Saturday 16th April 2022, saw 27 youngsters gather at Methodist College, Belfast for a chess tournament and to solve elegant chess puzzles.

We had the brilliant assistance of Karina Kruk and Geoff Hindley.

My favourite bit of the day is the puzzle solving. We allow students to come to us for possible hints at solutions and also to discuss with other players. Thereby encouraging chess to be discussed away from the board.

The Primary School Puzzle Champion: Lorcan Rippon.

The Secondary Puzzle Champion: Calum Glendinning

I give you some of the problems to be solved below. The solutions are provided at the bottom of this page.

Round 1

Results

No Name                    Feder Total  Result   Name                 Feder Total

 1 Calum Glendinning       L6    [0]      1:0    Aadhi Sooraj         P5    [0]  
 2 Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [0]      0:1    Ashwanth Subramanian U6    [0]  
 3 James Huang             F3    [0]      1:0    James Martin         F1    [0]  
 4 Reuben McLean           P5    [0]     .5:.5   Daniel Hill          L6    [0]  
 5 Dev Chaudry             P6    [0]      0:1    Peter Murphy         F1    [0]  
 6 Saoirse Rippon          F1    [0]      0:1    Thomas Loughrey      F1    [0]  
 7 Caleb McClean           F3    [0]      0:1    Joshua Smikle        P7    [0]  
 8 Zack Todd               F2    [0]      0:1    Joseph Quinn         P6    [0]  
 9 Lorcan Rippon           P5    [0]      1:0    Shlok Thoke          P5    [0]  
10 Ayush Shambharkar       P5    [0]      0:1    Harrison Andrews     F2    [0]  
11 Andrew Campbell         F4    [0]      1:0    Saoirse Barnes       P5    [0]  
12 Matthew Loughrey        P3    [0]      0:1    Cillian Mccann       F4    [0]  
13 Jacob McClean           F1    [0]      1:0    Owen Chan            P5    [0]  
14 Advait Tahmankar        P4    [0]      1:0    BYE                             

by Swiss Perfect (TM)  www.swissperfect.com

During registration players are encouraged to play friendlies or work at the puzzle sheets.

With round 1 drawn. We set each pair of players to their tables in the two playing rooms. A thoughtful silence then falls as the games begin.

The atmosphere to the afternoon is friendly chatter. I leave the photos to show the fun of the afternoon.

Having an odd no of players Geoff or Karina played the player given the bye.

Round 2

Results

No Name                 Feder Total  Result   Name                    Feder Total

 1 Harrison Andrews     F2    [1]      0:1    Calum Glendinning       L6    [1]  
 2 Ashwanth Subramanian U6    [1]     .5:.5   Andrew Campbell         F4    [1]  
 3 Cillian Mccann       F4    [1]      0:1    James Huang             F3    [1]  
 4 Thomas Loughrey      F1    [1]      1:0    Jacob McClean           F1    [1]  
 5 Joseph Quinn         P6    [1]      1:0    Advait Tahmankar        P4    [1]  
 6 Peter Murphy         F1    [1]     .5:.5   Lorcan Rippon           P5    [1]  
 7 Joshua Smikle        P7    [1]      1:0    Reuben McLean           P5    [.5] 
 8 Daniel Hill          L6    [.5]     1:0    Dev Chaudry             P6    [0]  
 9 Zack Todd            F2    [0]      0:1    Caleb McClean           F3    [0]  
10 Aadhi Sooraj         P5    [0]      1:0    Ayush Shambharkar       P5    [0]  
11 Shlok Thoke          P5    [0]      0:1    Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [0]  
12 James Martin         F1    [0]      0:1    Matthew Loughrey        P3    [0]  
13 Saoirse Barnes       P5    [0]      0:1    Saoirse Rippon          F1    [0]  
14 Owen Chan            P5    [0]      1:0    BYE       

Theres a good balance between very good players and improvers. A telling sign is to see games going to endgames that are fairly even in pieces. The young Matthew Loughrey gets a point off James Martin. Andrew Campbell gets a draw against one of the top players Ashwanth Subramanian. Calum Glendinning continues to win his games. One of the fathers asked if there were any players who is son could play near to his home. This made me realise that, this is one of the reasons why these tournaments are so useful as players mix with each other and make friends that extend beyond the tournament.

Round 3

Results

No Name                    Feder Total  Result   Name             Feder Total

 1 Calum Glendinning       L6    [2]      1:0    Thomas Loughrey  F1    [2]  
 2 James Huang             F3    [2]      1:0    Joshua Smikle    P7    [2]  
 3 Ashwanth Subramanian    U6    [1.5]    1:0    Joseph Quinn     P6    [2]  
 4 Lorcan Rippon           P5    [1.5]    1:0    Daniel Hill      L6    [1.5]
 5 Andrew Campbell         F4    [1.5]    1:0    Peter Murphy     F1    [1.5]
 6 Advait Tahmankar        P4    [1]      0:1    Caleb McClean    F3    [1]  
 7 Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [1]      1:0    Harrison Andrews F2    [1]  
 8 Saoirse Rippon          F1    [1]      0:1    Cillian Mccann   F4    [1]  
 9 Jacob McClean           F1    [1]      0:1    Matthew Loughrey P3    [1]  
10 Owen Chan               P5    [1]      0:1    Aadhi Sooraj     P5    [1]  
11 Reuben McLean           P5    [.5]     0:1    James Martin     F1    [0]  
12 Dev Chaudry             P6    [0]      1:0    Shlok Thoke      P5    [0]  
13 Ayush Shambharkar       P5    [0]     .5:.5   Zack Todd        F2    [0]  
14 Saoirse Barnes          P5    [0]      1:0    BYE    

