Category Archives: Players

Irish championship players

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Sean Coffey

John O’Hanlon’s long-standing record of nine Irish championship wins has been equalled by Stephen Brady, but O’Hanlon still holds one record: he competed in 29 championships. Even here his record is in some danger, with many currently active players nipping … Continue reading →

Posted in Irish championships, Players | 7 Comments

Michael V. O’Nolan

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Sean Coffey

The last post mentioned M. O’Nolan, saying that he was very probably a brother of Brian O’Nolan. Indeed the name is very uncommon in all of Ireland, let alone in Blackrock. And Brian O’Nolan had many brothers: he was from … Continue reading →

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Brian Tomson, series helpmate in 26

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Sean Coffey

We’ve written previously here about the Irish player and problemist Brian Tomson. He played in the Glorney Cup, Armstrong Cup (for T.C.D.), finished equal 4th in the Irish championship in 1965, and represented Ireland in the Student Olympiad in 1967, … Continue reading →

Posted in Players, Puzzles | 1 Comment

Dick Grogan 1938-2016

Posted on May 27, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Dick Grogan, who died earlier this month, was a nationally prominent journalist. Most of his career was spent with the Irish Times, where among other assignments he served as Northern Editor. His Irish Times obituary is subtitled “Journalist whose career … Continue reading →

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Gerry McCurdy 1946-2016

Posted on February 4, 2016 by Sean Coffey

I’d posted here a couple of years ago about Gerry McCurdy, originally from Belfast, who was a strong player in Ireland in the 1960’s, and who had recently returned to chess after a gap of decades with much of his … Continue reading →

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More on John Moles

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Sean Coffey

A long, detailed, and very interesting obituary of John Moles appeared in the December issue of Histos, an online academic journal co-founded by him, written by a close and long-time academic colleague who knew him over decades. I never met … Continue reading →

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John Moles 1949-2015

Posted on January 12, 2016 by Sean Coffey

I was very sorry to hear of the sudden death of John Moles, one of the most talented players Ireland has ever produced, on October 4. He was twice Irish champion and played in two Olympiads, and wrote an outstanding … Continue reading →

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From Irish champion to polar adventurer

Posted on October 29, 2015 by David McAlister

The format for the 1989 renewal of the Irish Championship provoked a bit of controversy at the time. The Irish Chess Union abandoned the usual formula of one-game a day over 9 rounds and compressed the Championship into 5 days. … Continue reading →

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Samuel Beckett, once removed

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Sean Coffey

Oliver Dunne asks the exact question I had been wondering about myself: is it possible that any of Beckett’s games survive? So far I have not found any. But I did find what may be the next best thing: a … Continue reading →

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Samuel Beckett, contd.

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Sean Coffey

In Samuel Beckett and the Armstrong Cup, I thought I had made an original discovery of Samuel Beckett’s career as a chess player, as chess players would understand the term, in the form of an Armstrong Cup scorecard from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Armstrong Cup, Players, Tournaments | 2 Comments