The UCU web site has a recent news item announcing the death of the veteran Belfast South / Fisherwick player Sam Ferris.
Fisherwick C.C., 2006
(Photo from David McAlister, for which many thanks.)
He made headlines when he won the Ulster Schools (basically under 19) championship at age 12 in 1950. He followed up with another win in the same event the following year, when he also won the Irish Schools championship.
He represented Ireland in the Glorney Cup in 1951. The event was held in Dublin (at Dublin C.C.’s clubrooms at 20 Lincoln Place), July 26-27, 1951. Scotland participated for the first time, joining Ireland, England, and Wales. Ireland finished second to England, and the critical factor was the outstanding performance by Sam Ferris, who scored 2½/3 on board 2, easily winning the prize for best score by an Irish player. He won his games against Peter H. Clarke (England) (who made England’s Olympiad team three years later, and went on to become an FM and CC GM) and D. G. Weir (Scotland), and drew against P. K. Marshall (Wales). (Sources: Irish Independent, July 26, 1951 p. 10; Irish Press, July 27, 1951 p. 7; July 28, 1951 p. 9.) An impressive result for a 13-year-old!
And then … nothing. He seems to have dropped out of competitive junior chess after that, and returned some years later as a casual club player.
In addition to the game fragment given in the UCU news item above, we have one other game of his, against David McAlister in the UCU league in 2002-03.
It’s unfortunate that both these games are losses. Does anyone have any of his early games, particularly from the 1951 Glorney Cup?
Sam Ferris was one of the people who made it enjoyable to play in a chess team. His play was quick, as was his wit. He was always a positive force, even when giving his trademark “sadness” remark during games. I had never known that he played in the Glorney Cup, he always struck me as being quite an instinctive player, clearly there was a deeper talent hidden away.