News
North Belfast Move Top
The final game in the first round of Division 1 fixtures saw QUB, off the back of two impressive 3.5-1.5 wins at home to Fisherwick and Lagan, travel to North Belfast. North Belfast have been in superb form having already defeated both Fisherwick and Clifton House, but a recent loss against Lagan has provided a blemish to their excellent record. With neither Clifton nor Fisherwick able to do better than two wins and two defeats from their opening matches, each of this game's teams had the opportunity to take the league by the scruff of the neck with a positive result.
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.
QUB Sink Lagan
After putting title contenders Fisherwick to the sword last round, QUB were looking to add this week's visitors to the PFC, Lagan, to their list of victims. Lagan haven't enjoyed much luck since their relocation and renaming at the start of the season, not least when beaten royally 4.5-0.5 by Fisherwick in week 1. This time they were hoping the return of their board 1, Queen's student Jonathan Brown, would provide the catalyst to a reversal in their fortune. This was not altogether unlikely, considering the unavailability of four QUB players rated above 1750. Gone from the previous fixture's line-up were Karl McPhillips and John Masterson, while in came Damien Lavery and Andrew Higgins.
Fisherwick Flattened in Demolition Derby
Week 3 of the Belfast & District League season saw QUB host neighbours Fisherwick in a south Belfast derby.
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.
Champions Clifton Claim League Opener
The Belfast & District League sprang back into life this week for the much-anticipated 2007/08 season, with the fixture list drawing together Division 1 Champions Clifton House and Division 2 winners Queen’s University Belfast to kick-off another year of league chess.
UCU Division 1 2007/08 Preview
With the 2007/08 Belfast & District League now imminent, Chris Millar offers a pre-season outlook on the landscape of Division 1 from a Queen's perspective.
City of Dublin Championships 2007
The 2007 City of Dublin Chess Championships were held over the weekend of Friday 31st August to Sunday 2nd September in An Oige, Dublin, home of the Phibsborough Chess Club. Seven Belfast players made the trip south - Gareth Annesley, Nicholas Pilkiewicz and Danny Mallaghan of Clifton House; Calum Leitch and Chris Millar of QUB and Joseph Mordeno plus Cathal Murphy from the RVH club.
Irish Junior & Intermediate Championships 2007
QUB players Chris Millar and Calum Leitch enjoyed success in the Irish Championships 2007, held in O'Connell Street's Royal Dublin Hotel during the last weekend in June. Millar finished clear first in his field to become Irish Junior Champion, while Leitch's performance in the Intermediate section earned him a Glorney Cup invite. Queen's Steve Scannell enters the Irish Open next weekend as one of the leading seeds.
City of Belfast Championships 2007
The Belfast Boat Club hosted the City of Belfast Championships 2007, with the event dividing competitors into separate sections to fight it out for the Nemztov and Henderson Cups. As is becoming the norm, and ever increasingly so, the tournament witnessed excellent results for QUB players. QUB summer signing Steve Scannell finished half a point ahead of the rest of the field in the Nemztov, while Chris Millar did likewise to lift the Henderson Cup.
No RVH Resistance as John Strawbridge Cup Heads to Queen's
Queen's complete the 2006/07 season as winners of the Belfast & District League 2. The final act of the University men in lifting the John Strawbrige Cup and sealing promotion to Division 1 was undramatic - RVH had the good manners to leave the QUB side with a free night to pose for the cameras and celebrate their success.
University Men Close In On Title Glory
With the protest withdrawal of both Bangor Winston and Groomsport from the league last Thursday, round 12 of the race to claim the coveted John Strawbridge Cup was set against a backdrop of administrative confusion. Nobody is quite sure what the precise impact of the withdrawals upon point totals are as yet, but the key facts remain satisfactorily clear – QUB enjoy a comfortable lead over nearest rivals Malone, with a Devon Loch collapse necessary for league glory to be snatched from the grasp of Millar’s Mob.
QUB March On After Humbling Hillsborough
Back in November, a mere four weeks into the chess season, QUB suffered dropped bonus points for the second week in succession, drawing against Portadown in the Peter Froggatt Centre. At this stage confidence in the under-achieving Galacticos was dwindling, with their stock crashing to an all-time low. However, rather than feeling sorry for themselves, the university outfit, evidently taking inspiration from their captain, embarked on a six-match winning streak. This run has brought them to the summit of the league, but with the finishing post growing ever-closer, a steadily improving Hillsborough side stood in their way. With players of the calibre of Bruce Maclean and David McAlister in the visitor's line-up, the league leaders were not expecting an easy ride.
Ravenous Queen's Romp to 5-0 Revenge
On November 1st 2006, Groomsport subjected the QUB chess renaissance to the indignity of its sole defeat under your author’s stewardship of the club. It was in this context that the university team, “Los Galacticos”, travelled to their opponents’ seaside residence with a desire to not just vanquish the memory of the 3.5-1.5 loss, but also to stamp their supremacy upon the charges of one Richard “The Gangster” Proctor, a man among Ulster Chess’s most nefarious instigators.
Clifton's Morgan Claims QUB Open Victory
QUB's own annual competition saw Clifton House board 1 Stephen Morgan fight off stiff competition and a final-round scare to emerge as the tournament's clear winner.
Steve "Hendry" Scannell lifts Williamson Shield for 6th time
At the Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, Civil Service saw Steve Scannell win the Williamson Shield for the 6th time (outright)
QUB Win Battle of Ulster Chess Leviathans
The ninth round in the race for league glory and the John Strawbridge Cup saw Queen’s University host their south-Belfast rivals Malone/Fisherwick.
Bombardier whitewashed by rampant Queens
Bombardier visited QUB last wednesday night with high hopes of a victory against the young upstarts. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
Scannell attains Ulster Rapidplay crown
On Saturday 30th December, Steve Scannell became the new Ulster Rapidplay Champion.
