Season Reports

2001 Irish Championship Congress

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

20 players competed in the Irish Senior Championship. Stephen Brady, twice champion in the early 1990s, won his third title with a final score of 7.5 from 9 games, half a point ahead of last year's champion Mark Heidenfeld and Sam Collins. Two Ulster players competed - Tom Clarke got off to a reasonable start and after 5 Rounds was on 3.5 points, but then only added one more point to finish 9th equal with 4.5. Ulster champion Stephen Scannell was never really in the hunt for the main prizes and finished 11th equal on 4.0 - considering how dominant he has been all season in Ulster events, this performance must be a disappointment to him.

Final Standings Irish Championship

Place Name                     Rating   Score    M-Buch Buch  Progr
 
  1   BRADY, STEPHEN           2310     7.5      37.0  47.0   36.5
 2-3  COLLINS, SAM             2194     7        37.5  49.5   35.0
      HEIDENFELD, MARK         2377     7        36.0  47.0   37.0
  4   DALY, COLM               2367     6        34.5  44.5   27.0
 5-8  DEMPSEY, PAUL            2115     5        39.0  49.0   26.5
      McMAHON, DAIRE           2240     5        34.5  44.5   26.5
      FOX, ANTHONY             2112     5        32.0  42.5   25.5
      FREEMAN, GORDON          2082     5        25.5  35.0   18.0
9-10  CLARKE, TOM              2178     4.5      35.5  46.5   27.0
      O'CONNELL, GERRY         2175     4.5      32.5  42.5   25.0
11-14 FITZPATRICK, BRIAN       1816     4        32.5  41.0   24.5
      CAFOLLA, PETER           2106     4        31.0  40.0   21.5
      SCANNELL, STEPHEN        2152     4        28.5  38.0   21.0
      KENNEDY, JOHN            2042     4        27.5  35.0   17.0
15-16 LYONS, BRENDAN           2135     3.5      25.0  34.5   12.0
      DUFFY, SEAMUS            1900     3.5      25.0  33.5   14.5
17-18 BECKETT, BRIAN           1903     3        27.0  37.0   15.5
      KILLANE, JACK            2178     3        24.5  32.0   13.5
19-20 KHONJI, HAMID            1610     2.5      29.0  38.0   15.0
      BENNETT, ERIC            1853     2.5      28.0  36.0   16.0

Final Cross Table Irish Championship

 
No Name                      Rtg  Total  1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9  
 
1  BRADY, STEPHEN            2310 7.5    7:D 17:W  4:W  6:W  2:W  3:L  5:W  9:W 10:W
2  COLLINS, SAM              2194 7      8:W  4:W 10:W  3:D  1:L  5:D  6:W  7:W  9:W
3  HEIDENFELD, MARK          2377 7     15:W  9:W  6:D  2:D 13:W  1:W  4:W 10:D  5:D
4  DALY, COLM                2367 6      5:W  2:L  1:L 16:W 19:W  9:W  3:L 11:W 12:W
5  DEMPSEY, PAUL             2115 5      4:L  8:W 20:W  7:D  6:W  2:D  1:L 12:D  3:D
6  McMAHON, DAIRE            2240 5     12:W 11:W  3:D  1:L  5:L 13:W  2:L 19:D 14:W
7  FOX, ANTHONY              2112 5      1:D 13:D 14:W  5:D 12:D 10:D 11:D  2:L 17:W
8  FREEMAN, GORDON           2082 5      2:L  5:L 18:W 19:L 14:W 12:L 15:W 20:W 11:W
9  CLARKE, TOM               2178 4.5   14:W  3:L 16:W 13:D 11:W  4:L 12:W  1:L  2:L
10 O'CONNELL, GERRY          2175 4.5   16:D 19:W  2:L 11:D 20:W  7:D 13:D  3:D  1:L
11 FITZPATRICK, BRIAN        1816 4      0:W  6:L 12:W 10:D  9:L 20:W  7:D  4:L  8:L
12 CAFOLLA, PETER            2106 4      6:L 18:W 11:L 17:W  7:D  8:W  9:L  5:D  4:L
13 SCANNELL, STEPHEN         2152 4     20:D  7:D 17:W  9:D  3:L  6:L 10:D 15:L 18:W
14 KENNEDY, JOHN             2042 4      9:L 15:W  7:L 20:L  8:L 17:W 16:W 18:W  6:L
15 LYONS, BRENDAN            2135 3.5    3:L 14:L 19:D 18:D 17:D 16:L  8:L 13:W 20:W
16 DUFFY, SEAMUS             1900 3.5   10:D 20:D  9:L  4:L 18:L 15:W 14:L 17:D 19:W
17 BECKETT, BRIAN            1903 3     18:W  1:L 13:L 12:L 15:D 14:L 19:W 16:D  7:L
18 KILLANE, JACK             2178 3     17:L 12:L  8:L 15:D 16:W 19:W 20:D 14:L 13:L
19 KHONJI, HAMID             1610 2.5    0:D 10:L 15:D  8:W  4:L 18:L 17:L  6:D 16:L
20 BENNETT, ERIC             1853 2.5   13:D 16:D  5:L 14:W 10:L 11:L 18:D  8:L 15:L

