CHESS IRELAND - NEWS, Jun-Aug 2000

• Seventy players took part in the Dublin Classic Open on August 19-20 at the Dublin Arts Club. The event was won jointly by GM Alex Baburin, Paul Delaney and Sam Collins on 4.5/5 ahead of a strong field which included eight players graded over ELO 2050. Decisive last round results included GM Baburin's draw with Irish champion, IM Mark Heidenfeld and wins by Paul Delaney over Frank Vang and by Sam Collins over Keith Allen. Suzanne Connolly won the ladies' prize.
  Results: Jt lst GM A.Baburin, P.Delaney, S.Collins 4.5/5. Jt 4th IM M.Heidenfeld, G.O’Connell, C.Quinn, M.Schmidt 4. Grading prizes: U-1800 B.Bruen (3.5), U-1600 (jt) E.Shaughnessy, F.O’Beirne, D.Dempsey, S.Brannigan (2.5), U-1400 (jt) P.Jackson, M.Cowley, J.Maycock, A.Dooley (2.5), U-1200 K.McPhilips, K.Maycock, E.Pitts (2).

• I see from the excellent new BCF website edited by GM John Emms that Ireland has been assigned only one place for the forthcoming region 1.1 Zonal tournament being held in Spain next month. Ireland has always had two places in this event before so this is puzzling to say the least. It is all the more galling when you see some of the countries that get to send two participants - Andorra, Luxembourg etc - to what is an ideal norm opportunity for any of the top local players - 11 rds v GM / IM opposition. The ICU have been advised and hopefully will address this anomaly.
  Postscript (Aug 27): I understand that the ICU have successfully appealed the initial allocation of one place for the zonal. Both of the first two players selected, Brian Kelly or Colm Daly, have indicated that they are not in a position to take up their places. Will advise re Irish participants when I get news.

• The Leinster Chess leagues are beginning again at the end of September and Tom O'Sullivan, Leagues Controller, has circulated league entry forms to all club secretaries which should be returned before 5th September 2000. The Armstrong Cup (Div 1) is scheduled to start in the week commencing 25/9, the Heidenfeld Trophy (Div 2) the following week and the remaining divisions thereafter.
  Volunteers interested in becoming division controllers should apply to the Leagues Controller at email: lculeagues@hotmail.com or ph: 01-8453500. The LCU Executive is also seeking someone to fill the role of Tournament Controller. If interested, contact Shannon Clements, email: shannon@iol.ie.

• At the British championship which ended at the weekend in Millfield School, Somerset, GM Julian Hodgson retained his British title with a score of 8.5/11. IM Brian Kelly had another excellent tournament ending the tournament with a draw on board four with GM Tony Miles to finish on 7/11 with a tournament performance of c. 2525. Brian lost only one game (v Speelman) and had five draws with grandmasters (Emms, Wells, Arkell, Miles and Lalic). Of the other Irish participants, Sam Collins fared best with 5.5/11. Timothy Douglas, Gordon Freeman and James McDonnell all scored 4/11. See BCF / TWIC for full details and games.

• Olympiad selection: Herbert Scarry, chairman of the ICU selection sub-ctee, has confirmed that the following is the selection for the Olympiad to be held in Turkey, October 27-November 13. Men's team: 1 A Baburin 2 M Quinn 3 M Heidenfeld 4 M Orr 5 P Delaney 6 S Collins Reserves: C Daly, S Brady. Women's team 1 S Connolly 2 M O'Siochru 3 D Quinn 4 E Shaughnessy Reserve: G Ui Laighleis.
  • Have the selectors lost the plot?.
  • Paul Delaney has confirmed that pressures of work - new job - mean he has been forced to withdraw from the Olympiad team ... so first reserve, Colm Daly, now enters the team on board six.
    
