Author Archives: Sean Coffey

Irish Championship 2017

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Sean Coffey

A report on the Irish Championship 2017, held July 29-August 6, 2017 in Ennis, has (belatedly) been added to the archives here. It was the strongest Irish championship for many years—the average rating jumped 150+ points over the previous edition—and … Continue reading →

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Sam Ferris, ca. 1937-2018

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Sean Coffey

The UCU web site has a recent news item announcing the death of the veteran Belfast South / Fisherwick player Sam Ferris. Sam Ferris Fisherwick C.C., 2006 (Photo from David McAlister, for which many thanks.) He made headlines when he … Continue reading →

Posted in Players | 1 Comment

Ulster Masters 2018

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Sean Coffey

A report on the Ulster Masters 2018, held in Belfast on November 10-11, has been added to the archive here. Ten players competed in the top section, for which we have all games. The top seed Gábor Horváth suffered two … Continue reading →

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Irish Women’s Championship 2018

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Sean Coffey

A report has been added to the archive here on the Irish Women’s Championship 2018, held in Busswells Hotel, November 9-11. Perhaps due to the proximity to the Women’s Olympiad, the event turned out to be one-sided, with defending champion … Continue reading →

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Storming the Fortress

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Sean Coffey

Note: this post has nothing to do with Irish chess, and is thus off-topic for this blog. But I keep seeing references to the ending below, and there doesn’t seem to be any other convenient forum for my comments on … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis | 1 Comment

Irish Championship 1997

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Sean Coffey

A report on the Irish Championship 1997 has been added to the archive here. The event was the ultimate two-horse race: Stephen Brady and Joe Ryan drew their second-round game, but otherwise mowed down the field, and they were still … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Irish championships, Tournaments | 1 Comment

Irish Championship 2002

Posted on October 27, 2018 by Sean Coffey

A report on the Irish Championship 2002 has been added to the archive here. For the second year in succession, the championship was held in Greystones. In all, 19 players competed. The defending champion and top rated player Stephen Brady … Continue reading →

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Armstrong Cup 1949-50: Dublin

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Sean Coffey

Details of the Armstrong Cup 1949-50 season have been added to the Armstrong page here. Eight teams competed: Colmcille ‘A’ & ‘B’, Dublin, Dublin University, Eoghan Ruadh, Sackville (holders), U.C.D., and Wellington Quay Workmen’s Club. Of these, Colmcille ‘B’ and … Continue reading →

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Glorney Cup 1972

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Sean Coffey

The Glorney Cup for 1972 was held in Sidcup, England. Six teams competed, including the Netherlands and France. The Irish team was Bernard Kernan, Stephen Meyler, Tony Spillane, Colm Quigley, Robert Pye, John Nicholson, and Rod Nixon. Ireland finished fifth, … Continue reading →

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Marshall-Fagan, Glorney Cup 1949

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Sean Coffey

The second Glorney Cup, held in Birmingham, July 27-28, 1949, featured three teams, with Wales joining Ireland and England. (Scotland were due to take part, but seem to have dropped out shortly before the event.) The OlimpBase page gives the … Continue reading →

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