There was also a Weekender Open, incorporating the Irish Intermediate and Junior Championships. IM Mark Quinn won with 5.5 out of 6. Five Ulster players, all eligible for the Intermediate Championship, competed with Cecil Sloan taking 1st place and Desmond Moreland second in the Intermediate standings, each with 4.5 points. Sam Moore scored 4.0, Paul McLoughlin 3.5 and Danny Mallaghan 3.0.

Final Cross Table Open Weekender 13-15 July 2001
(incorporating Irish Intermediate and Junior Championships)

 
No Name                            Rtg  Total  1    2    3    4    5    6  
 
1  QUINN, MARK                     2350 5.5   25:W  7:W 10:W  3:D  2:W  9:W
2  KELLY, ADAM                     2015 5     19:W 20:W  4:W  6:W  1:L 12:W
3  HARPUR, COLIN                   2000 5     39:W 24:W 21:W  1:D  5:D 11:W
4  SLOANE, CECIL                   1721 4.5   11:W 40:W  2:L 20:D 17:W 15:W
5  WIECH, WIT                      1500 4.5   55:W 15:W 18:D 25:W  3:D 10:D
6  MORELAND, DESMOND               1782 4.5   51:W 44:W 27:W  2:L  9:D 19:W
7  LOUGHRAN, JON                   1614 4.5   36:W  1:L 44:W  0:D 24:W 30:W
8  JOHNSON, CHRIS                  1385 4.5   48:W 45:W 38:W 15:L 10:D 18:W
9  MCDERMOTT, ROLAND               1773 4     13:W 17:D 22:W 18:W  6:D  1:L
10 MOORE, SAM                      1763 4     52:W 41:W  1:L 26:W  8:D  5:D
11 LEGGETT, DEREK                  1433 4      4:L 47:W 54:W 19:W 16:W  3:L
12 BRUEN, BRENDAN                  1800 4     41:L 55:W 33:W 14:W 13:W  2:L
13 CROWLEY, JOHN                   1720 4      9:L 31:W 24:W 39:W 12:L 29:W
14 JACKSON, CARL                   1620 4      0:D 35:W 16:D 12:L 39:W 31:W
15 MCELLIGOTT, GERRY               1988 3.5   32:W  5:L 28:D  8:W 21:W  4:L
16 PATH, DAVID                     1780 3.5    0:D 23:W 14:D 29:W 11:L 22:D
17 MCPHILLIPS, KARL                1350 3.5   28:W  9:D 19:L 23:W  4:L 37:W
18 JEFFARES, SIMON                 1865 3.5   45:W 42:W  5:D  9:L 20:W  8:L
19 ROGERS, KIERAN                  1688 3.5    0:D 43:W 17:W 11:L 27:W  6:L
20 BRANIGAN, STEVEN                1483 3.5   54:W  2:L 40:W  4:D 18:L 34:W
21 MCLOUGHLIN, PAUL                1676 3.5   47:W 34:W  3:L 27:D 15:L 26:W
22 FLYNN, PATRICK                  1576 3.5    0:D 49:W  9:L 28:D 43:W 16:D
23 UI LEITHLEIS, GEAROIDIN         1517 3.5    0:D 16:L 51:W 17:L 40:W 35:W
24 WHELAN, NIALL                   1382 3     30:W  3:L 13:L 41:W  7:L 49:W
