The playing hall showing the Open Weekender with the last row being the combined 50+/65+ event.
Report on Open Weekender and 50+/65+
59 players competed in the openAs there were only 2 entries in the 50+ event, these players joined the 13 entries in the 65+ event in a combined 50+/65+ event. Given the costs and entries the ICU subsidised the prizefund to keep it as advertised in the Open Weekender and reduced in the 50+/65+ event. Fiar play checks were conducted at random during the early stages of each round on around 10% of the players chosen at random, which was generally well received. Competition was tight although the winner in the Open scored 5/5. Some games were very close and went down to the wire especially in the 50+/65+ section where some players endgame experience showed. While entries were up from last year, 74 compared to 54, the Dublin location probably helped in this respect.
Open Weekender
1st , Oleg Artemenko 5.0 /5 , €600
2nd , Joshua Blinkhorn 4.5 /5 , €425
3rd , Alper Alkim Fil 4.0 /5 , €250
Grading <1850 FIDE , Vitaly Salmin 3.5 /5 , €75
Grading <1700 FIDE , Indrajit Desai 3.0 /5 , €75
Grading <1525 FIDE , Adam El Baradie 3.0 /5 , €75
50+/65+
1st , Joe Noone 4.5 /5 , €200
2nd , Sean Nolan 4.5 /5 , €135
=3rd-5th , Pat Fitzsimons 3.0 /5 , €30
=3rd-5th , Peter Campbell 3.0 /5 €30
=3rd-5th , Noel Quinn 3.0 /5 €30
Grading <1700 FIDE/ICU , Jarek Wieczorek 2.5 /5 , €75