Author Archives: Sean Coffey

Irish championship players, updated

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Sean Coffey

The lists of Irish championship players have been updated: see the full list in descending order of number of championships played, and the same in alphabetical order. Compared with the lists originally posted last July, full names are given for … Continue reading →

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Cootes-Heidenfeld, Irish championship 1973

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Sean Coffey

Wolfgang Heidenfeld’s wild game against Arthur Cootes from the first round of the Irish championship in 1973—discussed by David McAlister in his reconstruction of the event in the previous post—featured a king hunt triggered by an early piece sacrifice by … Continue reading →

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Irish championship 2001

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Sean Coffey

A report for the Irish championship 2001 has been added to the archives here: see also the Irish championships and Tournaments pages. This was the first of three consecutive championships that were held in Greystones. In a field of 20 … Continue reading →

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Armstrong Cup 1967-68

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Sean Coffey

Today marks the official start of the new season for the Armstrong Cup, and indeed for all the Leinster leagues. Best of luck to all concerned! Gonzaga, of course, is aiming for three in a row, having run away with … Continue reading →

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A puzzle

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Sean Coffey

“You can never have enough puzzles”, I read in a recent article. It’s hard to argue with that! In that spirit, and also in an attempt to remain true to the theme of this site, you may like to compare … Continue reading →

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Irish championship players

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Sean Coffey

John O’Hanlon’s long-standing record of nine Irish championship wins has been equalled by Stephen Brady, but O’Hanlon still holds one record: he competed in 29 championships. Even here his record is in some danger, with many currently active players nipping … Continue reading →

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Roycroft-Walsh, Tormey Cup 1952

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Sean Coffey

The renowned endgame study composer A. J. Roycroft was born in London in 1929. He’s probably best known for his founding and long-time editing of EG, a long-running journal devoted to endgame studies; he also wrote the book Test tube … Continue reading →

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Irish championship 1999

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Sean Coffey

A report for the Irish championship 1999 has been added to the collection here: see the Irish championships and Tournaments pages. The tournament was held in Drogheda for the first, and so far only, time ever. The turnout was excellent … Continue reading →

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Armstrong Cup 1948-49: Sackville

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Sean Coffey

Congratulations to Gonzaga, who have clinched the Armstrong Cup for the third time in a row, with a round to spare. Details of another past season have been added to the Armstrong Cup page. In 1948-49 the event had eight … Continue reading →

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National Club Championship 2017

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Sean Coffey

Congratulations to Gonzaga, convincing winners of this year’s National Club Championship, retaining the title they won for the first time last year. The event has greatly improved over the past couple of years; this must be due in significant part … Continue reading →

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