The Kilkenny Congress took place last weekend, attracting 246 players (apparently a record) over three sections.
A report on the full Congress by Gerry Graham, with many photos, can be found on the ICU web site.
The Masters attracted a strong field of 28, including 5 GMs. A full report has been added here, including 19 of the 83 games.
Gawain Jones won first prize in emphatic style, finishing on 5½/6, a full point and a half clear of the field.
He did not have it entirely his own way, though, as he could well have lost his first round game against Paul Wallace, in which he conceded his only half point.
51… ?
In the diagrammed position, it’s Black to play: should he play 51… Nc5 or 51… Kxh4, and why is there any difference?
Wallace chose incorrectly, granting Jones a reprieve a couple of moves later, which he missed, only to be reprieved again, and the game ended in a draw. Of course, as so often in endgames these days, both players were short of time (Jones 16 seconds and Wallace 2 minutes 17 seconds in the diagrammed position), and the correct path is far from obvious.
See the playable game for (slightly) more details. For a full explanation, the reader is invited to use the 7-piece Syzygy tablebases.