25 KEESHAN, MICHAEL                1800 3      1:L 36:W 42:W  5:L 26:L 43:W
26 HACKETT, LEONARD                1484 3      0:D 38:D 41:W 10:L 25:W 21:L
27 TOBIN, EDWARD                   1189 3     53:W 46:W  6:L 21:D 19:L 32:D
28 DELANEY, KILLIAN                1425 3     17:L 50:W 15:D 22:D 29:L 39:W
29 KUXTEB, ATHAC                   1600 3     42:L 52:W 34:W 16:L 28:W 13:L
30 MALLAGHAN, DANNY                1869 3     24:L 37:W 39:L 44:W 35:W  7:L
31 MCNAMEE, EAMON                  1225 3     40:L 13:L 45:W 42:W 46:W 14:L
32 WALSHE, GRAEME                  1517 3     15:L 48:D 37:D 34:D 47:W 27:D
33 MCGLONE, JOHN                   1573 3      0:  51:D 12:L 52:W 36:D 42:W
34 CHIN - SHONG, DAVID             1302 2.5   43:W 21:L 29:L 32:D 53:W 20:L
35 JACKSON CON, PETER              1318 2.5   37:D 14:L 46:W 49:W 30:L 23:L
36 STOKES, STEPHEN                 1368 2.5    7:L 25:L 50:W 37:D 33:D 38:D
37 PITTS, EAMON                    1223 2.5   35:D 30:L 32:D 36:D 49:W 17:L
38 SMITH, DAVID                    1734 2.5    0:D 26:D  8:L 43:L 44:W 36:D
39 O'CONNELL, JOHN                 1406 2      3:L 53:W 30:W 13:L 14:L 28:L
40 DALY, JUSTIN                    1000 2     31:W  4:L 20:L 51:D 23:L 48:D
41 CARROLL, OISIN                  1000 2     12:W 10:L 26:L 24:L 48:L 51:W
42 SHARP, STEVEN                   1400 2     29:W 18:L 25:L 31:L 51:W 33:L
43 MCCARTHY, DAVID                 1320 2     34:L 19:L 53:W 38:W 22:L 25:L
44 HONNER, MERVYN                  1365 2     50:W  6:L  7:L 30:L 38:L 53:W
45 QUIGLEY, SHANE                  1000 2     18:L  8:L 31:L 53:L  0:W 52:W
46 MCCARRICK, PAT                  1805 2      0:D 27:L 35:L 48:W 31:L 47:D
47 CULLEN, SEAN                    938  2     21:L 11:L 52:D 50:W 32:L 46:D
48 QUIGLEY, BEN                    1000 2      8:L 32:D 49:L 46:L 41:W 40:D
49 MCCARRICK, SEAN                 838  1.5    0:D 22:L 48:W 35:L 37:L 24:L
50 O'CONNELL, GERRY                1078 1.5   44:L 28:L 36:L 47:L 52:D  0:W
51 FRENCH, JACK                    1220 1      6:L 33:D 23:L 40:D 42:L 41:L
52 FLYNN, FRED                     1231 1     10:L 29:L 47:D 33:L 50:D 45:L
53 LOWRY - O'REILLY, HANNAH        1001 1     27:L 39:L 43:L 45:W 34:L 44:L
54 O'TOOLE, LORCAN                 830  1     20:L  0:W 11:L  0:   0:   0: 
55 BYE,                            500  0      5:L 12:L  0:   0:   0:   0: 

