The LCU Cup Finals weekend, hosted by Skerries Chess Club, was a great success, with plenty of fighting chess, decisive games and nail-biting matches. The day saw just 12 draws across 63 games, while 8 of the 11 matches finished either 3-3 or 3½-2½.

A record 31 teams entered the three competitions - the Branagan for Armstrong/Heidenfeld players, the Killane for Ennis/O'Hanlon/BEA/Bodley players, and the William Brennan for players under 1500 (pre ratings adjustment) - and 12 teams, representing 11 clubs, made it through to the final day. The semi-finals in each section were in the morning session, with the finals and the third-fourth place play-offs in the afternoon.

Elm Mount - the only club with two teams at the event - were involved in dramatic finishes in the Brennan and Branagan Cups. In the Brennan - the final of which they reached despite only having five players in their semi-final against a Bray/Greystones side that had scored 15/18 in the group stages - they agreed a draw in a Q+1 v Q position in the last board to finish which saw Lucan win 3½-2½. The position likely was drawn, but Elm Mount would have been justified in pushing for a win which would have taken the match to a blitz play-off, as the teams would have been inseparable on board count. It's Lucan's first ever Cup win, and their first trophy since the 2012/13 Ennis Shield.

And in the Branagan, Gonzaga beat local rivals St Benildus in the semis, but were then short two players for the final. Despite this disadvantage, they pegged Elm Mount back to 2½-2½, helped by a touch-move violation in one game where Elm Mount were hanging on for a draw. And with Gonzaga three pawns up in the final board and ahead on tie-break in the event of a 3-3 draw, the trophy looked set to return to Gonzaga for the first time in five years. Instead, Elm Mount's Ciarán Quinn managed to escape into a R+3 v R+4 ending and - with a draw no use to his team - even contrived to turn it into a won R+2 v R ending, meaning Elm Mount retained the trophy they won against the same opposition last year.

The Killane final was tighter still, with Dundalk and UCD playing out a 3-3 draw, though Dundalk had the trophy won on tie-break even before the final game finished.

The final standings were -

Branagan
1st Elm Mount
2nd Gonzaga
3rd St Benildus
4th Dún Laoghaire

Killane
1st Dundalk
2nd UCD
3rd Skerries
4th DCU

William Brennan
1st Lucan
2nd Elm Mount
3rd Bray/Greystones
4th Naomh Barróg