CHESS MOVE NAMED AFTER PERTH OFFICE BOY

A chess opening has been named after Vernon Stannard, 14-year-old Perth office boy, who has been playing the game only a year.

Called the 'Stannard counter-gambit', the move has been accredited to the fair headed youngster by Mr. A. Dall, chess editor of an Eastern States weekly magazine. He describes the match in which it was used as a 'lively game by Western Australia's coming champion player.' The opening is termed a curious mixture of Tchigorin's defence and Albin's counter-gambit. The introduction of a gambit at the stage it was employed is quite new, according to the weekly. The game was played by Stannard and Dr. Randall on October 26 during the current State minor championship.

Before he left home to fulfil his engagement with Dr. Randall, Vernon and his father, to whose guidance he largely owes his knowledge of the game, spent an hour framing the attack best calculated to assist the boy. However, Dr. Randall had the counter to his plans and he was obliged to resort to the Albin move, which served his purpose admirably. Commenting today on the naming of the move after him by the Eastern States paper, Vernon said: 'Actually the counter-gambit I used was exactly the same as the Albin counter-gambit, only I did it with the knights in play.