Auckland Chess Centre

In April, 1871, the Auckland West End Chess Club defeated the Rest of Auckland by 41 games to 34. Each player contested three games with each member of the opposing team. Three months later, a return match was played which also ended in favour of the Auckland West End Chess Club, 38 to 28.

The “Weekly News” of September 2nd, 1871, says “A preliminary meeting of the Auckland Chess Club was held on Friday, 25th ultimo, at the New Music Hall, Symonds Street. The election of officers resulted as follows :- President, Andrew Stewart; Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, Jas. Morton; Committee, Messrs. Hugh Lusk, William Gorrie and Vincent Rice. The offer of a room on reasonable terms by the Choral Society was accepted. The adoption of draft rules was deferred till Monday, 4th September, 1871″. The “News” congratulated the promoters on so successfully launching the Club, and added: “A sister province has claimed the leadership of chess in New Zealand.

“The club in Dunedin, numbering 50 members, it is stated, is numerically as well as scientifically the strongest in the Colony. We hope to see the Auckland Club soon swell its numbers to this limit, and we hear that, as to scientific superiority, the Dunedin players have reckoned without their host. We wish the Auckland Chess Club success.” (Auckland defeated Dunedin when these teams first played each other, viz.. in February, 1876.)

In March, 1873, a telegraphic match was played between Hamilton and Ngaruawahia. An interim report forecasted a tie (2 – 2). The final result is not given. In July, 1875, the Ponsonby Chess Club defeated the Auckland Chess Club by 55 games to 53 in a full “three round” match. In October, 1875, Mr Jakins, the energetic Hon. Secretary of the Ponsonby Chess Club, reported that arrangements for telegraphic matches had been made with the Government, which had consented to give the use of a wire free of charge, “save when the operators are kept beyond the regular hours of closing, in which case their extra time allowance will be charged.” A meeting was held at Mr Batger’s office, in Queen Street, on 26th October, 1875, when it was decided to challenge the Dunedin players to a friendly 13-a-side contest. The match, which was postponed a fortnight owing to a break in the Cook Strait cable, was begun on Tuesday, 15th February, 1876. It was resumed on the following evening, play ceasing at 8 a.m. on Thursday! The final tally was: Auckland 5 1/2, Dunedin 3 1/2. The New Zealand Herald, in congratulating the Auckland team on its win, said “there are probably no others left in New Zealand to conquer. The victory will be gratifying to the whole province, and it will amply atone for the defeat of the Auckland footballers when they were searching for laurels down South.” The article terminated with a passing reference to Auckland’s victorious career on the cricket field and on the rifle range.

The Auckland Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club was formed on 18th March, 1876, “for central, or city, players who find the distance to Ponsonby too great for them to join that club.” Some 20 names were enrolled. In May, 1876, a return match was played against Dunedin, 12 boards being used. It was won by Auckland, and was remarkable both for the large number of unfinished games, and the fact that they were never “washed up.” The result was summarised in a Northern paper as follows:- Games actually scored to Auckland, 1; games showing sure victory for Auckland, 7; games in favour of Dunedin, 1; even games, 2; drawn games, 1.

In June, 1876, Ponsonby defeated the Auckland Mechanics’ Institute by three games (18 – 15). In the winter of 1877 (May to July, inclusive) a tourney was held in Mr Batger’s office, Queen Street, to decide possession of the silver cup which had been presented by Mr Aitken for the club championship of New Zealand, and which was won by Auckland. This valuable trophy was won by Mr James Morton with the good score of 10 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss, and was presented to him at a function held in Waters’s establishment, amongst those present being the Mayor and three members of Parliament, viz. Messrs H.H.Lusk, J.Sheehan, and W. Swanson (who was instrumental in getting the Government to grant a wire for telegraphic contests). Mr Morton was complimented by the Mayor “upon having proved himself to be the best chess player in New Zealand”.

In 1878, the Rev. C. E. Rankin, Editor of the “Chess Chronicle”, writing from England, gave “a flattering opinion upon the standard of excellence reached by the chess players of New Zealand.” The first New Zealand Championship Congress was held in Christchurch in August, 1879. Mr H. Lusk of Auckland and Mr C. Benbow of Wellington both entered, but at the last moment found themselves unable to make the trip, consequently the North Island was not represented, for the first and only time in the history of New Zealand chess. The early ‘eighties appear to have been lean years in Auckland chess circles. However, a “Grand Chess Tournament by Living Pieces” was held in September, 1883, at the Opera House, in aid of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Building Fund. The canvas board on the stage was 30 feet square, and the performance was a great success. It was repeated on 14th September for the third and last time to a crowded house. It was estimated that, after paying all expenses, the Building Fund would benefit by about 300 pounds.

The Grafton Chess Club was founded on February 29th, 1884. It made a start with six members, affiliating with the New Zealand Chess Association in July, 1893. The name was altered to the Auckland Chess Club on April 2nd, 1885 and it became Incorporated in 1920. Meetings were held at 42, His Majesty’s Arcade, Queen Street, on Mondays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. and on every week-day afternoon from 1:00 p.m. until dusk. There were 66 Full Members, 17 Hon. Members and 5 Life Members in 1921. Four telegraphic matches were played in 1920, wins being scored from Masterton (9 – 3), Otago (9 – 3), and Canterbury (10 1/2 – 4 1/2). The Wellington fixture was lost (6 1/2 – 13 1/2).

In 1921, the Auckland Chess Club proved itself the strongest in New Zealand, playing four matches, of which three were won and one drawn. At this time, a Mr J.C.Grierson had won the Auckland Championship no less than eleven times, besides being runner-up eight times! He won the New Zealand Championship twice (in 1903 and again in 1913) and was the only Aucklander to gain the New Zealand title.