Category Archives: Players

Irish championship players, updated

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Sean Coffey

The lists of Irish championship players have been updated to include the 2018 championship: see the full list in descending order of number of championships played, and the same in alphabetical order. Two errors have been corrected: Previously “W. Laveney” … Continue reading →

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Déiseach – Spassky, World Junior Championship 1955

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Sean Coffey

Alan McGowan, ChessScotland’s historian, has sent the photo above, for which many thanks. The third World Junior Championship was held in Antwerp, from July 21 to August 9, 1955. Ireland’s representative was Dónal Déiseach of Clontarf C.C., then Armstrong Cup … Continue reading →

Posted in Games, Photos, Players | 6 Comments

Flannery – Kennefick, West of Ireland Open 1976

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Sean Coffey

Here’s another game of Maurice Kennefick’s (missing up to now from the ICU games archive) from the inaugural West of Ireland Open in 1976. (This series of events was held in Galway from 1976 to around 1980.) CHESS (Sutton Coldfield) … Continue reading →

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Maurice Kennefick: the early years

Posted on February 17, 2019 by David McAlister

Maurice Kennefick  came to the fore in the late 1960s when he was an undergraduate student at University College Cork. In the course of the 1965-66 season, his first year at university, he rapidly moved from the junior ranks to … Continue reading →

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Maurice Kennefick 1946-2018

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Sean Coffey

Maurice Kennefick, who was one of Munster’s strongest players in the 1960’s and 1970’s before switching to a long and successful playing career in bridge, died on December 31, 2018. Maurice Kennefick, circa 2011 He played in 7 Irish championships … Continue reading →

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Sam Ferris, ca. 1937-2018

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Sean Coffey

The UCU web site has a recent news item announcing the death of the veteran Belfast South / Fisherwick player Sam Ferris. Sam Ferris Fisherwick C.C., 2006 (Photo from David McAlister, for which many thanks.) He made headlines when he … Continue reading →

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Philip Short 1960-2018

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Sean Coffey

Philip Short, August 2018 I’m reeling, as is anyone remotely linked with Irish chess, at the sudden and unexpected loss of Philip Short. He was Irish champion five times—1981 (joint), 1986 (j.), 1988, 2015 (j.), and 2017 (j.)—and finished joint … Continue reading →

Posted in Irish champions, Photos, Players | 4 Comments

Mulcahy-Bouwmeester, Munich Zonal 1954

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Sean Coffey

Today, March 24, marks the 50th anniversary of the Viscount air disaster. One of the 61 people on board was Noel Mulcahy, one of Ireland’s strongest players. He was Irish champion in 1953, and equal second or better in five … Continue reading →

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Irish championship players, updated

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Sean Coffey

The lists of Irish championship players have been updated: see the full list in descending order of number of championships played, and the same in alphabetical order. Compared with the lists originally posted last July, full names are given for … Continue reading →

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O’Hanlon-Cox 1936 Challenge Match revisited

Posted on August 18, 2017 by David McAlister

In my article on the 1936 O’Hanlon-Cox Challenge Match I was able to present six of the seven games played in the match. I have now unearthed the game-score of Game 1, the one that had previously eluded me. It is … Continue reading →

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