  • GM Jon Levitt of Kasparov Chess advises that he has written a short piece about the selection entitled the Irish Question. The activity criteria have been the subject of some critical comment both in this piece and on the bulletin board. This is a brief outline of the eligibilty / activity criteria and how they came to be put in place.
  • Colm Daly advises that he has set up a webpage devoted to the subject. I note that some of the claims made on this webpage have been contested on the bulletin board by parties involved and, needless to say, the contestations contested. Without wanting to arbiter in any disputes, I would just say that the contested statements are uncorroborated.
  • I note from the account of its AGM on Joe Ryan's LCU site that the LCU will be seeking clarification from the ICU regarding the criteria used for this Olympiad selection. See link for some other significant decisions taken at this meeting.

• The 2000 Glorney and Faber Cups, held in Dublin this year, ended in victory for both the French boys and girls teams. The Irish boy's team finished in sixth place with John Kennedy, best scorer (4/5), winning the board four board prize. The Irish girls finished joint seventh. See link for details and games.

  Pat Reynolds informs me that Armstrong Cup winners and national club champions, Bray CC, have just received their invitation to play in the European Club Championships to be held in Neum, Bosnia-Herzegovina (resort town on the Adriatic coast) at the end of September. The event will this year be a seven-round event which suggests that it will be a large team Swiss with probably most of the top players in Europe competing. Should be a great event in which to compete.
  Bray CC are also likely to be entering a team in the 4NCL, the first Irish team do so since the expatriate team Na Fianna disbanded a few years ago.

• GM performance norm for Brian Kelly: Ireland may be on its way to having its first chess grandmaster after 21-year-old IM Brian Kelly last weekend scored the first ever over-the-board grandmaster norm by an indigenous player at the Staffordshire Millenium tournament. Brian finished behind GM Aaron Summerscale (7.5/9) in a strong category 8 field which included three GMs. His tally of 6.5/9 was sufficient for a so-called GM 'performance' norm which leaves him needing two further GM norms and a rating of ELO 2500 (currently 2426) to gain the title. Kelly's victims included GM Keith Arkell and IMs Ippolito, Crouch and Gormally.

• Irish Open Speed Chess Championships will be held at Dublin City University on Wednesday 26th as part of the Glorney and Faber event. Many of the strong juniors from the eight countries will be competing but all players are welcome. Bring clocks. Event starts at 7.30pm. £5 entry fee. 2000 Glorney and Faber Cups, Dublin City University. Schedule: Mon, Rd 1 1.30pm. Tues Rd 2 8.30am, Rd 3 7pm, Wed Rd 4 1.30pm, Thurs Rd 5 8.30am.

• Temple Bar outdoor sessions continue every Sunday at Temple Bar Square, Dublin 2 from 2pm onwards until the end of August. Gerry Behan advises that there will be a special blitz tournament on Sunday 23rd July commencing at 2pm. Registration is at 1.30pm, entry is free but limited to the first 54 players turning up with a clock. Boards / sets will be provided. For further information, contact Gerry at 01-8371651/:gpbehan@eircom.net.

• The Irish teams for the forthcoming Glorney and Faber Cup are as follows: Glorney - Sam Collins, Gordon Freeman, Michael Dooley, John Kennedy and Eoin Spring (Paul Dempsey has withdrawn from the team). Faber - Sarah Hegarty, Lesley Fennelly and Karen Vejsbjerg (Aine Doggett has withdrawn).
  

• Some significant decisions taken at the ICU AGM (Teachers Club, 1st July):
  

  • Reduction in annual ICU registration fees from £18 to £10 agreed. Executive's proposal for a £2 per player tournament rating fee was rejected.
  • New ICU Executive structure was agreed, operational from next year.
    There will be direct elections to four posts on the main committee (Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer). The Executive cttee will comprise those four officers as well as a single nominated officer from each of the provincial unions and the Irish Junior Sub-Cttee (total 9).
    In addition, an Operations Sub-Cttee will be formed comprising the Tournament Director, Rating Officer, Membership Officer, ICJ Editor, PRO, Development Officer, Chairman of International Selection Cttee, BCAI delegate and ICCA delegate and chaired by the Executive Cttee's Vice-Chairman. This will be in charge of day-to-day, operational matters.
  • Michael Crowe, Paul Delaney, David McAlister, Herbert Scarry, Gerry O'Connell and John Forde all re-elected to Executive.

