Summary

• U14 Sean Hunter 4/9
• U12 Eoin Hunter 3.5/9
• U12 Sanjay Menon 3/9
• U8 Liam Hunter 3.5/9

Days 8 & 9 – 13th & 14th August

U8 Liam had a few losses in the preceding days and was very nervous going into his eighth match. He played very well, took his time, and had a great win after nearly 3 hours. He had turned 8 two days previously so the extra year definitely helped! He followed that win on the final day with a great draw against the fourth seed from Hungary, rated 1182. Liam was slightly ahead going into the end game, but was unsure how to convert to a win, so after some deliberation he accepted the draw. Liam finished with 3.5 points in his first international tournament.

U12 Sanjay was also a little nervous heading into the final two days. A solid performance against his 1398-rated Czech opponent finished in a draw on Day 8. Eoin didn’t fare so well and lost his game against his Hungarian opponent(rated 1629). The final day saw Sanjay and Eoin paired together – a guaranteed point for team Ireland! The match ebbed and flowed, without either player dominating and after swapping pieces off and nearly three hours, they agreed a draw. Eoin finished on 3.5 points and Sanjay on 3.

U14 Seán was disappointed to be heading into the final days on the back of two consecutive losses. He played well on Day 8 and achieved a draw against his 1600-rated opponent from the Czech Republic. He was a little more confident heading into Day 9, and was determined to finish out well against his 1665-rated opponent from Finland. After a long match, Seán dominated the end game and emerged with the win after a little over 3 hours. Seán finished on 4 points overall.

The boys very much enjoyed the tournament in Kouty nad Dessnou; it was an excellent experience for all, and they are looking forward to the next set of chess challenges on home soil!

Days 6 & 7 - 11th & 12th August

Days 6 & 7 have been very tough for the Irish team in Kouty, with only Eoin in the U12 section scoring points.
Liam has been outplayed by his opponents in the U8 section.
In the U14 section, Sean lost to the third seed from Poland(2009 rating) on Day 6 and was in a comfortable position against his 1452-rated player from Hungary on Day 7, when a blunder cost him the game.
Sanjay faced two higher rated players from the Czech Republic & Lithuania, and was unable to find a break-through.
Eoin has been playing solid chess and agreed a draw with his Czech opponent on Day 6 and followed that with a good win against his Slovakian opponent on Day 7.

Two more games, in quick succession to go. Day 8 commences at 3pm on Saturday and Sunday's matches are at 8.30am. Spirits are good, and the players are enjoying the tournament and the experience of playing against some of the top European players.

Days 4 & 5 9th, 10th August

A tough few days at the office. The clouds have come down from the mountains, but we're hoping for some more sunshine over the coming days. Just over the half-way mark, Sean is on 2.5/5, Sanjay 2/5, Eoin 1.5/5 and Liam 2/5.

U8 Day 4 started well for Liam. He was awarded the prize for 'the most beautiful and interesting game' judged by IM Petr Pist, for the previous day's game. Guess the checkmate with the knight didn't go unnoticed! Liam now faced the top seed (1232) from Germany on board 2. Unfortunately, Liam made an error in the opening and dropped a piece, and although he played solidly in the middle game, he was ultimately outplayed and lost the game. Liam faced another German player on Day 5. He had a very solid opening, and greatly improved his time-keeping, taking plenty of time on each move. He ultimately lost the game, but was happy with his performance.

U12 Sanjay's opponent on Day 4 was a 1629-rated player from Hungary. Sanjay worked hard, and capitalised on an error by his opponent who fell into a mating net. He won after 3 hours. Eoin didn't fare as well against his 1612-rated opponent from Romania. It was even going into the end game, but Eoin eventually lost the rook-pawn end game after nearly 4 hours. Day 5 saw Sanjay facing an opponent from Estonia with a rating of 1601. It was a tough match and Sanjay was outplayed. Eoin's fifth opponent was a 1435-rated player from Finland. Eoin was slightly better in the end game but couldn't see a way through and settled for the draw.

