CHESS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2761, 3 May 1916, Page 8

CHESS

AVELLINGTON SOUTH CLUB. The eleventh annual meeting of ■ the Wellington South Club was held on Thursday. Mr. \V. Armstrong (president) tho chair, and there was a very gratifying attendance of members. The balance-sheet showed a small credit balance, in addition to which tho club has assets .valued, at £li. The report of tho secretary (Mr. Perrott) stated (hat .' 12 members competed ,in the annual handicap tourney in which pride of place was taken by Mr. A. Clark, with a tally of $1 points, lie accordingly wins the handsome Staunton pattern chess set presented by the president, Mr, Armstrong. Mr. Clark was closely followed by Mr. Purchas (8 wins), Messrs. Armstrong, Douglas, and Harper (each 7-J wins), and Mr. Berry (7 wins). A championship tourney was inaugurated during the year, open-to .tho iir3t eight members available from the "ladder." The' contest proved very interesting and produced some fine play. It resembled the handicap tourney, m that the final stages saw a hard-fought contest' between Messrs. Purchas and A. Clark for first place. On this occasion the half-point margin at the finish was in favour of Mr. Purchas, whoso final score was 5 wins and 2 draws, as against Mr. Clark's 5 wins 1 draw and 1 loss.

.Mr. Purchas is accordingly the first holder of the championship gold medal presented by Mr. AV. B. P. Perrott. The tenth annual match with the Working Men's Club resulted in a win for the visitors |by one game. The Working Men's Club'has now won 5 matches, the AYellington South Club, 4; and one ended in a tie. Tho two "liomc-and-homc" matches with the Ngaio Club were won, the first by a substantial margin, but the return match was very evenly contested. Thanks are accorded to the donors of trophies referred to above, to Dr. Kemp, and Mr. AV. Berry for valued donations to the club's funds, and to Mr. B. B. Allen (expresident) for presenting the Silver Knight trophy, which lie wriu outright in 1912. The result of .Mr. Allen's generous action is to provide the first prize 'in the annual handicap tourney for some years at least, as it must be won three times by the same player before it can be claimed. The membership for (lia year was 1G active and 5 honorary. The report and balance-sheet were adopted unanimously. The election of officers for 191G-17 resulted as ' follows:—President, Mr. V\ T . Armstrong; vice-presidents, Dis. •T. If. Kemp and P. Bowerbnnk, licr. D. H. Jenkins, and Messrs. B. B. Allen and P. K. Kelling; lion, secretary and treasurer, Mr. AV. B. 11.-Perrott';I 1 .-Perrott'; committee, Messrs. Weinp, Berry, Douglas. Claris and Purchas; delegate to is./,. Chess Association, Mr. Purchas; auditor. Mr; G. IT. loaey. The trophies won during the pnst year were then presented J>y the chairman. A very successful meeting terminated with a hearty vote of thanks to 'last year's office-bearers.