The Irish Junior Championships 2009 were held in the Hotel Kilkenny. The Hotel was an excellent choice and the event was very well run by Kilkenny Chess Club. Click on the sub headings to see the cross tables.
Under 8
The Under 8 competition was played with a certain amount of exuberance! The competition was won for the second year in a row by a Melaugh. Gavin claiming the title won by brother Shane last year in Ballinasloe with a perfect 5 out of 5. Second was Padraig Hughes from Athy and third was Meghan Finnan from Longford. The standard of play was noticeably good for this age group.
Under 10
There were an impressive total of 29 players in this section. By the end of round 5 Paula Eglite had a clear one point lead. However, in round 6 Hiram Wood-Hennessy from Clare won against Paula and the competition opened up. In the final round there was everything to play for on the top boards. Hiram and Paula both won for 5.5 points each. Paula winning first place on a tie break. Third place went to Tuams Cian Guinan on a tie break from Jessie Dihllon, Eoin Doyle and John Nolan.
Under 12
Top seed Billy McKenna made the running and scored a perfect 6. Local Kilkenny player Eoin Minnock claimed second place on a tie break from Wicklows Sinead Duffy.
Under 14
This was a strong competition. The first three rounds went according to seedings. Round four saw the top seeds Hugh Doyle and Kieran ORiordan drawn against each other. There wasnt much surprise when the Cork friends finally agreed a draw! Both players went on to score 5.5, Hugh winning first place on the tie-break. Third place went to Ashley Campion on a tie break from Richard Flynn. A good result for Richard considering his rating.
Under 16/19
As has been the custom for the past few years the under 16 and under 19 sections were combined. Round one went to form. Board one in round two however, resulted in Mark Berney overcoming a 400 point gap and defeating Ryan-Rhys Griffith. Mark followed this up in round three with a draw against Sam Osborne. Also in round three the Menons had a family battle with Aravind just edging out Poornima after a three hour battle. Round five saw Sam Osbourne and Ryan-Rhys Griffiths playing out a draw. In round six Aravind managed to hold Ryan-Rhys Griffiths to a draw. After untangling both age groups the result was:
Under 16 - 1st Mark Berney, 2nd - Ryan Rhys Griffiths, 3rd - Aravind Menon
Under 19 - 1st Sam Osborne, 2nd - Michael Tierney, 3rd - Pornima Menon
The picture shows Billy McKenna, Hugh Doyle, Mark Berney and Sam Osborne.
The event was very well organised by Rosemarie Kelly and Bernie Minnock. Also many thanks to Maurice Buckley for acting as tournament controller. Next year is Munsters turn to host and there is a provisional decision to hold it in Ennis.