News
Lagan Cruise for Queen's
After last week's hard fought draw with Fisherwick, champions Queen's hosted Lagan in the Peter Froggatt Centre. The early signs are for another titanic struggle in the quest for the Silver King with Fisherwick, RVH and QUB all looking strong contenders. In seasons like this, every point feels crucial.
"Big Two" All Square in PFC
The latest installment of the rivalry between the two most successful clubs in Ulster chess was played out under the bright lights of Room 109 in the Peter Froggatt Centre. QUB and Fisherwick locked horns for the first time this season, with memories of recent encounters still vivid in the memory.
Season Preview 2008/09
The world of Ulster Chess gets back in full swing on November 4th, as its finest players and most eccentric personalities don the identities of their respective teams and square up to discover who'll be taking home the Silver King after season 2008/09.
Queen's Best of Irish at Euro Club Cup 2008
Queen's University Belfast competed in this year's prestigious European Club Cup from October 16th to 24th in the Athos Palace Hotel of Kallithea, Greece.
QUB October Blitz Report
After the success of July's Blitz in Bar Sub, Belfast chess veterans and newcomers alike had October's event marked as a five star tournament not to miss.
Ulster Championships 2008
The Ulster Championships were held at the Europa Hotel over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
QUB Blitz Report
On a perfect July night, the curtains of the Belfast chess scene opened up for the inaugural QUB Blitz tournament in Bar Sub of the Students' Union. Over 20 competitors packed into the Union's basement for five rounds of old fashioned, shoot-out style blitz.
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.
Queen's Crowned Kings of Ulster Chess
For their season's final league fixture, Queen's University travelled to North Belfast needing just a draw to secure the much-coveted Silver King and title of Ulster Club Champions 2007/08. Previous meetings between the two sides this season have produced a win a-piece for the teams from opposite ends of the city, so another even contest was anticipated.
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.
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.
The Empire Strikes Back
The QUB Galacticos entered this season's final league showdown with rivals Fisherwick in mercurial form, recording perfect back-to-back 5-0 victories over this week's opponents and Clifton House.
QUB Clinch Consecutive 5-0 to Crush Clifton
As if to emphasise that last week's whitewashing of title rivals Fisherwick was by no means a fluke, QUB decided to pulverise second-placed Clifton House in identical fashion to storm further ahead at the summit of Division 1. Between them, Fisherwick and Clifton House have dominated the highest level of Ulster Chess since 2003. In the past two weeks, however, both have been completely blown away by Queen's and in as emphatic a fashion imaginable. Clifton House may be champions for the last 3 years, but the fresh-faced QUB are setting new standards which have left the best of the rest struggling to cope.
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.
Flawless Queen's Annihilate Fisherwick
Having marked their return to league chess in 2006 with an away fixture at Fisherwick - the infamous "Evil Empire" of Ulster Chess - the 2007/08 team of QUB Galacticos chose the same venue for the scene of their finest league performance since the club's 2005 reformation.
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.
Super Tuesday at QUB as Galacticos win Battle of PFC
Having previously defeated the QUB Galacticos on a rain soaked December evening in North Belfast, Stephen Wood's side this time made the return journey south to play the University men on their own patch - the fortress-like Peter Froggatt Centre.
Strong Lagan lose to lucky Queen's
The Belfast Boat Club - or more specifically the smallest and most cramped room within it - provided the venue for what will quite possibly prove the most peculiar match Ulster League Chess succeeds in producing this season.
