Generally, the Irish Chess scene becomes slightly quieter over the summer months but this weekend provides us with a plethora of events. With hundreds of children taking part in the Chess Community Games, our veteran team performing admirably in Dresden in the World Team Championship 65+ 2016, David Fitzsimons hunting for his second IM norm of the year in the monthly First Saturday event in Budapest, a Belfast versus Madrid match held in Ulster and, of course, The Irish Chess Championships 2016.
The 2016 Community Games
As we await reports from the events around the country, one noteworthy story comes from Connaught where Manorhamilton were crowned u13 champions. You may remember an article from earlier in the year where Manorhamilton hosted a huge Chess event for schools in that area which featured more than 220 kids. This result is also noteworthy as Sligo will host the The CPL Irish Junior Championships 2017. Malahide retained their Leinster title and so both teams will advance to play in the All-Ireland competition in Athlone in August alongside the other provincial winners.
The World Team Championship 65+ 2016
Irish team report from the World Team Championship 65+ 2016 written by Tim Harding is now available and gives an account of the Irish team's exploits in the first 7 rounds. Tim Harding is playing particularly well himself with a score of 3.5/6 including several impressive results. They are currently involved in round 8 against a strong German team with an average rating of 2128.
First Saturday GM Tournament
David Fitzsimsons kicked off the First Saturday GM Tournament in Budapest, Hungary with a terrific win with black against GM David Berczes. He continues his hunt for an IM norm today against GM Bogdan Lalic. David requires a score of 5.5 out of 9 to add to the norm he earned at the 2016 4NCL.
Belfast versus Madrid - July 2nd.
Belfast defeated Madrid in a match between the two cities which was broadcast live on the Ulster Chess Union Site. The next major event on the Ulster calendar is the The Ulster Championships 2016 which will be ICU rated and open to all ICU members. The event runs from August 27th to August 29th and will be hosted in the Europa Hotel, Belfast.
The Irish Chess Championships 2016
Finally, The Irish Chess Championships 2016 started yesterday with a couple of early upsets. Luke Scott held six-time Irish Champion Colm Daly to a draw on board 2 while double Irish Champion Eamon Keogh was defeated by Mustakim-Ul Haque. Elsewhere, there were wins for Stephen Jessel, Killian Delaney, Gerry O'Connell, Gerry MacElligott, Kevin Butler and Anthony Fox. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling mishap by UCD - the event was moved from its scheduled room for the day which meant that the games couldn't be broadcast live. However, this will not be an issue for the remainder of the week so games will be viewable here.. A round be round review is available to read through here.
In The Irish Chess Championships 2016: Intermediate. Elo: 1500-1900 section, the leaders and top seeds, Gabor Bolkeny and Donatas Jocius, face off against each other on Sunday morning in round 4. They stand a clear point ahead of the rest of the competition.
In The Irish Chess Championships 2016: Junior. Elo <1500 section, several players are still in contention on the last day including Sean Cullen, Diarmuid Ready, and Robert McLoughlin who are all on full points with 3/3. Eoin Farrelly and Peter Carroll lead the chasing pack on 2.5/3 with ten players on 2/3.
Its shaping up to be an exciting finish on Sunday in both sections.