No easy wins

There are no easy wins in the local chess leagues plus forthcoming tournaments and the weekly game.

The 3 Belfast and District Leagues are now well underway, but already the pre-season favourites are not having things all their own way. For example, the B Division with only five teams due to play each other four times, was thought by most pundits to lie between CIYMS and Fisherwick, Belfast's two largest clubs. However, CIYMS lost 4-2 at home to Bangor, while Fisherwick lost their first two home games: 1½-4½ to Shorts and 2½-3½ to CIYMS. Future developments in the ever-shifting scene of league chess will be reported in this column. Meanwhile, in today's game, Montgomery may not have won a war but he certainly outflanked and out-manoeuvred his opponent.

On Friday 25th November to Sunday 27th November, Queen's University Students' Union hosts the Ulster Intermediate and Junior Championships.

  • The Intermediate is for those graded 1800 and under (fee £6)
  • While the Junior is for 1450 and under (fee £5)

If you are under 16 or over 65 years old, the entry fee for either tournament is only £3. So any budding Ulster champion should send entry and fee to David Houston, 53 Osborne Gardens, Belfast BT9 6LF (Tele, 660620).

Media

News
December 2024 FIDE NI Rating Report By Brendan Jamison November was a massive month for FIDE rated events in Northern Ireland with a total of 7 tournaments... Dec 01, 2024
Qualifiers from the Belfast Mega-finals play in the Giga-finals The Delancey UK Chess Challenge is one of the top tournaments for young chess players. We held our Belfast Mega-finals o... Nov 24, 2024
UK Open Blitz Championships 2024 finals took place on Saturday 16th November at Leamington Spa Our Belfast qualifiers took part in this top UK Blitz championships. Kamil Marchiewicz and Benedict A Keohane played in ... Nov 23, 2024
Belfast Chess Social to Host Christmas Tournament in Crumlin Road Gaol Belfast Chess Social is set to host a major tournament in Crumlin Road Gaol on Sunday, December 8th, just in time for Ch... Nov 18, 2024
Ulster Masters - report by Brendan Jamison 55 players competed in the Ulster Masters 2024. With prizes worth £1020, everyone raised the bar to deliver a very high... Nov 18, 2024
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Upcoming Events
FIDE RATED Groomsport Winter Blitz Championship 2024 [event 4 of 8 in Gold Coast Blitz Grand Prix 2024/2025] Dec 05, 2024 07:30 PM - 10:00 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
FIDE RATED City of Bangor Winter Rapid 2024 Dec 07, 2024 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
Ulster Schools Individual Championships 2024 Come and challenge to become the Ulster Schools Chess Champion 2024. 7th December at Methodist College. Dec 07, 2024 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
FIDE RATED City of Bangor Winter Classic 2024 Rounds 1 & 2 Dec 07, 2024 10:00 AM - 04:30 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
Belfast Chess Social is set to host a major tournament in Crumlin Road Gaol on Sunday, December 8th, just in time for Christmas The tournament will be 10 minutes + 5 second increment games. Matches will be played in the new Distillery bar/social sp... Dec 08, 2024 02:30 PM - 06:00 PM — Distillery bar/social space; the historic Crumlin Road Gaol boardrooms
Upcoming events…