IRISH INTERMEDIATE CHAMPION  CECIL SLOANE

IRISH JUNIOR CHAMPION        CHRIS JOHNSON

RVH July 2001 Handicap Report

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

The formula used was:
less than 100 grading points difference: 10 minutes v 10 minutes
between 101 and 200 points difference: 12 minutes v 8 minutes
between 201 and 300 points difference: 14 minutes v 6 minutes
over 300 grading points difference: 16 minutes v 4 minutes.

The winner of the tournament was Stephen Scannell with a clean sweep of 5 wins from his 5 games. There were a number of players tied on 4 points, with Stephen Morgan awarded second prize on tie-break. Third equal were Damien Lavery and Nicholas Pilkiewicz, with Tom Clarke fifth. Grading prizes went to Paul McLoughlin, Desmond Moreland and Louis Holmes and the Novice prize to P. Logan.

Dublin Classic report

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

Ulster Champion Stephen Scannell scored perhaps his most notable tournament victory with a final total of 5 points in this five-round single section weekend Swiss. 2nd equal were IM Mark Heidenfeld and Daire McMahon on 4.5 and among those finishing on four points were Irish Champion Stephen Brady and FM Colm Daly, the latter beaten by Scannell in the last round. Of the other Ulster competitors, Danny Mallaghan finished on 3.5, Nicholas Pilkiewicz on 3.0 and Paul McLoughlin on 2.0.

RVH August 2001 Handicap Report

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

The winner of the tournament was Damien Lavery with 5 straight wins. There were three players tied on 4 points, with Brendan O'Neill awarded second prize on tie-break. Third equal were Paul McLoughlin and David O'Donnell, while Tom Clarke took fifth prize from the group on 3 points. Grading prizes went to Damien Cunningham and David Collins with the Novice Prizes going to Michael Kane and John Cahoon jr.

Bangor Chess Club Congress

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

The Bangor Chess Club Annual Congress returned to the calendar after a year's absence. This year the event was not actually held in Bangor, but in neighbouring Groomsport, where the Bangor Club now has its home premises. The tournament was held in two rated sections. In the Masters Tom Clarke won his first 4 games and in Round 5 played Stephen Scannell, who had only dropped a half-point at that stage. After an extremely hard-fought game, Tom finally pushed his f-pawn through to queen in the endgame to claim the title with a round to spare. In the final round Clarke was content with a "grandmaster draw" with John Masterson, while Scannell, champion in 1997, 1998 and 1999, bounced back with a win over Michael Holmes to claim second prize. In the Challengers Louis Holmes won his first four games and 2 draws in the last two rounds were sufficient to finish first, a half-point ahead of David Collins and Richard Proctor, President of the host club. The good news is that the tournament will definitely be returning next year, having clinched sponsorship from the local Council.

MASTERS: 16 PLAYER 6 ROUND SWISS:
1. T. CLARKE 5.5
2. S. SCANNELL 4.5
3=4. G. ANNESLEY, J. MASTERSON 4.0
5=6. M. HOLMES, N. PILKIEWICZ 3.5
7=10. B. JAMISON, D. McALISTER, S. McCANN, P. McLOUGHLIN 3.0
11. D. MALLAGHAN 2.5
12=14. T. DOUGLAS, D. MORELAND, A. WHITE 2.0
15. T. ALCORN 1.5
16. T. PARKER 1.0

CHALLENGERS: 16 PLAYER 6 ROUND SWISS:
1. L. HOLMES 5.0
2=3. D. COLLINS, R. PROCTOR 4.5
4. B. BELLINGER 4.0
5=7. N. COOPER, D. LAVERY, K.McCARTAN 3.5
8=10. Alex BECKETT, H. LOWRY-O'REILLY, M. McKIMM 3.0
11=12. E. BELL, M. KANE 2.5
13=14. K. BROWNE, M. SEIDMAN 2.0
15. P. MORRISON 1.5
16. N. HOOD 1.0