Round 4

Results

No Name              Feder Total  Result   Name                    Feder Total

 1 James Huang       F3    [3]      0:1    Calum Glendinning       L6    [3]  
 2 Lorcan Rippon     P5    [2.5]    0:1    Ashwanth Subramanian    U6    [2.5]
 3 Thomas Loughrey   F1    [2]      0:1    Andrew Campbell         F4    [2.5]
 4 Caleb McClean     F3    [2]      1:0    Aadhi Sooraj            P5    [2]  
 5 Joseph Quinn      P6    [2]      1:0    Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [2]  
 6 Cillian Mccann    F4    [2]      0:1    Joshua Smikle           P7    [2]  
 7 Matthew Loughrey  P3    [2]      0:1    Daniel Hill             L6    [1.5]
 8 Peter Murphy      F1    [1.5]    1:0    Jacob McClean           F1    [1]  
 9 James Martin      F1    [1]      0:1    Dev Chaudry             P6    [1]  
10 Harrison Andrews  F2    [1]      1:0    Saoirse Barnes          P5    [1]  
11 Owen Chan         P5    [1]      0:1    Advait Tahmankar        P4    [1]  
12 Zack Todd         F2    [.5]     0:1    Saoirse Rippon          F1    [1]  
13 Ayush Shambharkar P5    [.5]    .5:.5   Reuben McLean           P5    [.5] 
14 Shlok Thoke       P5    [0]      1:0    BYE                               

Calum leads the tournament with 4 full points Followed closely by Ashwanth, Andrew on 3.5 points. Its brilliant to see so many younger players with Matthew Loughrey (P3) on board 7 and Advaot Tahmankar (P4) on board 11

Round 5

Results

No Name                    Feder Total  Result   Name              Feder Total

 1 Calum Glendinning       L6    [4]      1:0    Andrew Campbell   F4    [3.5]
 2 Ashwanth Subramanian    U6    [3.5]    1:0    James Huang       F3    [3]  
 3 Joshua Smikle           P7    [3]      1:0    Joseph Quinn      P6    [3]  
 4 Caleb McClean           F3    [3]      0:1    Lorcan Rippon     P5    [2.5]
 5 Daniel Hill             L6    [2.5]    1:0    Peter Murphy      F1    [2.5]
 6 Dev Chaudry             P6    [2]      1:0    Matthew Loughrey  P3    [2]  
 7 Aadhi Sooraj            P5    [2]      1:0    Thomas Loughrey   F1    [2]  
 8 Saoirse Rippon          F1    [2]      0:1    Harrison Andrews  F2    [2]  
 9 Advait Tahmankar        P4    [2]      0:1    Cillian Mccann    F4    [2]  
10 Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [2]      1:0    Reuben McLean     P5    [1]  
11 Jacob McClean           F1    [1]      1:0    Ayush Shambharkar P5    [1]  
12 Saoirse Barnes          P5    [1]      0:1    James Martin      F1    [1]  
13 Shlok Thoke             P5    [1]      1:0    Owen Chan         P5    [1]  
14 Zack Todd               F2    [.5]     1:0    BYE           

The puzzles are all collected and Karina marked them, also filling in the certificates. We give Gold for the top scores, Silver for the middle and Bronze for the lower scores. Everyone handing in a sheet gets a certificate with their marked sheet.

The way the timings of each round looked like we might be able to manage an extra round this month. Players were keen to get as many rounds as possible.

Round 6

Results

No Name              Feder Total  Result   Name                    Feder Total

 1 Calum Glendinning L6    [5]     .5:.5   Ashwanth Subramanian    U6    [4.5]
 2 Joshua Smikle     P7    [4]      1:0    Daniel Hill             L6    [3.5]
 3 Andrew Campbell   F4    [3.5]    1:0    Lorcan Rippon           P5    [3.5]
 4 Joseph Quinn      P6    [3]      0:1    James Huang             F3    [3]  
 5 Aadhi Sooraj      P5    [3]      1:0    Dev Chaudry             P6    [3]  
 6 Harrison Andrews  F2    [3]      0:1    Caleb McClean           F3    [3]  
 7 Cillian Mccann    F4    [3]      1:0    Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [3]  
 8 Peter Murphy      F1    [2.5]    1:0    Advait Tahmankar        P4    [2]  
 9 Thomas Loughrey   F1    [2]      1:0    Shlok Thoke             P5    [2]  
10 Matthew Loughrey  P3    [2]      0:1    Saoirse Rippon          F1    [2]  
11 Jacob McClean     F1    [2]      1:0    Zack Todd               F2    [1.5]
12 Reuben McLean     P5    [1]      0:1    Saoirse Barnes          P5    [1]  
13 Owen Chan         P5    [1]      0:1    Ayush Shambharkar       P5    [1]  

Ashwanth takes the challenge and get 1/2 point of leader Calum. Joshua Smikle (a new player) wins against Daniel Hill and is joint second on 5 points.

