<<<<<THE CENTENNIAL CHESS CONGRESS.>THE MAJOR TOURNEY.>
The second game between Mr. Crane and Mr. Charlick was played yesterday morning.
Mr. Crane, who had the move, adopted the Centre Gambit, with the result that he soon succeeded in advancing a pawn to a threatening position, and Mr. Charlick was thrown on the defensive. The South Australian champion, however, was quite equal to the occasion, and after a short but sharp engagement, in the course of which all the major pieces were removed from the board, it was found at Mr. Crane's 25th move that the positions were so equal as to justify the players in agreeing to a draw, which, in accordance with the conditions of the tourney, is reckoned as half a point to each of them.>
Time - Mr. Crane, 1 hour 38 minutes ; Mr. Charlick, 1 hour 13 minutes>
The following table shows the score as settled after yesterday's drawn game:-
William Crane
(1-1-½-1-1-1-½) [+5 =2 -0] (6.0 / 7) =1st
Henry Charlick
(1-1-½-½-1-1-1) [+5 =2 -0] (6.0 / 7) =1st
William Tullidge
(0-1-1-1-1-1-½) [+5 =1 -1] (5.5 / 7) 3rd
Charles Brocklebank
(0-1-0-1-1-1-0) [+4 =0 -3] (4.0 / 7) 4th
John Shaw Stanley
(1-0-1-½-0-0-1) [+3 =1 -3] (3.5 / 7) 5th
Phillip Lampe
(1-0-1-0-0-0-0) [+2 =0 -5] (2.0 / 7) 6th
James Higgs
(0-0-0-0-0-0-1) [+1 =0 -6] (1.0 / 7) 7th
David Hay
(0-0-0-0-0-0-0) [+0 =0 -7] (0.0 / 7) 8th
Thus the result of the major tourney is that Mr. Charlick and Mr. Crane tie for first and second places, with 5 wins each and 2 draws ; that Mr. Tullidge is third, with 5 wins 1 draw and 1 loss ; and that Mr. Brocklebank is fourth, with 4 wins and 3 losses. Of the remaining players, Mr. Stanley is the only one who has made any record at all against the winners of the four prizes, and as the value of that record is only half a point, it seems doubtful whether he has a sufficient claim to the consolation prize to which some reference was made in the programme prepared by the executive committee of the congress.
As to the tie between Mr. Crane and Mr. Charlick, the conditions of the play-off for the championship of Australasia are that it shall go to the player who shall first score two wins, draws not counting.>