CHESS ITEMS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 67

CHESS ITEMS.

Mr A. W. O Davies, ex-champion of New Zealand, is editing a chess column in the weekly Graphic a-nd New Zealand Mail. Brisk -progress is beiug made in the handicap tournament at the Otago Chess Club Messrs S. S. Myers and J. Dunlop are at present leading, i-nch having scored 14 wins and 2 losses. The next iour in order of merit a.re:-G. F. Dodds. 9 wins 2 los°e= • D. Forsyth, 11-3; J. Edwards, 7-3; and G. D. Wright, 7—6. Theie are 21 competitors.

' Although chess columns a-opear in many contemporaries (remarks Mr A." VV. O. Daviej, the editor of the column just started in the Weekly Graphic) I propose that ;mi;e shall appeal to students and young players of the king of gain-es rather than as a happy hunting ground for the old pkyert— men with 'book .knowledge and with appetites so saturated thai they require stimulants in the shape of abstruse and very often useless problems. Therein lies <lhe novelty and my claim to the adjective 'new.' " The future plans of Jose R. Capablanca, Cuban chess champion and conqueror of F. J. Marshall, comprehend a visit to his home in Cub?, during the summer; a second tour of the United States iv October, November and December, under the management of th? American Chess Bulletin, which to the first to star him; a tour af eignt weeks in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wale 3in Januaij' and February, to bs followed by a visit to the Continent and a stop at Hambrng for the international congress. Tho admirers o£ Jose H. Capablanca think that in a match with Ernanuel Lasker the youthful Cuban p:odigy would defeat the world's champion. Replying to pll such, h« says — " I will undertake, to play no other match before next spring, and least of a'l with Lacker. 1 consider the champion for the time being beyond my attainments, and do not ever think of crossing lances with him," and to the question put by the ch:ss editor during Ins visit to St. Louis • Do you think after examining Di Laskcr's games that you could beat him? he inode3t'y answered: "I could not tell; the only way to determine the matter is by actual play over the board."

Two very remarkable statements by Capablanca: — No. 1, eighth game, Buy Lopez, move 4 P-Q II 3, mads by Marshall '♦How M.arsha!l, with so much experience, both in matches and tournaments, could make such a move is pimply incomprehensible ; his gauzeis practically lost from now on." Xo. 2, twelfth gam-. Ruy Lopez, move 5 P x P, made by Capablanea "J.n previous games I played here Q-K 2. The text move, however, is much stronger, and p complete busl to the P-K B 4 defence." If a clie.=s plajer (says the Chess Amateur) has such analytical ability as io see from 30 to 60 moves ahead ai.d determine the result without hesitancy or doubt, he is certainly a world %eater, and nothing can resist his onward progress to the topmost round of the laddw of taste.