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Ulster Chronicles

Contemporaneous reports on tournaments and events from past few decades; web content since 2004 with additional archival material dating back to the 80's

Welcome to the UCU Chronicles.

Here we offer archival reports of activity in local chess clubs and the UCU itself. This part of the archive is composed of contemporaneous reports, that is reports which were created at the time or very soon after an event had finished. This gives the reports a unique flavour.

At the end of each season, usually soon after the Union's AGM, all reports for the season published on this site, are gathered together and moved to this location - the Ulster Chronicles. This gives members a clean slate for the incoming season while keeping the analysis, discussion, lists, games and photos available in a convenient location for browsing, chronologically if you want. At the moment, this local material dates back to 2004 when the UCU Website started to expand with its own content.

We have also been able to acquire archival material from a variety of sources to supplement this content. Checkout our Contributors Page which credits the sources for this additional material and includes indexes for these specific catalogues. Generally though, all reports are gathered together by season so it is possible to follow events as they unfolded.

Many of these historical reports included local games; these are collectively available in our Games Archive which we hope to collate into a more convenient form for downloading. These games, in particular, offer a unique perspective on local chess over the years.

Table of Contents

Listed below are the seasonal catalogues making up the Chronicles

Additional Material

Retrospective reports and other specific archival material is also available

Player Biographies: personal notes on players and personalities who have made an impact on Ulster Chess over the years. Active players are listed in our Membership List showing their game and rating histories

The Time Traveller: retrospective reports looking back over the UCU's history since its formation in 1932 and even beyond to the 19th Century when local chess were being formed and loosely organised amongst themselves. Some our trophies, such as the Williamson Shield, were first competed for in these early days

Trophy winners, donors and dedications: listing the trophies offered by the Union and providing lists of their winners, profiles of those who donated them or after whom they were named. Since 2004, complete details of all UCU events are available in our Results Service showing fixtures/rounds and final standings

News
Saturday 14th Feb 2026 and another brilliant monthly Childrens Chess Tournament. Youngsters from all over Ulster gathered at Methodist College to compete in an afternoon of Chess, a swiss tournament an... Feb 21, 2026
UCU Events Update – Remainder of the Season This has been a challenging year for UCU events; however, we have been fortunate to secure arbiters for events held so f... Feb 21, 2026
Standings of the Childrens Chess Grandprix after January 2026. The Ulster Chess Union runs monthly tournaments at Methodist College. All pupils are welcome to play. Five of these tour... Feb 07, 2026
The new year and the chess league continues.... Playing chess in a team is one of those joys of chess. You have the beautiful game and the team spirit. Each player focu... Feb 01, 2026
Williamson Shield 2026: Storms, Strategy, and a New Champion A report by Chris Dorrian Jan 28, 2026
More news…
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Upcoming Events
FIDE rated Ulster Rapidplay Championship 2026 Feb 28, 2026 09:30 AM - 04:30 PM — Fruithill Chess Club, Falls Bowling Club, 63 Andersonstown Rd, Belfast, BT11 9AH
Women's Chess Day with special guest - WGM Trisha Kanyamarala Mar 08, 2026 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM — Lisburn Chess Club, 60-62 Longstone Street
FIDE RATED Coalisland Blitz Championship 2026 Tuesday 10 March 2026. Check-in at 19:50 The 10 rounds will be played back-to-back from 20:00 to 22:30 Time-control 3-... Mar 10, 2026 07:50 PM - 10:30 PM — Washingbay Centre, 92 Ballybeg Road, Aughamullan, Coalisland, County Tyrone, BT71 5DX
Third Executive Board Meeting Agenda TBC Mar 10, 2026 08:00 PM - 09:30 PM — Lisburn Chess Club
March 14th 2026 Childrens Chess 12:30 – 5:00 UCU Monthly Schools Chess Tournaments Continues at Methodist College. Mar 14, 2026 12:30 PM - 05:00 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
Upcoming events…