Author Archives: Sean Coffey

A stalemate puzzle

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Sean Coffey

The recent Dublin Blitz Championship 2020 (Gonzaga College, February 2) featured a game in which one player had the misfortune to resign in a position where he could force an almost immediate draw by stalemate. Well, these things happen: it’s … Continue reading →

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FIDE ratings, February 2020

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Sean Coffey

The FIDE ratings page has been updated to account for the February 2020 rating list. Five players reached new personal highest ratings: Tarun Kanyamarala 2320 → 2349, =26th-27th → 21st; Tom O’Gorman 2295 → 2347, =36th-40th → 22nd; Henry Li … Continue reading →

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Gonzaga Charity Classic 2020

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Sean Coffey

The annual Gonzaga Charity Classic was held last weekend, and it seems to have surpassed all previous versions. There were 201 players across three sections, with 532 games. The very strong Masters section was won by Tarun Kanyamarala via a … Continue reading →

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Williamson Shield 2020

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Sean Coffey

The Williamson Shield was held last weekend at Stormont, featuring 33 players over two sections. Gareth Annesley won the main event with 5/5. A full report has been added to the archives here.

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Irish New Year GM Norm Event 2020

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Sean Coffey

The Irish New Year 2020 events included three norm events, two rating-restricted all-play-alls, the Irish 50+/65+ Championship and a blitz tournament. A report on the GM Norm Event has been added to the tournament section here. As it happened, no … Continue reading →

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Endgame theory

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Sean Coffey

David’s post on Maeve Binchy and chess at Kiely’s in Donnybrook brought back vivid personal memories: I remember playing a league match upstairs there very early in my playing career, probably 1976 or so, when I was 12. I even … Continue reading →

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Irish Championship 2018

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Sean Coffey

A report has (at long last) been added here on the Irish Championship 2018. Jim Olney described the field as “the strongest for some years” in the Irish Examiner, but really he could have said “ever”, with 8 former champions, … Continue reading →

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Spackman – Annesley, Ulster Masters 2019

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Sean Coffey

The Ulster Masters 2019 took place on November 23-24 in Bangor, with 34 players competing across two sections. The top section finished in a three-way tie between Gareth Annesley, Calum Leitch, and Danny Roberts. A full report has been added … Continue reading →

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FIDE ratings

Posted on December 4, 2019 by Sean Coffey

The FIDE ratings page has been updated to account for the December 2019 list. Tarun Kanyamarala and Killian Delaney reached new personal record high ratings, and Shane Melaugh crossed 2200 for the first time.

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Ulster Championship 2019

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Sean Coffey

The Ulster Championship 2019 was held in the Europa Hotel over the August Bank Holiday weekend. The event was dominated by Daniil Zelenchuk, who started with five straight wins and had wrapped up clear first with a round to spare, … Continue reading →

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