Round 7

Results

No Name                    Feder Total  Result   Name              Feder Total

 1 Joshua Smikle           P7    [5]     .5:.5   Calum Glendinning L6    [5.5]
 2 Ashwanth Subramanian    U6    [5]      1:0    Cillian Mccann    F4    [4]  
 3 Caleb McClean           F3    [4]      1:0    Andrew Campbell   F4    [4.5]
 4 James Huang             F3    [4]      1:0    Aadhi Sooraj      P5    [4]  
 5 Daniel Hill             L6    [3.5]    1:0    Thomas Loughrey   F1    [3]  
 6 Lorcan Rippon           P5    [3.5]    1:0    Joseph Quinn      P6    [3]  
 7 Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    [3]      0:1    Peter Murphy      F1    [3.5]
 8 Dev Chaudry             P6    [3]     .5:.5   Jacob McClean     F1    [3]  
 9 Shlok Thoke             P5    [2]      0:1    Saoirse Rippon    F1    [3]  
10 Advait Tahmankar        P4    [2]      1:0    Saoirse Barnes    P5    [2]  
11 Ayush Shambharkar       P5    [2]      0:1    Matthew Loughrey  P3    [2]  
12 Zack Todd               F2    [1.5]    1:0    Owen Chan         P5    [1]  
13 Reuben McLean           P5    [1]      1:0    BYE            

The battle to be champion. On board 1 Joshua Smikle against Calum Glendinning. Ending in a draw. Ashwanth beats Cilllian finishing on 6 points. So two leaders Calum Glendinning and Ashwanth Subramanian on 6 points.

Standings

Place Name                    Feder Score M-Buch. Buch. Progr.

 1-2  Calum Glendinning       L6    6        22.5  31.5   26.5
      Ashwanth Subramanian    U6    6        21.0  30.0   24.0
  3   Joshua Smikle           P7    5.5      21.5  29.0   22.5
 4-5  James Huang             F3    5        22.5  31.5   21.0
      Caleb McClean           F3    5        19.0  26.5   18.0
 6-9  Andrew Campbell         F4    4.5      23.0  30.5   21.0
      Lorcan Rippon           P5    4.5      21.5  29.0   19.0
      Peter Murphy            F1    4.5      19.0  26.0   17.0
      Daniel Hill             L6    4.5      18.5  25.5   17.5
10-12 Cillian Mccann          F4    4        20.5  29.0   17.0
      Aadhi Sooraj            P5    4        18.5  25.0   16.0
      Saoirse Rippon          F1    4        13.0  18.5   13.0
13-14 Dev Chaudry             P6    3.5      18.0  24.0   12.5
      Jacob McClean           F1    3.5      13.5  18.5   12.5
15-20 Joseph Quinn            P6    3        20.5  28.5   17.0
      Thomas Loughrey         F1    3        20.5  28.0   15.0
      Matthew Loughrey        P3    3        18.0  24.5   12.0
      Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda P7    3        16.5  24.0   14.0
      Advait Tahmankar        P4    3        16.5  22.0   12.0
      Harrison Andrews        F2    3        14.0  21.5   11.0
 21   Zack Todd               F2    2.5      16.0  21.5    6.5
22-26 Shlok Thoke             P5    2        17.0  22.0    7.0
      Saoirse Barnes          P5    2        16.5  22.5    7.0
      Reuben McLean           P5    2        16.0  23.0    6.5
      Ayush Shambharkar       P5    2        13.5  18.0    6.5
      James Martin            F1    2         8.0  14.5    4.0
 27   Owen Chan               P5    1        13.5  19.0    6.0

Form 4 and above

Champion: Calum Glendinning, Ashwanth Subramanian

Second: Andrew Campbell, Daniel Hill

Third: Cillian McCann

Form 3

Champion: James Huang, Caleb McClean

Form 2

Champion: Harrison Andrews

Second: Zach Todd

Form 1

Champion: Peter Murphy

Second: Saoirse Rippon

Third: Thomas Loughrey

P7

Champion: Joshua Smikle

Second: Rithvik Siddhi Deekonda

P6

Champion: Dev Chaudhry

Second: Joseph Quinn

P5

Champion: Lorcan Rippon

Second: Aadhi Sooraj

Third: Shlok Thoke, Saoirse Barnes, Reuben McLean

P4 and below

Champion: Matthew Loughrey

Second: Advait Tahmankar

Thanks to all the chess players for a brilliant afternoon of chess. Thanks to the volunteers and to the Parents.

Thanks also to Methodist College.