Author Archives: Sean Coffey

Drogheda (Thomson Masters) 2023

The Drogheda Congress was held over the June Bank Holiday weekend, comprising four sections with 131 players in all. Very admirably, essentially all games in all sections were broadcast. A full report on the Thomson Masters has been posted to … Continue reading

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FIDE ratings

The FIDE ratings page here, which shows the highest FIDE ratings achieved by Irish players, ranked in descending order, has been updated to account for the May and June 2023 lists. Conor Murphy moved from 2450 to 2454 in May … Continue reading

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Delaney – Ludgate, Irish Championship 1983

The position in the puzzle set in the last post is from the last round game between John Delaney and Alan Ludgate in the Irish Championship 1983. It arose just after the time control, but as it was the last … Continue reading

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1… Kc_, ?

In the following position, it’s Black to play. How should he continue? To narrow it down, suppose that his next move is to play the king to the c-file. Where should it go, and why? 1… Kc_, ? The solution … Continue reading

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Irish Championship 1983

The Irish Championship in 1983 was held, for the first and so far only time ever, in Castlebar. With continued sponsorship from IBM, the event attracted a large field of 32, including almost all of the top players in the … Continue reading

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Thomas Bewley 1926-2022

Thomas Bewley, who died aged 95 last June, was a highly distinguished psychiatrist who had a major impact on the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction, as noted by extensive obituaries in the Irish Times, Guardian, Telegraph, and Times, amongst … Continue reading

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Proved or not proved?

The Irish Championship 1997 came down to the final game between Anthony Fox and Stephen Brady. A win for Brady would leave him tied with Joe Ryan for first, on the astounding score of 8½/9, thus sharing the title, while … Continue reading

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Cafolla – McCarthy, Irish Championship 1999

Peter Cafolla’s round 3 game against Jim McCarthy in the Irish Championship 1999 reached the diagrammed position at move 25. Cafolla – McCarthy, Irish Championship 1999 (3) 25. ? Black’s last move 24… Rf8-d8? turns out to be an error … Continue reading

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O’Connell – Daly, Irish Championship 1999

In the Irish Championship 1999, defending champion Colm Daly had some difficulties at the beginning of the event, drawing in round 2 against Gerard O’Connell and then losing in round 3 against Jonathan O’Connor. His 5½/6 in the remaining games … Continue reading

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Greer – Orr, Irish Championship 1985

In the 1985 Irish Championship, contemporary reports said that Mark Orr was in serious danger in only one game: his round five encounter with 17-year-old Kieran Greer. After Black’s 21… g6, the position in the first diagram was reached. How … Continue reading

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