The Agony and the Ecstasy
36th Kilkenny Congress
From ecstasy in Belfast to agony in Kilkenny - that was the fate of Martin Kelly over two weekends recently!
He must have felt like Charlton Heston as Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel in the film of the same name.
After winning the Ulster Masters Junior title in Belfast, Martin has had a run of eight draws, three losses and no victories in nine days!
The Three Musketeers (Martin Kelly, Cathal Murphy and Philip Morrison) were joined by D'Artagnan in the shape of Calum Leitch on their long trip to the Kilkenny Congress last weekend-full of hope and ready to "cross swords" with their southern opponents and "foil" their threats; but they were not "epee" with the results!
The Three Musketeers almost attacked Kilkenny Castle and Cathedral but were persuaded to go to the hotel instead. Philip stormed to 3.5/6 in the Under-1200s, just missing the grading prize. In the Under-1600 event, Martin and Cathal tied on 2.5/6. Martin was "the fastest draw in the West" (of Ireland), with five draws and a loss, that should have been a draw! Cathal played six people over 1300, while Martin played six people under 1200, while scoring a point less than Philip did with similar opponents!
It would be a "calumny" to say Calum did badly in the Under-2000s because he was unbeaten on 4/6, including a last round draw when trying for his tenth consecutive White victory!
The game between Mark (Paul) Newman vs Martin (Gene) Kelly in the Ulster Masters was one of the more respectable of Martin's eight draws, ironically the Two Knights Defence (should have been Four Knights as above!).
White:M.Newman(1800); Black:M.Kelly(1335)
(Two Knights) (Ulster Masters,16/11/13)
1,e4 e5; 2,Nf3 Nc6; 3,Bc4 Nf6; 4,d3 Be7; 5,0-0 0-0; 6,Nbd2 d6;
7,c3 Be6; 8,Bb3 Bxb3; 9,axb3 d5; 10,exd5 Qxd5; 11,Nc4 Rfd8; 12,Re1 e4;
13,Nd4 Nxd4; 14,dxe4 Nxe4; 15,cxd4 Bf6; 16,Qf3 Qxd4; 17,Be3 Ng5;
18,Qh5 Qd5; 19,Bxg5 Qxg5; 20,Qf3 b5; 21,Na5 Bxb2;22,Rad1 Re8;
23,Qc6 Rxe1 ch; 24,Rxe1 Rf8; 25,Qc7 Draw.
Rookie
