He lost no time getting busy in Wellington taking the first prize in two of, tho three local tourneys that he has contested. Ho is the present holder of the Petherick Trophy No. 2. (Mr. P«tthorick's No. 1 trophy wa6 won outright by Mr. Barnes six years ago.) Mr. H. A. Mackenzie, who only left Wellington College a year ago, is a colt of murih more than ordinary promise, and is'expected to create an excellent impreirsion at this his first congress. F. K.'. Kelling, who will be the Working Men : \s Club s "second string" if he can secuite leave of absence, holds Rung 2 on the club's ladder, and Rung 6 on- tho Wellington Club's ladder. Ho has been to teik congresses and won a prize at six of iVheni';'-' S. W. Moore, of Carterton, has performed well in Wairarapa tourneys and matches, but failed to do justice to 'liis wide knowledge of the game when competing at Auckland last year. He Should take a higher place this time. G. F. Dodds, who represents Nelson) was formerly champion of the Otago- Chess Club. He has been to three congresses, being placed on one occaion, a;ud, in addition, has twice won the brilliancy prize. Hiß play is very forcei'sul and never dull. E F. Severne, thei Canterbury champion, won the fifth prize at the Nelson Congress two years 1 ago. He should do better on the present occasion, especially if he succeeds in reduoing his percentage of drawn games. His olubniate, AV. H. Buckett, has done well in local tourneys, and his, prospects seem to depend almost entirely on how he can sustain his form;' when playing regularly day after divy for some 2£ weeks. The Timaru "crack," T. Mara, has only competed once, viz., at the Timaru Congress four years ago, when he shared the fourth priae with Messrs. Dunlop (now Oamaru) a-ad E. A. Hicks (Napier). His games against the outgoing and incoming champions were, perhaps, the best of several fine performances. As evidence of his present form, it may be added that he scored 15J points out of a possible 16 in this year's tournoy of the Timaru C.C. The Rev. B. G. Fox competed in 1908, proving himself well up in the openings and good in the mid-game.' Th.9 weak link in his chain, 60 to speak, was the endgame, which he has-no doubt strengthened in the meantime. His handicap is inability to get good practice. This also applies to his brother, the Rev. G. E. Fox, whose opportunities fox play have been very few since he left Now Zealand to work in the Melanosian mission fields. The Rev. C. E. Fox won the brilliancy prize at the Timaru Conguess four years ago, but the four intervening years have been spent in the mission field, and his caissic pleaures have been confined to playing oveT games appearing- in sundry weekly papers, etc.

From these notes it will be seen that only three of the 16 competitors are making their first appearance, and also that several centres are being represented by their best talent, viz., Auckland, Napier, Masterton, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Nelson, Christchurch, and Timaru. As the entries are larger than usual, and a day has been lost by not commencing play on Boxing Day, the New Zealand Chess Association will probably hold an emergency meeting this week to authorise the playing of" more than six rounds per week. Very complete arrangements have been made for the congress, and everything points to a most successful meeting, despite tho regretted absence of tho present champion, Mr. W. E. Mason, of this City.