UCU Civil Service Summer Tournament

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

The traditional summer play-as-you go tournament was held as usual on Wednesday nights at the Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, home of the Civil Service Chess Club. There was a very healthy entry of 40 players with 15 of those rated above 1700. The most frequent attenders, playing at least 15 games, were Tom Alcorn, Alex Beckett, Daniel Mallaghan, Fred Marlow, Sam Moore, Mark Newman and Sam Lynn.

Overall winner was Paul McLoughlin with 9.5 points out from 12 games for a percentage score of 79.1%. Runner-up was Gareth Annesley with 7 out of 10 (70%). Grading prizes went to Fred MacDonald (1800-1899) with 7 out of 12 (58.3%), Sam Moore (1500-1799) with 10.5 out of 16 (65.6%) and Fred Marlow (under 1500) with 12 out of 18 (66.6%).

RVH September 2001 Handicap Report

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

As in the previous events in July and August, games were 20 minutes long, but the time each player was allocated depended on their respective ratings. On this occasion six rounds were played, with Desmond Moreland taking victory.

Ulster Chess Ratings

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

No   Name                 ICU No     Ratg Club         

1.   GILLEN, ADRIAN       484        2328 CITY OF DERRY
2.   ORR, MARK            1350       2311 SCOTLAND     
3.   GILLEN, STEPHEN      487        2257 CITY OF DERRY
4.   HOUSTON, DAVID       621        2212 NORTH BELFAST
5.   SCANNELL, STEPHEN    4581       2181 NORTH BELFAST
6.   ALLEN, KEITH         13         2176 ISLE OF MAN  
7.   CLARKE, TOM          208        2140 R.V.H.       
8.   GREER, KIERAN        517        2122 FISHERWICK   
9.   Mc DONNELL, JAMES    1066       2104 ENGLAND      
10.  HOLMES, MICHAEL      5063       2090 R.V.H.       
11.  WATERS, MICHAEL      494        2080 Q.U.B.       
12.  MARLEY, JUSTIN       5804       2041 MAGHERAFELT  
13.  SKELTON, ADRIAN      1563       2030 NORTH BELFAST
14.  GILLEN, PETER        486        2006 CITY OF DERRY
15.  DOUGLAS, TIMOTHY     2289       2006 FISHERWICK   
16.  Mc KEOWN, PAUL       1122       1998 ENGLAND      
17.  WOOD, STEPHEN        2639       1990 NORTH BELFAST
18.  MORGAN, STEPHEN      923        1986 NORTH BELFAST
19.  CAIRNS, JOHN         160        1961 FISHERWICK   
20.  HEATHWOOD, GEORGE    2219       1928 C.I.Y.M.S.   
21.  PILKIEWICZ, NICHOLAS 3759       1926 R.V.H.       
22.  ANNESLEY, GARETH     19         1897 R.V.H.       
23.  FORSON, DESMOND      455        1896 UNATTACHED   
24.  NICHOLSON, JOHN      2293       1883 CIVIL SERVICE
25.  MAY, PETER           3144       1879 CIVIL SERVICE
26.  ESMONDE, THOMAS      401        1877 CIVIL SERVICE
27.  PINKERTON, ARTHUR    1375       1869 ENGLAND      
28.  BRADLEY, JOHN        1703       1866 BOMBARDIER   
29.  WHITESIDE, EDWARD    1678       1858 BANGOR       
30.  MALLAGHAN, DANNY     2610       1854 R.V.H.       
31.  O' NEILL, BRENDAN    5061       1847 R.V.H.       
32.  ROBB, DAVID          1444       1828 BOMBARDIER   
33.  Mac DONALD, FRED     992        1825 Q.U.B.       
34.  NEWMAN, MARK         5633       1824 BANGOR       
35.  FERGUSON, WILLIAM    430        1822 C.I.Y.M.S.   
36.  MORELAND, DESMOND    5092       1814 MAGHERAFELT  
37.  Mc CORMICK, GRAEME   1051       1801 FISHERWICK   
38.  Mc GUIGAN, PAUL      1106       1797 BANGOR       
39.  MULHOLLAND, NOEL     933        1781 UNATTACHED   
40.  PARKER, TONY         5059       1772 R.V.H.       
41.  JAMISON, BRENDAN     5618       1768 BANGOR       
42.  DAVIS, IAN           3886       1763 FISHERWICK   
43.  MOORE, SAMUEL        2449       1753 CIVIL SERVICE
44.  Mc NAUGHTON, PAUL    1162       1742 BOMBARDIER   
45.  SLOAN, CECIL         1566       1729 UNATTACHED   
46.  FISHER, NEIL         5062       1724 R.V.H.       
47.  HARVEY, GERALD J.    553        1718 CIVIL SERVICE
48.  Mc CAUGHEY, ROBERT   2454       1708 NORTH BELFAST
49.  TRIGGS, ROBIN        5636       1691 Q.U.B.       
50.  Mc CANN, STEPHEN     5301       1690 R.V.H.

