CHESS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 41, 12 November 1917, Page 9

CHESS

THE WELLINGTON CLUB. The annual handicap tourney of tho 'Wellington Chess Club is nearinjjf completion. T'ho best scoro to date is that of E.S. Taylor (Class IV), viz., 8 wine, 1 draw, and 1,loss; R. J. Barnes (Class I) comes next, with 7 wins, 1 draw, and 'i losses. Other good tallies are:—Purohas, 9—4; S. Mackny, 7—4; Clutten, 6{— SJ; Faulkner, G —-6; and Hopkins, -IJ—4J. The ladder match for rung !!, between W. Mackay (defonder) and F. K. Kolling (challenger), ended in a very oasy victory for tho former, who won both games in short order. Thi6 result complotes a chain, so to speak; Mr. Still failed to dislodgo Kelling from rung 4, Kolling failed to dislodgo W. Mackay from rung Mackay, in turn, failed to oust W. E. Mason from rung 2 and finally W. E. Mason failed to eject R. J. Barnes from rung 1 (tho club championship). All the higher rungs bavo thus been unsuccessfully attacked during the past three months. _ Sinco tho present season opened in April last, no fewer than 21 ladder matches have been completed. Of (hese, 9 wero won by tho challenger and 12 by the it is proposed to hold a sides' match, "odd rungs v. oven rungs," before the season closes. WOEKING MEN'S CLUB. This club's annual handicap chess tournoy'was completed last week, the five prizes being won as follows:—First, R. J. Barnes, who scored tho jiossible, viz., 10 clear wins; second, G. Greig, 8 wins, 2 losses; 'third, H. Douglas, % wins, 2J losses; fourth, S. Faulknor, 7 wins, 3 losses; and fifth, D. Wild, 5 wins, 5 •losses. Mr. Barnes thus holds tho Staples Cup for tho ensuing year, and is to be heartily congratulated on adding one more substantial triumph to his long list of successes. x Mr. Greig, the runnerup, mado a fine recovery from a bnd start. He may liave been a little, "rusty" at the outset, having played very little chess since winning tho first prize in tho club's 1910 tourney, when lie made the fine scoro of 16 wins,! loss. Air. Douglas, who takes tho third prize, won last year's tourney, with the good tally of 11 wins, 2 losses. Mr. Hennessey, tho club's president, started well by wjrcmis 4 wins to 2 losses, but unfortunately, he had to allow his remaining fixtures to be scored against him by default owing to pressure of his official duties. The club is endeavouring to arrange a match with tho Wellington Chess C lub, the pairing being arranged in advance and a fortnight allowed for thb ■playing of the games. As it is nearly twenty years since these two clubs met it is hoped that the efforts to bring trie rroposod match about will bo successful.