U14 Sean was on 2 points going into Day 4 and was paired against an 1898-player from Slovakia. A mistake in the opening meant Sean was on the backfoot for most of the match and he lost in the end game after three & a half hours. On Day 5, Sean faced another opponent from Slovakia, rated 1753. The game was drawn going into the end game and the players agreed on a draw.

Days 1-3, 6th - 8th August

There are 4 players representing Ireland at this European competition. In the U-8 section(Liam Hunter), U-12 (Sanjay Menon & Eoin Hunter) and U-14(Sean Hunter).

Under 8

There are 12 participants in the U-8 section, with the top five seeds having FIDE ratings between 1182 and 1232. Liam drew the third seed on Day 1, and worked hard but was beaten by his Romanian opponent. On Day 2, Liam was happier to draw a player without a FIDE rating from Slovakia. After a 90 minute match, Liam was delighted with his first international win, achieved after promoting a pawn to a rook for checkmate! This win gave Liam some confidence going into Day 3. His opponent from the Czech Republic put up a good defense, but Liam broke through after 80 minutes with checkmate with a knight. He was pleased! He's looking forward to the next 6 matches and of course, his birthday on the 11th!

Under 12

There are 28 participants in this section. 16 of the participants have ratings of 1600+, so the competition is very tough for Sanjay & Eoin. Sanjay unfortunately had a bye on Day 1, so he supported Eoin who had drawn the 5th seed with a rating of 1834. Eoin battled well for over 3 hours but was ultimately beaten by his Polish opponent.
On Day 2, Eoin drew another Polish opponent, and was a pawn up for most of the game. An unfortunate error in the end game saw Eoin lose his advantage, and he was disappointed with the resulting draw. Sanjay, with a point on the board, drew the Bulgarian 8th seed with a rating of 1781. Sanjay's opponent played flawless chess. Sanjay battled hard but was under immense pressure, and his clock eventually ran out. Day 3 and Eoin faced another Polish opponent. Eoin had a tactically great middle game. His opponent played well in the end game and they settled on a draw. Sanjay faced another high rated player, 1725 from Slovakia, on Day 3. It was another long match with a bishop and pawn for Sanjay in the end game, while his opponent had a bishop and 2 pawns. Sanjay's time advantage was not enough to overcome this deficit and he lost after 3.5 hours.

Under 14

There are 20 participants in this section. Sean drew the 7th seed on Day 1, rated 1819 from Germany. After a long afternoon, Sean was happy to accept a draw. On Day 2, Sean played the 9th seed(rating 1778) from Belgium. It was a very tight match with little between both players until Sean dropped a pawn. Sean managed to recover to a level position and momentum was then with him. After Sean tactically gave up a rook, he was able to play a series of moves which won his opponents queen and he was delighted with the win. Day 3 and Sean was paired with a Lithuanain opponent who was also on 1.5 points. Sean won a pawn in the opening but was unable to consolidate his advantage. Sean was still a pawn up going in to the end game, but his opponents bishops were controlling the board. Sean's opponent accepted the draw and both players were happy with the half point.

One third of the way through the competition and spirits are high in the Irish camp! We've enjoyed a few rounds of table-tennis in the evenings, and a dip in the hotel pool. On the morning of Day 3, the organisers arranged a simultaneous competition for 19 youth players vs. IM Peter Pist. All four Irish players took part (and all four won - on time!). The youths were the overall winners - 10 - 9! We're expecting rain tomorrow - so the organisers have arranged a blitz competition for the morning. C'mon Team Ireland!

Travel Day

We have all arrived here in Kouty after a long drive from Prague.

The four players are registered, (and fed!), and have all retired for an early night in advance of competition.

We will provide updates & photos during the tournament. We note the benchmark set with the daily updates from Mureck!