CHESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 36, 11 August 1936, Page 16

CHESS

CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

When play in .the telegraphic match between the Canterbury and Welling' ton Clubs was concluded on July 25, eleven games were riot completed. The Canterbury Club sent the positions reached in six of these games to the Dunedin members of the New Zealand Adjudication Board for their awards, and submitted suggestions to the Wellington Club regarding the remaining five games. These five proposals were accepted by the local committee, and consequently the score is now Wellington Club 8, Canterbury Club 6, with 16 games under adjudication in Dunedin. A very close finish ~* is assured. In the event of the match ending in a tie, the Bledisloe Cup will remain in Christchurqh, as the Canterbury Club would win on points through having I been more successful at the higher ! boards. Under the association's rules I a tie is decided by allotting 20 points to the game at board 1, 19 points at board 2, 18 points at board 3. and so on. LOCAL TOUKNAMENTS. The Wellington Chess Club's annual championship tourney has this year attracted 20 entries. These have been ! divided in two sections of 10, and •i when the preliminary 9 rounds have ! been played the three highest scorers I in each section are to compete in the | second half of the contest. The best • scores to date are as follows: —Section A: A. W. Gyles 6J-IJ, G. P. Anderson 5-1 (four wins and two draws), J. L. Hardy 4J-2J, W. J. Fairburn 3£|3£, and D. Wild 3J-3J. Section B: F. K. Kelling 6J-IJ, E. H. Severne 5-2 (3 wins and 4 draws), J. Morton 4i2J, and W. White 4J-2&; Messrs. E. J. Dyer (who won lost year's tourney). W. E. Mason (six times champion of 1 New Zealand), H. Godtchalk, -G. Wigham, and J. C. McCrea are not competing in this annual tourney. There were 12 entries for the club's B grade championship, which has been handsomely won by Mr. R. C. Glass, with the good score of 10 wins and 1 draw (IOJ-J). Other competitors who have done well are: —H. P. Yarrell 5-2. 1 Dr. Bakewell 3-1, W. J. Emery 5-4, and H. Davies 3-3.

The club's annual handicap (or "Petherick") tourney has attracted 14 competitors. The leaders at present are: L. Goldsmith 7J-2J, C. J. Taylor 8-3, H. Davies 6-3, J. C. P. Kirkwood 64-4J, G. Morpeth 6-5, Dr. R. A. Bakewell 3-1, and A. H. Gilby 3-2. There are 21 entries for the annual tourney to decide the chess championship of the Wellington Working Men's Club and Literary Institute. Mr: L. Gneiss is leading with the good score of 15 wins and 3 losses. His two remaining opponents are Messrs. Greig and Pascoe. The next-best tallies are: F. K. Kelling 13£-3£, W. J. Fairburn 101-3J, H. M. Hosenberg 11-6, and W. McClure 11£-6 J. There are also 21 competitors in the club's annual handicap chess tourney, the leaders in which are now as follows:—H. M. Rosenberg 124-14, D. Stephens 12-3, K. Andrews 7-1, W. J. Cornish 6J-2J, V. C. MinenKoff 7-3, and W. McClure 9J-SJ. The annual contest for the championship of the Ngaio Chess Club was commenced some three months ago with 13 entries. When a full round has been played the six highest scorers are to take part in the second half of the championship competition, while the remaining seven competitors are playing in the second half of the junior championship event. The leading scores were as follows after last Tuesday's play:—E. E. Hicks (present champion) BJ-J. H. J. Topp 7-2, H. N. Robie 5-2, J. S. Harrison 7-4, R. A. Godtschalk 6-4. T. G. Fouhy 6-4, and C. L. Maloney 5-5. Mesrs. R. S. Kent, W. A. Fisher, R. Gilkison, and E. V. Blazek are leading in the current tourney for the championship of the Hutt Valley Chess Club. A very close finish is looked for by the members of this club. The Karori Chess Club's current tourney is a combined championship and handicap event. The entrants, ■who are all classified, play each other on level terms, but a win by a member who is on the scratch mark is

only given the full 4 points if it is scored within a stipulated number of moves—the number being fixed according to-.the -class of the lower-grade player. If the senior player takes more than the stipulated number of moves in scoring the win he only gets two points, and the junior competitor gets two points for his success in prolonging the resistance or delaying the mate. It will be interesting to learn, in due course, how this novel arrangement works out in practice, and whether it Rives satisfaction to the competitors. The weaker player is presumably "on a^good wicket" when he brings off an unexpected win, or when his opponent, through having force majeure, is called on to mate in 50 moves.