Williamson Shield and Henderson Cup

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

Prizewinners:

Williamson Shield: 6 Round Swiss: 18 players:

1st. Stephen Scannell 5.5; 2nd. Michael Holmes 5.0; 3rd= Gerard MacElligott and Nicholas Pilkiewicz 4.0.
Grading prizes won by Desmond Moreland and Tom Alcorn.

Henderson Cup: 6 Round Swiss: 17 players:

1st= Michelle Cowley, Damien Lavery and Paul McLoughlin 4.5.
Grading prize won by Alex Beckett and under 18 prize by Calum Leitch

City of Dublin 2001

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

There were 97 competitors in this 6 Round Weekend Swiss, run in 3 sections.

Winner of the Senior section was FM Colm Daly with 4.5 out of 6. Amongst the prizewinners in the Intermediate section was Ulster player Desmond Moreland, who finished equal second.

Senior: Over 2000: 12 players
1st Colm Daly (4.5/6)
2nd-3rd Mark Heidenfeld, Mark Quinn (4/6)

Intermediate: 1500 - 2000: 33 players
1st Alex Lopez (5/6)
2nd-4th Brian Fitzpatrick, Kieran O'Driscoll, Desmond Moreland (4.5/6)
GP1 Kieran Rogers (3.5/6) GP2 Steven Branigan (3/6)

Junior: Under 1500: 52 players
1st-2nd Martin Burke, Andrew Higgins (5.5/6)
3rd-8th Colm Kelly, Dave Robinson, Tom Fitzpatrick (4.5/6)
GPs and equal 3rd to 8th Con Lawless, Colin Brady, Paul Walsh (4.5/6)

Junior prizes - awarded by age - across all tournaments
Under 19: Eoin O'Hanlon, Rossa Lowry O'Reilly (3.5/6)
Under 16: Simon Jeffares, Ronan O'Connell (4/6)
Under 14: Rory Delaney, John McMorrow (4/6)

Ladies prize
Anne Coughlan, Hannah Lowry O'Reilly (3.5/6)

Results supplied by Debbie Quinn

UCU Rapidplay 2001

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

Prizewinners:

Open: 1st George Heathwood; 2nd Desmond Moreland; 3rd Michael Holmes

Major: 1st Louis Holmes; 2nd equal Chris Kelly, Neil Cooper;
Grading Prize (under 1300) Rossa Lowry O'Reilly

Ulster Intermediate and Junior Championship

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

With the big Kilkenny tournament moving a week later than usual to avoid a 4NCL weekend, the knock-on effect was that the UCU had to find new dates for the Intermediate and Junior Championships. Unfortunately our usual venue at Queen's was not available, and it was decided to avail of the hospitality of Bangor Golf Club as in 1999. Although this might have put off some Belfast players, it probably was more convenient for others. One particularly pleasing entry was that of John Lynch of City of Derry CC, the first time in some while since the Championships has had an entry from the maiden city. In the end total numbers were exactly the same as last year. The venue itself was excellent, with more than enough space in the playing area, good food in the Golf Club restaurant at a very reasonable price, friendly staff and a pleasant view over the golf course.

