Open Air Chess Delivers New Blitz Ratings

Rating Report by Brendan Jamison, National Arbiter and Director of Chess NI

The 28 players who competed in the September outdoor chess events have now had their games rated by the Ulster Chess Union. Well done to everyone who made gains (in brackets). Players who made a blitz debut appear as (===).

October 2020 Blitz Ratings:

1769 Alex Goss
1769 Brendan Jamison (+21)
1751 Gareth Annesley (+86)
1704 Robbie Wright (===)
1703 Danny Roberts
1565 Gatis Barbals (+121)
1502 Matthew Dougherty
1482 Adam Rushe (+44)
1463 Andrew Todd (+84)
1447 Edward Hanzharov (+30)
1435 James Wong (+10)
1434 James O’Fee (+6)
1353 Aaron Wafflart (+101)
1350 Christopher Dorrian
1324 Ben Toogood
1315 Calum Glendinning (===)
1307 Mark Newman (+20)
1300 Evan Elwood (===)
1300 Maikel Podean (===)
1218 Timothy Morrison (+53)
1178 Tony Scullion
1147 Adrian Dornford-Smith
1089 Geoff Sterrett
1068 Jamie Corscadden
1027 Ethan Cole (+88)
1132 Richard McClean
963 George Gamble
768 Rebecca McClurg

Gatis Barbals (+121) was the highest gainer with an incredible jump into the 1500s. He is an excellent blitz player, a wonderful gentleman and a great asset to Fruithill Chess Club.

21 year old Aaron Wafflart (+101) continued his sharp rise as he broke into the 1300s. Having scooped up so many over-the-board awards during 2019 and 2020, Aaron’s dedication and vast improvement will no doubt continue in the years ahead.

Multi-award winning champion Gareth Annesley (+86) made an impressive gain from just playing in one outdoor event at Stormont.  As one of the most decorated players in the UCU, everyone gets a tremendous buzz when he competes and raises the bar!

Eight year old Ethan Cole gained 88 points to break the 1000 threshold as he landed a new blitz rating of 1027. It is very rare for someone so young to get over 1000 so quickly so a big congratulations to Ethan! More and more adults will try dodging Ethan before he gobbles up their rating points!

Other significant gains include Andrew Todd (+84), champion of the Play Park Blitz where he reigned supreme, totally undefeated throughout the 7 rounds. The same competition saw Tim Morrison jump into the 1200s as he earned 53 points to land at 1218, very well done Tim!

15 year old Calum Glendinning has been on a wonderful roll this year. It began as he won a prize at the Ulster Rapidplay Championships in Newry back in February 2020. During the autumn, Calum earned awards at all 4 blitz events he competed in, culminating in Whitehead on 3rd October as this rising star was crowned champion. We are delighted to see Calum’s blitz debut of 1315 and long may his abundance of enthusiasm continue to bring joy to all the players at the chess events.

Navigation
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…
« October 2025 »
October
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031
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…