I’m delighted to report that Jim Murray has sent all of his games from the 1971 Irish championship. Only one of these, his round 6 game against John O’Brien, was available before, and these are the first new games to become available since the tournament book appeared, over fifty years ago. Many thanks to Jim!
There are several interesting games among these. The one that stands out is his first round game against the veteran Ulster player Arthur Cootes. Both players had their chances to win, but the game ended in an interesting draw, Cootes’ rook and pawn against four pawns, three of them connected passed pawns.
The diagram shows one critical juncture:
46. ?
How should play continue, and what should the result be with best play?
[Click to replay the full game.]
The full report has been updated with the new games.