In the Intermediate (1500 and above) Jonathan Brown, returning to competitive chess after a 4 year lay-off and with just a couple of League games as a warm-up, ended Day 1 a full point ahead after wins over Stewart McConaghy, Danny Mallaghan and Brendan Jamison. He continued on his merry way with victories over Desmond Moreland and Alan Burns in Rounds 4 and 5. In the final Round he faced his Civil Service club mate Sam Moore, the only other unbeaten player, having only conceded 2 draws to Desmond Moreland and Danny Mallaghan. Sam was Black and played a Nimzo-Indian Defence, only to notice at Jonathan's side a book (unopened of course) on the very opening. When Sam mentioned this excellent preparation, Jonathan good-naturedly offered to lend the book to Sam! Anyway, Sam decided that with Jonathan in such good form, trying to beat him with Black was too risky a strategy and opted for an early draw offer and a safe second place ("It would have been different if I had White," said Sam). He then waited to see if Danny Mallaghan could join him on 4.5 points - this the top seed managed by beating Desmond Moreland with the Black pieces.

In the Junior (under 1500) last year's winner, William Storey finished Day 1 with 3 wins over young David Grzymek (making his debut in UCU events) Geoff Hindley and Alex Beckett. Half-a-point behind at this stage were John Orchin and Richard Proctor, who had drawn their individual encounter in Round 2. In Round 4 Storey faced Proctor, who sacrificed 3 pawns by move 7 in a King's Gambit! Proctor went to to win in 15 moves was now in the lead as Beckett had beaten Orchin, but the lead was to be short-lived when he lost to Beckett in Round 5. This left Beckett half-a-point ahead going in the final Round, and the 1996 winner maintained his lead with a victory over Geoff Hindley. John Orchin came back up into second place with wins in the final 2 Rounds over Ashley Peile and Storey.

Prizewinners for both events:
Intermediate: 1st Jonathan Brown 2nd= Sam Moore and Danny Mallaghan Grading Alan Burns
Junior: 1st Alex Beckett 2nd John Orchin Grading Ashley Peile

Kilkenny

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

Over 220 people played in 4 sections. The Norkom Masters, which included 5 GMs and 5 IMs, was won by Ian Rogers of Australia, who edged out Luke McShane (England) on tie-break, after both finished on 5.0 points. Third was English GM Mark Hebden on 4.5. In the subsidiary events Ulster player Paul McLoughlin won a prize in the "James Mason" event for finishing 2nd equal.

Ulster performances:
Masters (2000+) IM Mark Orr 2.5
Major (1600-1999) Nicholas Pilkiewicz 3.0, Danny Mallaghan 2.5, Desmond Moreland 2.5
James Mason (1200-1599) Paul McLoughlin 5.0, John Orchin 3.5, Martin Kelly 3.5, Alan Burns 2.0
Challengers (under 1200) No Ulster competitors

RVH Christmas Handicap

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

The RVH Chess Club ran 3 very successful handicap blitz tournaments over the summer. The Club used the same format for a pre-Christmas entertainment, this time confined to club members. Runaway victor was Paul McLoughlin with 6 wins from his 6 games. Runner-up on 4.5 after winning his last 4 games was Michael Holmes.>

