Author Archives: Sean Coffey

Gonzaga Masters 2016

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Last month I wrote here that there were apparently going to be no games available from this year’s Gonzaga Masters. I’m delighted to report that the great majority of the games have now been made available, compiled by Ruth Redmond … Continue reading →

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Armstrong Cup 2015-16, continued

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Even at the beginning of the season the general consensus was that it would be hard to stop Gonzaga in this year’s Armstrong Cup, and so it has proved. With some of the 8th-round matches played, Gonzaga leads by 4½ … Continue reading →

Posted in Armstrong Cup, Games, Puzzles, Tournaments | 1 Comment

Ballyfermot Open 1995

Posted on February 7, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Last year we had a photo from the Ballyfermot Open 1994, taken by Ray Woodhouse. He has now sent a set of newly discovered photos from the Ballyfermot Congress in 1995. It’s in the form of an A4 sheet with … Continue reading →

Posted in Ballyfermot Congresses, Photos, Tournaments | 1 Comment

Gerry McCurdy 1946-2016

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Sean Coffey

I’d posted here a couple of years ago about Gerry McCurdy, originally from Belfast, who was a strong player in Ireland in the 1960’s, and who had recently returned to chess after a gap of decades with much of his … Continue reading →

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Enniscorthy Congress 2016

Posted on January 31, 2016 by Sean Coffey

On this web site we’re interested in chronicling all tournaments, no matter how old. But it’s always nice to have an entirely new event to report, and the organisers of the Enniscorthy Congress are to be congratulated on their inaugural … Continue reading →

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Gonzaga Masters 2012

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Sean Coffey

The 15th Gonzaga Classic concluded today; congratulations to David Murray who won the top event, and for the first time. Apparently there will be no games available from this year’s event, but I’ve reorganized the Gonzaga Classics page here to … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Gonzaga Classics, Tournaments | 2 Comments

From John Moles’ The French Defence Main Line Winawer

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Sean Coffey

John Moles’ book The French Defence Main Line Winawer (Batsford, 1975) has been widely praised but even still Wolfgang Heidenfeld’s assessment ‘perhaps the best of all chess opening monographs’ (see the last post) is startling, I confess. On the other … Continue reading →

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More on John Moles

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Sean Coffey

A long, detailed, and very interesting obituary of John Moles appeared in the December issue of Histos, an online academic journal co-founded by him, written by a close and long-time academic colleague who knew him over decades. I never met … Continue reading →

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John Moles 1949-2015

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Sean Coffey

I was very sorry to hear of the sudden death of John Moles, one of the most talented players Ireland has ever produced, on October 4. He was twice Irish champion and played in two Olympiads, and wrote an outstanding … Continue reading →

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Quigley-Duignan, Irish championship 1946

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Happy New Year, and best wishes for 2016! For this first post of the new year, let’s turn to the next ‘new’ game from J.J. Walsh’s unpublished manuscript of selected Irish games 1896-1967. It’s an historic one, as a matter … Continue reading →

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