Current news in Ulster Chess
Irish Junior & Intermediate Championships 2007
QUB players Chris Millar and Calum Leitch enjoyed success in the Irish Championships 2007, held in O'Connell Street's Royal Dublin Hotel during the last weekend in June. Millar finished clear first in his field to become Irish Junior Champion, while Leitch's performance in the Intermediate section earned him a Glorney Cup invite. Queen's Steve Scannell enters the Irish Open next weekend as one of the leading seeds.
City of Belfast Championships 2007
The Belfast Boat Club hosted the City of Belfast Championships 2007, with the event dividing competitors into separate sections to fight it out for the Nemztov and Henderson Cups. As is becoming the norm, and ever increasingly so, the tournament witnessed excellent results for QUB players. QUB summer signing Steve Scannell finished half a point ahead of the rest of the field in the Nemztov, while Chris Millar did likewise to lift the Henderson Cup.
No RVH Resistance as John Strawbridge Cup Heads to Queen's
Queen's complete the 2006/07 season as winners of the Belfast & District League 2. The final act of the University men in lifting the John Strawbrige Cup and sealing promotion to Division 1 was undramatic - RVH had the good manners to leave the QUB side with a free night to pose for the cameras and celebrate their success.
University Men Close In On Title Glory
With the protest withdrawal of both Bangor Winston and Groomsport from the league last Thursday, round 12 of the race to claim the coveted John Strawbridge Cup was set against a backdrop of administrative confusion. Nobody is quite sure what the precise impact of the withdrawals upon point totals are as yet, but the key facts remain satisfactorily clear – QUB enjoy a comfortable lead over nearest rivals Malone, with a Devon Loch collapse necessary for league glory to be snatched from the grasp of Millar’s Mob.
QUB March On After Humbling Hillsborough
Back in November, a mere four weeks into the chess season, QUB suffered dropped bonus points for the second week in succession, drawing against Portadown in the Peter Froggatt Centre. At this stage confidence in the under-achieving Galacticos was dwindling, with their stock crashing to an all-time low. However, rather than feeling sorry for themselves, the university outfit, evidently taking inspiration from their captain, embarked on a six-match winning streak. This run has brought them to the summit of the league, but with the finishing post growing ever-closer, a steadily improving Hillsborough side stood in their way. With players of the calibre of Bruce Maclean and David McAlister in the visitor's line-up, the league leaders were not expecting an easy ride.
