Category Archives: Puzzles

A famous ending—I

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Sean Coffey

White to play; how should he continue? In particular, if 1. Nxh4, what then? This position, from an Irish game, has featured in several books, including some highly acclaimed recent ones—which stress the importance of trying to work out a … Continue reading →

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Hogarty-Green, European Boys U18 Team Championship 2006

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Sean Coffey

In the puzzle in the last post, White must not play 1. Ke3?, which loses: after 1. … c1=Q+ 2. Nxc1 Kxc1 3. Ke4 Kd2 4. Ke5 Ke3 5. Kxe6 Kf3 6. Kf6 White is one move too late. The … Continue reading →

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1. ?

Posted on May 8, 2016 by Sean Coffey

In this position, from an Irish game, it’s White to play. (i) How should White continue and what should the result be with best play? (ii) What happened in the game? Not too hard, but neat. Answer in a couple … Continue reading →

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Gonzaga Masters 2016

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Last month I wrote here that there were apparently going to be no games available from this year’s Gonzaga Masters. I’m delighted to report that the great majority of the games have now been made available, compiled by Ruth Redmond … Continue reading →

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Armstrong Cup 2015-16, continued

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Sean Coffey

Even at the beginning of the season the general consensus was that it would be hard to stop Gonzaga in this year’s Armstrong Cup, and so it has proved. With some of the 8th-round matches played, Gonzaga leads by 4½ … Continue reading →

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Arbitrary and capricious—II

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Sean Coffey

The last post asked how it could be that the tie-break system placed Philip Short ahead of Stephen Brady. The tie-break system was Median Buchholz followed by Buchholz, i.e., just sums of opponent scores (with median dropping the highest and … Continue reading →

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Arbitrary and capricious

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Sean Coffey

The close finish to this year’s Irish championship brought the possibility of a three-way tie for first place. When two players tie for first, the rule is (as it has been since the 1970s) that the players share the title. … Continue reading →

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Who (and what and when): a partial solution

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Sean Coffey

On the puzzle of Oliver Dunne’s picure, my guesses weren’t too bad but still fell short. Looking at the formal attire, it’s clear this is no recent event, or an event from my own playing days. The players all seemed … Continue reading →

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Joe Noone, David Denny

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Sean Coffey

The answers to Thursday’s puzzle are Joe Noone (Player A) and David Denny (Player B). The original source is David Denny’s Flickr account. The players, from left to right, are Joe Noone, Martin O’Neill, David Denny, Brendan Bartley, Tom McHugh, … Continue reading →

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Who?

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Sean Coffey

This photo shows the Ballyfermot team that won the national Community Games championship in 1970. (Click on the picture for a larger version.) One player in this picture (call him Player A) was later a Leinster champion. He’s still playing, … Continue reading →

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