Author Archives: Sean Coffey

Sligo Spring Tournament 2024, other sections

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The Sligo Spring Tournament had four sections in all, and the organisers made live boards available for all games in each. Full reports have been added here for the Championship (40 players, 1st Nitish Arun), the Major (44 players, 1st … Continue reading →

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Sligo Spring Tournament Masters 2024

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The Sligo Spring Tournament was held in Enniscrone from February 2-4, 2024. The flyer gives testimonials from players (“the best tournament in Ireland at present”, “by far the most professional weekender I’ve been to”), and these seem no idle boasts. … Continue reading →

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Lara Putar qualifies for WFM title

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Sean Coffey

Congratulations to Lara Putar, who has qualified for the WFM by scoring 7/9 at the Women’s Olympiad in Budapest. Direct WFM titles at the Women’s Olympiad require a score of at least 65% over at least 9 games, having at … Continue reading →

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Eddie O’Connor and the Armstrong Cup 1988-89

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The 1988-89 season of the Armstrong Cup turned into a battle between the defending champions, and favourites for the new season, Kevin Barry, versus the previous year’s runners-up, Rathmines. The background and atmosphere was described vividly by Michael O’Brien in … Continue reading →

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Eddie O’Connor 1956-2024

Posted on September 15, 2024 by Sean Coffey

I was very sorry to hear of the passing of Eddie O’Connor. Sincere condolences to his family. His association with Dublin C.C. lasted over thirty years, and he also served as club President, most recently ending at the end of … Continue reading →

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Maurice Coveney 1939-2024

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Sean Coffey

I was very sorry to hear of the passing this week of Maurice Coveney. Sincere condolences to his family. His playing career spanned six decades, and he also contributed heavily in several administrative roles. He played in four Irish championships—1967, … Continue reading →

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Irish Women’s Championship 2024

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The Irish Women’s Championship was held at the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan over the weekend. Twelve players competed, including defending champion Antonina Góra, former champion Diana Mirza, and last year’s first place finisher (though then ineligible for the title) and top … Continue reading →

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Irish Championship 2024

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The Irish Championship has been running since last Saturday, August 3, at the Talbot Hotel Stillorgan in Dublin, and concludes tomorrow. A full report, with all games from the first eight rounds and pairings for the ninth, has been uploaded … Continue reading →

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Patrick Alphonsus Duignan 1916-1997

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The ICU website has two brief items dealing with the 1947 Irish champion. The longer one, by Enda Rohan, includes the photo at right, taken at the Irish Championship in Belfast in 1950, describes him as a principal officer at … Continue reading →

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Irish Championship 1947

Posted on June 1, 2024 by Sean Coffey

The Irish Championship 1947 was held in Cork, for the first time ever, at the C.C.Y.M.S. Hall in Castle Street. The event was structured as a 14-player all-play-all, with the provincial unions each nominating three players, and with another place … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Irish championships, Tournaments | 1 Comment