Author Archives: David McAlister

Heidenfeld and the 1958 Irish Championship

Posted on June 14, 2013 by David McAlister

There’s one simple way for an Irish chess website to increase its traffic: start a debate on the eligibility to play in the Irish Championship, more specifically should it be an open or closed tournament (and if it’s a closed … Continue reading →

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The Chess Map of Ireland 1993: 20 years on

Posted on February 24, 2013 by David McAlister

When I played in the 1994 National Club Championship at the Winston Hotel Bangor, I received the parchment map below. My slightly faded recollection is that all the participants received a copy to mark their participation in the event, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Cox centenary: Challenge match with O’Hanlon

Posted on December 28, 2012 by David McAlister

In our earlier Thomas Cox centenary article Play-off for the Dublin CC Championship 1936, I chronicled how J.J. O’Hanlon had suffered a surprise defeat to Cox. O’Hanlon was the reigning Irish champion and he perhaps felt the need to restore … Continue reading →

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Irish Women’s Championship

Posted on November 26, 2012 by David McAlister

The 2012 Kilkenny Congress also played host this year to the Irish Women’s Championship. The Championship was open to non-Irish qualified players and Czech WFM Martina Mareckova won the event, with the championship title going to runner-up WCM Karina Kruk. … Continue reading →

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Cox centenary: Play-off for the Dublin CC Championship 1936

Posted on September 23, 2012 by David McAlister

Sean previously posted about the centenary of the birth of Thomas Cox, Irish chess champion in 1937 and 1938 but who died in 1939 aged only 27. This present post is the first of a series of articles on important … Continue reading →

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Znosko-Borovsky’s visit to Ireland

Posted on June 18, 2012 by David McAlister

Seán made reference in the May 2012 update to Znosko-Borovsky’s simultaneous displays in Armagh and Limerick in December 1926. There is a game dated 1927 between Znosko-Borovsky and O’Hanlon listed in the Games section of the ICU website. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Players | 1 Comment

P.J. Laracy, Philip Baker and the 1927 Leinster Championship

Posted on May 7, 2012 by David McAlister

When compiling the Roll of Honour for the Leinster Championship, there was a particularly tricky decision to make about the 1927 renewal. There was evidence pointing towards two possible candidates. They were Philip Baker, champion the previous year (and also … Continue reading →

Posted in Armstrong Cup, Irish championships, Leinster championships, Players, Tournaments | 1 Comment

Leinster Championships centenary

Posted on May 5, 2012 by David McAlister

The Leinster Championships are being held over the May Bank Holiday weekend, the usual slot for the Malahide Millennium Tournament. In fact these two tournaments have amalgamated this year, and pre-event it was being anticipated that the quality and quantity … Continue reading →

Posted in Leinster championships, Tournaments | 1 Comment

GM Michael Stean on the BBC

Posted on April 27, 2012 by David McAlister

On Monday 23rd April BBC Northern Ireland started a series of half-hour programmes entitled “Glory Days”. These are compilations of sporting events taken from the BBC NI archives and the first episode focused on the 1970s. Towards the end (about … Continue reading →

Posted in Simuls | 1 Comment

National Club Championship

Posted on April 23, 2012 by David McAlister

The 2012 National Club Championship is being played on the last weekend of April. We have added a new page within our Team events section detailing the winners of the NCC since its inception in 1954. Records are far from … Continue reading →

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