N.Z. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 145, 23 June 1930, Page 15

N.Z. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

AUCKLAND V. WELLINGTON

There was a good.attendance of spectators at 'the, Gas Company's Building on. Saturday evening, when play in tho annual 20-a-side telegraphic match between the above clubs was concluded. Very satisfactory progress was made, the result being that twelve of the twenty games are now accounted for. This good result would have been even bettor it the. moves sealed on the previous' Saturday had been sent through more expeditiously. lnere appears to be no necessity to hold a scaled move until the player who made it puts in an appearance. Play in the completed games may be briefly outlined as follows: Board 1: A. G. Gyles .(five times champion of the Wellington. League) drew his bout with J. A. Moir (five times champxon of the Auckland Chess Club) at move 34. <Lt this stage each player, was left with only a bishop and five pawns, with no chance of a "break-through." Board 3: W. E. Mason -(Wi)—who had won the New Zealand championship six times—carried too many guns for C. C. Roberts (A.). He sacrificed a bishop for two pawns, and then made an effective waiting move which carried all before it. It was a fine ending in Mason's best style, and was «reatly admired. Board 4: H. N. Maddox (A.) v. F. K. Kelling- (W.). The former jzot a powerful-attack, andwitlvtwo beautiful knight moves forcfed. the issue, Kelling resigning - a.?' move 33, when' the ■ loss of his queen svas; inevitable. Board 5: W. MacKay, the'local-president, scored from G. Sale (A.V-;-Ih> latter resigned a crumbling ganie at move 26, when he was two pawns down, and'further losses could not bo avoided; '■Board 6: A. T. Craven (W.) v. A. TjotJxeririgham (A.). , Air. Craven chose"'the'wrong rook for an important post, and. -She Aucldander ingeniously exploited .the resulting shght weakness in his opponent's position by winning the exchange and a pawn. ; lhe end was then only . a -'matter •of time, Mr. Eotheringham enhancing his already hne match record* at move 41. At board 9 W. A. Donald (w,hd- was the United Party's candidate at-lithe:--recent Parnell; by-elec-tion) drew his game with. J. C.. M Crea (W.). This well-played'game, which ran to thirty moves, was. very stubbornly contested. Boatd'AlO': "D. Purchas (W.) v. i J. S. Coyne (A.):' This was a,fine win for! Mr. Purchas, who in the ; final stage had look and five pa.w.nsj.against rook and two pawns, Mr. Coyhe-y sending 'his resignation at the clbs6.o£fthe session. -Board 11: .1 G. Wigham [W&& o..'Moller (A.), and Board 12, W.I'tf.^Fiiirburn (W.)., v. B-Bar-ker (A.), were s bStfi wpn' strongly for .Wellington on thfe'firat evening, -as. stated m| our last weekff^note's.' Board, 13, R. C. Sim (W.) v. O-rfßjpaamsHA.). The latter won the exchange,.and never relaxed his grip on the':-game,:;.scoring for Auckland at move 34.-. BciaVcl 16: H.;J. Thbmp-i son. (W.) v..Gfale.,(A:).:.Neither, player, had any appreciable! advantage in the final stages and a ;drawfe;^iis- accordingly agreed to at move 32t Bdard 18;: R.Putman (A.) v. J. L. Hardy (W.) v This' game was drawn on thfc'first evening, as~ previously; reported. Th'p-'position may. therefore/be summarised as follows•" (allowing eaeh'-club two points f or3h.e four ■'draws):: Welling-; ton C.C., 7; Auckland : : C.C., 5; and 8 games still to be accounted for., ./Any-.unfinished games concerning- which -the two captains cannot reach agreement will 'be diagrammed and sent t6.\the Otago members of the New Zealand'*;Adjudication'Board for their decisions. -Phe'Ailckknd Club has a slight advantage in two of the unfinished games and one' looks like a win for the local club. The material is, even- in' theremaining five games, but in one, of, them the Wellingtonian has fan-attack-that'looks promising. A hurried glance at the positions before they were taken down late in the evening gave the impression that the local club has a good chance of being one up (10% to 9%)/'when the final figures' of the match are available. . ■;. -~,