Author Archives: David McAlister

Maeve Binchy and the intricacies of chess

Posted on December 30, 2019 by David McAlister

In the Comments in the Simuls page Oisin McGuinness referred to an article on chess by the celebrated writer Maeve Binchy which had appeared in the Irish Times. He thought it might have been in connection with a Hecht simul … Continue reading →

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Glorney -v- König

Posted on August 11, 2019 by David McAlister

The Glorney Cup was held last month at Carrickdale Hotel and Spa, Co Louth, 71 years after the initial competition between schoolboy teams representing Ireland and England took place in Dublin on the 26th and 27th August 1948. We have … Continue reading →

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Canton-Steen, Dublin 1955

Posted on July 27, 2019 by David McAlister

“Congratulations to young Clontarf Club player B. Canton for the … brilliant and imaginative win against J.B. Steen (Ulster) in the recent Inter-Provincial match in Dublin. It is seldom one gets, much less expects, such a high standard of play … Continue reading →

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1975 Irish Championship revisited

Posted on June 23, 2019 by David McAlister

Just over a year ago we published a tournament report on the 1975 Irish Championship which was much enhanced by material provided by joint winner Alan Ludgate. At that time 11 games were available, 8 of those featuring Ludgate, and we … Continue reading →

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Maurice Kennefick: the early years

Posted on February 17, 2019 by David McAlister

Maurice Kennefick  came to the fore in the late 1960s when he was an undergraduate student at University College Cork. In the course of the 1965-66 season, his first year at university, he rapidly moved from the junior ranks to … Continue reading →

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Marshall’s reminiscence about his game against Fagan

Posted on October 10, 2018 by David McAlister

Michael Fagan’s opponent in the Ireland-Wales 1949 Glorney Cup match was Walter Marshall, later Baron Marshall of Goring and described in the The Independent as “one of the more colourful technocrats of our age” in his 1996 obituary.  In 1984 … Continue reading →

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Irish Championship 1973

Posted on December 31, 2017 by David McAlister

In a comment about our list of players who have competed in the Irish Championship over the years, Martin Crichton points out that Daire McMahon was unlikely to have played in the 1973 Irish Championship. The error appears to have … Continue reading →

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O’Hanlon-Cox 1936 Challenge Match revisited

Posted on August 18, 2017 by David McAlister

In my article on the 1936 O’Hanlon-Cox Challenge Match I was able to present six of the seven games played in the match. I have now unearthed the game-score of Game 1, the one that had previously eluded me. It is … Continue reading →

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From Irish champion to polar adventurer

Posted on October 29, 2015 by David McAlister

The format for the 1989 renewal of the Irish Championship provoked a bit of controversy at the time. The Irish Chess Union abandoned the usual formula of one-game a day over 9 rounds and compressed the Championship into 5 days. … Continue reading →

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Who did Dake play?

Posted on January 26, 2015 by David McAlister

In the comments to “The trials of Aibhistín de Búrca” Paul Brown raises the issue of which player played A. Dake at Warsaw (de Burca or Cranston). At IRLchess we have plumped for de Búrca. De Búrca, in his 1960 … Continue reading →

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