In describing the life and contributions of the late Henry Higgins here a few months ago, I gave my impressions of the Dundrum International Congress of 1975, the first of a series of two mammoth events that were his landmark contribution.
I was ten years old when I was taken there, and you might think allowances have to be made for youthful wonder. But I was far from the only one impressed. An article in the Derry Journal (March 28, 1975 p. 19) gave a rave review:
A GREAT WEEK-END In recent years the short week-end congress has become an increasing feature of the chess world. …
This year a group of dedicated and lively citizens from the Dundrum Family Recreation Centre … organis[ed] a giant four-day congress over the St. Patrick’s Day week-end which turned out to be the most successful chess event ever held in Ireland. That is, if you judge success as I do, by the number of ordinary players taking part and the enjoyment they get out of doing so.
Two hundred and eighty players turned up and were graded into three sections. The venue was Wesley College, Ballinteer, Dublin, and the playing conditions were very good, all players together in a large hall with a split level which allowed spectators to lean over a sort of balcony and watch the play some three or four feet below. …
It is yet another sign of the times that spectators did turn up, several hundred, and a startling number were equipped with pocket sets on which they followed the play. All this gave rise to a heady atmosphere which infected the players and the battles were full of excitement and enjoyed even by the losers. …
[N]o one who experienced the happy, crowded Dundrum Congress will fail to cry “more of the same.”
The large international field had many strong players. Of these, perhaps the most star power was brought by the reigning World Junior Champion, 19-year-old Tony Miles, who helped raise the profile of the event markedly via a series of mammoth simuls in Dublin, Cork, and Galway in the lead-up.
In the end, the top section, the “Irish Civil Service Building Society Open”, resulted in a five-way tie between Miles, Robert Bellin, reigning World Cadet Champion Jonathan Mestel, and the locals Eamon Keogh and Jim Cummins, on 5/6.
There followed 6th-7th Mark Orr, Tony Dennehy 4½; 8th-15th Ray Cassidy, Charlie Barnwell, Robert Pye, Oisín McGuinness, Eamonn Martin, Gerald H. Bennett (ENG), Peter Jamieson (SCO), and Graeme McCormick on 4; 58 played.
We have mentioned John Saunders’ outstanding BritBase (British Chess Game Archive) website here several times before. One of the regular features is a series of games collections for individual players. In February, a new collection of the games of Tony Miles appeared there, comprising 975 games, of which a large number (over 200) were entered directly from Miles’ original scoresheets by Geoff Lawton. The Dundrum International Congress 1975 is covered, with all of Miles’ games included; only one had been available previously. The games have now been added to the archive here.
In the first round, Miles faced ‘E. Higgins’ according to his scoresheet. A contemporary report said he had won against “local player Ted Higgins”. It seems very likely that he was the same Edward Higgins who played on an Eoghan Ruadh team that won the Armstrong Cup and National Club Championship in 1956, and who played in the Irish Championship 1956. He was also, as J. J. Walsh informed me some time back, the father of event organiser Henry Higgins.
The game itself was one-sided. The diagram below shows the position after White’s 19th; Black resigned on move 22.
Position after 19. Nd4
[Click to replay the full game.]
In the second round, Miles had a harder time breaking down Robert Pye. The players reached a double rook ending that really should have been drawn quite easily. Pye drifted, however, and problems mounted. The diagrammed position is still holdable. But it is losable as well, and that is what happened.
49. ?
[Click to replay the full game.]
In the third round, Miles’ scoresheet shows his opponent as “J. Byrne”. I had never heard this name, and there is no J. Byrne in the entire August 1976 ICU rating list. I wondered if this could be a mistake, and his opponent might have been Ray Byrne. Whoever Miles was drawn against on 2/2 had to have been doing well after two rounds, and Ray seemed the only player who might fit. I asked Gerry MacElligott yesterday if he happened to be in touch with Ray, and was delighted to get a prompt reply this morning, relaying Ray’s answer:
“Indeed it was me. An English opening as I recall. Harry Golombek was in attendance and chose this game to demonstrate the skill of GM-to-be Tony Miles. My full name is James Raymond Byrne. This explains the J.”
Ray’s memory of the game does not fail him, 51 years later; an English it was. In the diagrammed position, after the continuation 21. d4!, the black d-pawn was doomed. Black resigned at move 32.
21. ?
[Click to replay the full game.]
In the fourth round, Miles agreed a shortish and uneventful draw with fellow Englishman Gerald H. Bennett.
[Click to replay the full game.]
In the fifth round, Miles faced Ray Cassidy, a veteran of five Olympiads, the most recent of which was the previous year in Nice. This game was the sole one involving Miles in the ICU archive; it had appeared in BCM.
28… ?
BCM commentary thought that 28… Re2 was now winning, but BritBase suggests Stockfish 17 has it equal. It seems it’s at least equal, and Black is also fine after the move played, 28… Rxa4. In the sequel, though, Cassidy was outplayed and resigned on move 40.
[Click to replay the full game.]
In the final round, Miles had White again, against Robert Bellin, and the players agreed a short draw. As noted above, they finished in joint first with three other players; without knowing the other scores entering the last round, it’s not possible to know if this short draw guaranteed them a share of first.
[Click to replay the full game.]
[Update, April 10, 2026: David McAlister has answered the question in the last paragraph above, also providing much more information besides, by sending a copy of Robert Bellin’s detailed tournament report in CHESS, for which many thanks.
The final round top pairings were Miles (4½) – Bellin (4½); Dennehy (4) – Mestel (4½); Bennett (4) – Keogh (4); Cummins (4) – Harding (3½).
Bellin reports that “[p]artying until the small hours had not left the leaders at their sharpest, so when Jonathan agreed a quick draw the same followed in the Miles v Bellin encounter.” The report also includes four annotated games (none involving Tony Miles). The games, though not the notes, were already in the ICU games archive.
Here too, there was praise for the organisers, and “tournament director Harry Higgins … justly received a really appreciative ovation at the closing ceremony.”]
I remember Miles drinking a glass of milk during one game. He also had the habit of writing down the move he was to play and then covering it with his watch (which he had removed from his arm), if I remember correctly.