CHESS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 17, 15 October 1917, Page 8

CHESS

THE WELLINGTON CLUB. The match for the top rung of the Wellington Club's ladder, between R. J. Barnes (defender) aud W. 10. Mason (challcnger), ended in favour of lift former, who won both games. Mr. Barne?, who is in fine form, therefore retains the club championship. The test for rung 16, between S. Mackav- and E. S. Taylor, ended in favour of the latter, by 2i' games to I|. Mr. Taylor (who is still leading in the club's annnul handicap tourney, closely followed 'by Barnes, Purchas, and S. Mackay) has now onallenged the president, C; W. Tanner, for the next higher rung. Aa showing the popularity of the ladder competition it may bo added that sixteen matches have been completed since Easter, while eight more are in progress or about to commence. The Wellington South Club is sending a fairly representative .team to Masterton for the two-round match against the local club that is scheduled to commence nest Saturday evening and to conclude on the forenoon of Labour Day. By 6Coring two wins last week W. J. liarper improved his chance of annexing the third prize in the club's current handicap tourney. A. 10-aside matoh was played by telegraph on Monday lost between the Nelsoa and Marlborough Clubs, and was won by the former, Nelson scoring four wins and drawing three games. The other three games ore marked incomplete, but the adjudication of these cannot deprive Nelson of victory. A writer in one of onr Marlborough contemporaries estimates the final result as likely to be; Nelson, 8 points; ■ Marlborough; 2 points. No fewer than seven of the games in the recently-played match, Otago v. Canterbury, are marked incomplete. According to southern critics an exceptionally close result may be looked for when the outstanding games have bsen adjudicated. The tourney held recently to dacido the Auckland championship was won by J'. N. Stewart, an ex-member of the Bradford Chess Club. Ho left England soino six or seven years ago, and competed for the New Zealand championship at the 1913-H congress, winning exactly half his games and giving promise ot doing better later on. Mr. Griersou, who has held the Auckland championship on ten occasions and been runnerup for tho title eight times, came next to Mr.. Stewart in the tourney just concluded. The Auckland Club's handicap tourney resulted in a tie between P. N. Stewart (Class I) and T. Cannon (Class II). Mr. Cannon thus wins the "Gambit Cup," Mr. Stewart bein" ineligible through having competed for the New Zealand championship. This being Mr. Cannon's second win tho trophy is .now won outright by him. ■ Tho success of this returned soldier, who is a quiet and very unassuming player, is naturally very popular.

DRAUGHTS. Tho Watcrsidcrs Draughts Club has hvo new sealed handicap tourneys in progress—a senior and a junior. Eighteen players aro taking part in the senior tourney, in which each competitor plays G8 games, i.e., four games with each of his seventeen opponents. The following are the best scores- made to date:—-j. Burgess, 15 wins, 5 losses; Manson, 10—(!; Butler 2G—lO; Kent. 18—10; J. Keid, 21—11:' W. Wright,' 21—1G; W. Connor, jjj id; J. A. Grocn, 19—17; and J. Grant, 34—22. The'ro aro thirty-one competitors in Ibo junior tourney, each of whom lias t<> play 61 games, i.e., two with each of Ins fellow-competitors. Tho best tallies to date aro as follow:—J. Tucker, 211—10; J Jenkins, 49-115 W. Epson., 20-12; M'Cabe, 39-13; J. Hani, 33-j:.; Hazel, "5-17; Martoll, 26-18; If. A. Bull, 3G—2O; and J. Armstrong, 36-23. Mr. Erickson, the club champion, who has iefl for tho West Coast, is greatly missed by his follow-metubers.