  For info updates between main Chess Ireland site updates, see the Bulletin board / results

  14th St Benildus Chess Classic, 24-25 June
  Open Jt lst FMs M.Quinn, S.Brady 4.5/5, Jt 3rd D.McMahon, G.Freeman 3. Intermediate Jt lst T.O’Connell, K.Rogers, H.Khonjee 4/5. Junior Jt lst A.Collins, M.Collins, J.McCann 4/5. U-1200 prize: J.Bourke 3.5. Ladies prize: U.O’Boyle 3. Novice prize, jt: N.Hood, H.Lowry-O’Reilly.

• 6th Annual Bray Rapidplay, 17 June, Esplanade Hotel.
  Final scores: 1= I Llorens S Morris 5/6 3= A Fox P Reynolds B Beckett S Duffy 4.5 7= D Path B Fitzpatrick B Palmer G Windebank E Bennett T Creighton S Jeffares J Kennedy jr T Fitzpatrick 4 GPs A:SDuffy B:TCreighton C: EConnolly/KStokes/KJudge/MKelly/GGleeson/COBrien

  Nobody was unbeaten while the top seeds finished as joint winners. Among the leaders, significant results were: Ivan Llorens beat Beckett R4 & Fox R5: Stephen Morris beat Reynolds R3 & Llorens R6: Fox beat Duffy R3 & Morris R4: Beckett-Duffy R5 & Fox-Reynolds R6 drawn.(courtesy Pat Reynolds.

• City of Derry Millenium tournament , June 10-11: The Gillen brothers and Stephen Scannell share first place on 5/6. Short tournament report, courtesy Jack Gillen.

• Bray retain national club title, June 11. Late withdrawals by the Ulster cup winners, North Belfast, and Munster league champions, Cork City meant that the traditional four-team event was staged this year as a two round match between Leinster Armstrong cup winners, Bray CC, and Branagan Cup winners, Dublin CC.

  Overall score, Bray 7.5 - Dublin 4.5 (Rd 1 4.5-1.5, Rd 2 3-3). Board scores: C.Barry 0-J.O’Connor 2, T.Clarke 2-F.Vang 0, J.Joyce 2 M.Schmidt 0, H.Barber 0.5-E.O’Connor 1.5, B.Beckett/C.Brady 1- C.Egan 1, P.Reynolds / E.Bennett 2-S.Clemens 0.

• LCU Branagan Cup Final, Dublin 3 Dun Laoire 2.

• Drogheda Chess Congress 2000, Boyne Valley Hotel, June 2-5: Section A Jt lst D.McMahon, E.Llorens 4.5/5, 3rd K.Butler 2.5. Sect. B lst B.Boyle 3.5/5, Jt 2nd K.Rogers, D.Path 3. Sect. C lst P.Lynch 3/4, 2nd C.Walsh 2.5/4. Sect. D lst P.McLoughlin 4/5, 2nd N.Whelan 3. Sect. E Jt lst E.Donohue, S.Branigan, S.Stokes, A.Roger 3/5. Sect. F Jt lst M.Gartry, P.Butler, Ann Coughlan 3.5/5. Sect. G lst P.Lynch 4.5/5, 2nd M.Kelly 4. Veterans lst J.Parker 4.5/5, 2nd J.Strawbridge 3.5, 3rd M.Coveney 2.5. Junior Jt lst Nicola Hood, L.O'Reilly 8/10, 3rd K.Stokes 6.

• LCU AGM, July 24, 7.30pm. Teachers Club, Parnell Square.

• This year's open-air Temple Bar summer sunday chess sessions have begun and will take place every Sunday, 2pm onwards, at the Main Square in Temple Bar, Dublin (not the Meeting House Square as in previous years). Temple Bar Properties / LCU are jointly responsible for this excellent and popular initiative.
  All welcome, sets provided, bring clocks. Three blitz events are planned over the course of summer ... watch here for dates. (Courtesy Gerry Behan).

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