"Smart Alex" wins Mulcahy Memorial

International Master Alex Lopez stormed to victory again at Xmas in Cork, where, as I said before in my Irish News chess column 30 years ago on 21/12/83, "chess nuts were boasting over an open fire".

Full results can be found on the Cork Chess Club site, but Alex finished on 5.5/6, with Swede Michael De Verdier second on 5/6 and Ireland's John C.Kelly & Holland's Henk De Jonge joint third on 4.5/6.

Thanks must go to Pat Twomey for making it such an easygoing and enjoyable tournament - in fact, I have to give him a "pat" on the back!

The only Northerner at the tournament, Martin Kelly, finished joint 11th out of 38 players in this open event, just missing a grading prize on 3.5/6 and he couldn't have had a tougher start than Black on Board One in Round One against top seed I.M.Alex Lopez. The game (play it) was the last to finish after three and a half hours and 42 moves and in it Alex "lopes" grenade after grenade, before breaking down Martin's resistance.

"Kelly's heroes" now include Alex Lopez, who recently missed the Grandmaster title at the Chess Olympiad.