Final Cross Table

No Name                 Rtg  Total  1    2    3    4    5    6

1  McLoughlin, Paul     1546 6     22:W 15:W  7:W  4:W  5:W  3:W
2  Holmes, Michael      2090 4.5    8:L 17:D 11:W  7:W 15:W  4:W
3  Annesley, Gareth     1897 4     14:W 12:W  4:L 10:W  6:W  1:L
4  Parker, Tony         1772 4     18:W  9:W  3:W  1:L 10:W  2:L
5  Mallaghan, Danny     1854 4     17:D 16:D 13:W  9:W  1:L 11:W
6  O'Neill, Brendan     1847 4     19:W  8:D 15:D 17:W  3:L  9:W
7  Clarke, Tom          2140 3.5   21:W 10:D  1:L  2:L 13:W 16:W
8  Cunningham, Damian   1470 3.5    2:W  6:D 10:L 16:W  9:L 15:W
9  Tumilson, David      1533 3      0:W  4:L 20:W  5:L  8:W  6:L
10 Fisher, Neil         1726 3     20:W  7:D  8:W  3:L  4:L 12:D
11 Nugent, Ethna             3     12:L 19:W  2:L 14:W 17:W  5:L
12 McKenna, John        1698 3     11:W  3:L 17:L 18:W 16:D 10:D
13 Lavery, Damien       1458 3     15:L 22:W  5:L 20:W  7:L 18:W
14 Morrison, Philip     1369 3      3:L 18:W 16:L 11:L 21:W 19:W
15 Pilkiewicz, Nicholas 1926 2.5   13:W  1:L  6:D 21:W  2:L  8:L
16 McCann, Stephen      1690 2.5    0:   5:D 14:W  8:L 12:D  7:L
17 Holmes, Louis        1366 2      5:D  2:D 12:W  6:L 11:L 21:L
18 Logan, Paul               2      4:L 14:L 19:W 12:L  0:W 13:L
19 Kane, Michael        1274 2      6:L 11:L 18:L  0:W 20:W 14:L
20 Lim, Lik Thai             2     10:L 21:W  9:L 13:L 19:L  0:W
21 Black, Chris         1527 2      7:L 20:L 22:W 15:L 14:L 17:W
22 Smyth, Dan                0      1:L 13:L 21:L  0:   0:   0:

Ulster Championship final standings

David McAlister — 2015-06-25T09:26:25Z

1. Mark Orr 7.0
2. Timothy Douglas 5.5
3=5. Adrian Skelton, Rod Nixon and Stephen Scannell 4.5
6. Paul McLoughlin 4.0
7=11. George Heathwood, James McDonnell, Arlo White, Nicholas Pilkiewicz and Ian Davis 3.5
12=14. Fred MacDonald, Jonathan Brown and Gareth Annesley 3.0
15=18. Danny Mallaghan, Paul McKeown, Sam Moore and Desmond Moreland (withdrew after 5 Rounds) 2.5
19. John McKenna 1.5

Prizewinners
First: Mark Orr
Second: Timothy Douglas
Third equal: Adrian Skelton, Rod Nixon and Stephen Scannell
Grading prizes:
1800-1999 George Heathwood and Nicholas Pilkiewicz (joint winners)
Under 1800 Paul McLoughlin

Season Reports

2001 Irish Championship Congress

Final Standings Irish Championship

Final Cross Table Irish Championship

Final Cross Table Open Weekender 13-15 July 2001 (incorporating Irish Intermediate and Junior Championships)

RVH July 2001 Handicap Report

Dublin Classic report

RVH August 2001 Handicap Report

Bangor Chess Club Congress

UCU Civil Service Summer Tournament

RVH September 2001 Handicap Report

Ulster Chess Ratings

Williamson Shield and Henderson Cup

City of Dublin 2001

UCU Rapidplay 2001

Ulster Intermediate and Junior Championship

Kilkenny

RVH Christmas Handicap

Final Cross Table

Ulster Championship final standings

Final Cross Table Open Weekender 13-15 July 2001
(incorporating Irish Intermediate and Junior Championships)