French Defence

Sydney chess player and eventual winner Gary Lane (front left) out-plays Tony Dowden, of Dunedin (front right) yesterday, while at the adjacent table eventual second place-getter Darryl Johanson, of Melbourne (left), beats Aucklander Helen Milligan during the South Island championship hosted by the Otago Chess Club, in Dunedin.

The championship title was shared by equal-third and top South Island players Stephen Lukey, of Christchurch, and Robert Wansink, of Dunedin. Thirty-one players took part, including one from Singapore and two from Australia. Arbiter Craig Hall, of Christchurch, organised the five-day, nine-round event.