You are here: Home › Archives › Trophy winners, donors and dedications › Arthur Cootes Memorial Cup › Ulster Rapidplay Championship

Ulster Rapidplay Championship

Past winners

The first time an event carried the title of the Ulster Rapidplay Championship was on the 3rd December 2000. It was a one-off event, part of the Target Recruitment sponsorship of the Ulster Chess Union in the 2000-2001 season.

2000  - Stephen SCANNELL

The next time the Championship was held was on 2nd January 2006. The next four Championships were all held between Christmas and the New Year until the 2010-2011 season when the Championship which took place on 2nd January 2011.

2005-06 - Gareth ANNESLEY, John CAIRNS, Nicholas PILKIEWICZ

2006-07 - Stephen SCANNELL

2007-08 - Stephen SCANNELL

2008-09 - Gareth ANNESLEY, John CAIRNS, Michael HOLMES, Calum LEITCH, Stephen SCANNELL

2009-10 - Gareth ANNESLEY, John CAIRNS

2010-11 - John CAIRNS

For the 2011-2012 season the UCU decided to hold an Ulster Blitz Championship over the holiday period, moving the Rapidplay Championship to a new Spring slot in the Calendar.

2012 - Michael WATERS

2013 - John MASTERSON

The 2013 Championship was held on Easter Monday. The 2014 and subsequent Championships saw the winner receiving the Arthur Cootes Memorial Cup.

2014 - Ciaran QUINN

2015 - Ciaran QUINN

2016 - Gabor HORVATH

2017 - Daniil ZELENCHUK

2018 - Nikhil JOSHI

2019 - Daniil ZELENCHUK

2020 - Danny ROBERTS

2021 - No Championship

2022 - Danny ROBERTS

2023 - Mandar TAHMANKAR

News
Ulster Chess Union Mourns the Passing of Damien Lavery Mar 02, 2026
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
More news…
October 2024 »
October
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031
Upcoming Events
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
FIDE RATED Black Mountain Rapid 2026 [event 2 of 10 in art & chess neurodiversity festival] The Chess neurodiversity festival continues. With second exciting event. Venue: Black Mountain Shared Space, 208 Ballyg... Mar 28, 2026 10:15 AM - 04:30 PM — Black Mountain Shared Space, 208 Ballygomartin Road, Belfast, BT13 3NG
Upcoming events…