UCU Web

Deconstructed items from David McAlister's Ulster Chess Chess reports
UCU Autumn Congress 2007

UCU Autumn Congress 2007

The newly-established UCU Autumn Congress was held over the penultimate weekend of October in the QUB Students’ Union. The event was created to comprise both an Ulster Under 21 Championships and an under 1600 “Stars Barred” weekender.

UCU Autumn Congress 2007 - Read More…

Fisherwick Winter Tournament 2007

Fisherwick Winter Tournament 2007

The first of 2007/08’s Fisherwick Monday night tournaments finished on the 26th of November. Dominating the seven-rounder from start to finish was a newcomer to the competition, RVH player Joseph Mordeno.

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Ulster Rapidplay Championship December 2007

Ulster Rapidplay Championship December 2007

QUB's Steve Scannell retained his title as Ulster's best rapidplay player, finishing clear first with a perfect 6 points from 6 at the Belfast Boat Club.

Ulster Rapidplay Championship December 2007 - Read More…

Williamson Shield 2008

Williamson Shield 2008

As is tradition, the final weekend of January marked the first major Ulster Chess competition of the new year - the Williamson Shield 2008. The prestigious Williamson saw a new year and new faces but a familiar winner, as QUB's Steve Scannell lifted the famous shield for a remarkable seventh time. Scannell now lies just one victory short of the late great Tom Clarke's total of eight wins. Steve was delighted to be taking home the magnificient trophy for another year, not to mention the £100 winner's cheque along with it.

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Williamson Shield 2008 photographs

Pat McKillen has kindly supplied the Ulster Chess Union with a number of photographs of the 2008 Williamson Shield

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Scannell Superb in Simul Success

Scannell Superb in Simul Success

A fine February evening saw the Ulster Champion, Steve Scannell, take on all-comers and all at once in Queen's University Belfast. Room 208 of the Peter Froggatt Centre, packed to full capacity, hosted QUB Chess Club's first major event of 2008. It was a hugely successful night for both the club and Scannell, with the impressive turnout only outdone on the evening by Steve's performance, as he remarkably recorded 11 wins and just one draw from the 12 games.

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French FM Maxime Sorin Wins QUB Rapid 2008

French FM Maxime Sorin Wins QUB Rapid 2008

The QUB Rapid 2008 proved a huge success, with the increased prize fund drawing the largest, strongest and most nationality diverse array of competitors tournament chess in Belfast has seen for some time.

French FM Maxime Sorin Wins QUB Rapid 2008 - Read More…

Fisherwick Spring Tournament 2008

Fisherwick Spring Tournament 2008

The latest edition of Fisherwick Chess Club's long-established Monday night tournament was run as a seven round swiss over January and February. The competition saw a blend of Fisherwick stalwarts alongside Bombardier, Queen's and Lagan players contest the destination of the trophy.

Fisherwick Spring Tournament 2008 - Read More…

Walls First in Fisherwick Quickplay

Walls First in Fisherwick Quickplay

The Fisherwick Quickplay, held over the first two Monday nights in March, attracted a fine turnout in terms of numbers and quality. Queen's Theology student, Eamonn Walls, recorded an impressive 5/6 total to clinch outright first place ahead of second-placed Michael Waters' 4.5 points tally and the other 17 competitors.

Walls First in Fisherwick Quickplay - Read More…

City of Belfast Championships 2008

City of Belfast Championships 2008

QUB's Steve Scannell continued his domination of Ulster Chess weekenders, this time by notching up another clear first in the City of Belfast Chamionships. In retaining the Nemztov Cup, Scannell secured his sixth successive UCU weekender win.

City of Belfast Championships 2008 - Read More…

Stormont Childrens Award Ceremony 2008

The top 9 children from the Childrens chess tournaments were at Stormont as the guests of MLA Brian Wilson (Green Party) for an Elite tournament and prize award ceremony.

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Children's Chess Grand Prix 2007-8

This year's Children's Chess series, sponsored by the Northern Bank Sports Club, had an innovation. As well as prizes for the individual events there was also an overall Grand Prix.

Children's Chess Grand Prix 2007-8 - Read More…

News
UCU Tournaments: A Critical Moment for Volunteer and Arbiter Support This report, prepared by Tournament Director Karina Campbell and presented to the Ulster Chess Union Executive Board, ou... Oct 26, 2025
Exciting changes to the Sligo event in 2026. Now a multi-tournament chess festival. Save the dates in your calender Jan 30th to Feb 8th. The Sligo event is undergoing a major transformation in 2026 from a weekender to a multi-tournament festival. The Sligo ... Oct 16, 2025
The Monthly Childrens Chess Kicks off Oct 25th at Methodist College ** New date ** The LJCC Belfast Qualifier a one day 6 round tournament starts our annual series of monthly tournaments a... Oct 09, 2025
The 2025 Summer tournament ends with a fun tournament and award ceremony Weds 24th September 2025 saw 24 players gather to celebrate the end of the UCU Summer Tournament. Who won? we have the f... Sep 27, 2025
Belfast Qualifier for the British Open Blitz 2025/26 Belfast runs one of 16 tournaments that allow players to qualify for the British Open Blitz tournament. The top player a... Sep 27, 2025
More news…
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Upcoming Events
FIDE RATED City of Bangor 10 Round Halloween Blitz at 3+2 Celebrate Halloween with 10 rounds of Chess Blitz at City of Bangor Chess Club. Thursday 30th October. Oct 30, 2025 07:15 PM - 10:00 PM — City of Bangor Chess Club, Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street Groomsport
November 1st Childrens Chess 12:30 – 5:00 The monthly schools chess tournaments continues at Methodist College. Nov 01, 2025 12:30 PM - 05:00 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
FIDE RATED Bangor Club Masters Rapid 2025 [10 rounds of 25+0 over two days] Open to all players. One open section with Intermediate and Junior trophies awarded for highest placed finish by players... Nov 06, 2025 07:30 PM - 10:45 PM — City of Bangor International Chess Club, Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, Northern Ireland, BT19 6JR
FIDE RATED Bangor Club Masters Rapid 2025 [10 rounds of 25+0 over two days] Open to all players. One open section with Intermediate and Junior trophies awarded for highest placed finish by players... Nov 08, 2025 10:15 AM - 04:30 PM — City of Bangor International Chess Club, Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, Northern Ireland, BT19 6JR
FIDE rated Ulster Masters 2025 Please note due to venue capacity, entries will be capped at 44. Nov 14, 2025 - Nov 16, 2025 — Lisburn Chess Club
Upcoming events…