Ulster Chess Union

30 players competed over 6 Rounds in 2 sections. The time limit was 25 minutes for each player.

Fisherwick Chess Club ran a go-as-you-please tournament throughout the winter months. Competitors had to play at least 10 games to be eligible for a prize, with the prizes going to those with the best percentage scores. The time limit was each player having 1 hour 15 minutes for all moves. The tournament was a very closely fought affair. Gareth Annesley was leading gouing into the final night, when he was beaten by Desmond Moreland. Nicholas Pilkiewixz, last year's champion, beat Jim McLean to win the tournament. Meanwhile Robin Triggs beat Paul McLoughlin to wrest the runner-up spot from Ian Davis. The latter had to be content with a grading Prize but the luckless Annesley ended out of the prize list altogether. Also a bit unlucky was Desmond Moreland, who only played 9 games. He wanted to play 2 games in the final night to give himself a chance of a prize, but there simply wasn't enough time.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nc4 fxe4 6.Nc3 Qg6 7.Qe2 Nf6 8.f3 Nc6
It is this move that questions the validity of the greedy 7.Qe2. With his next move White embarks on a rare and very sharp line, one that unfortunately his opponent is extremely well versed in. Had he wanted to play safe he could have chosen 9.Be3.
9.d5 Nd4 10.Qf2
Slightly unusual, but it normally affects a transposition. 10.Qd1 exf3 11.Qxd4 fxg2 12.Bxg2 Qxg2 13.Rg1 Qxh2 (and Black has all the play!) (Elburg)
10...exf3 11.Bd3?!
Although he didn't know it this was his first deviation from theory, not bad seeing he was clearly working it out from move 3. As said previously, 11.Qxd4 had to be played here.
11...Qxg2 12.Qe3+?! Kd8 13.Rf1 Nxc2+ 14.Bxc2 Qxc2 15.Rxf3
I relaxed here as the time my opponent had left (just under half an hour compared to my hour and ten minutes) was too small for him to offer serious resistance in the coming tactical bloodfest. Even so I took almost 25 minutes in trying to figure out the best way to press home my advantage. The main problem with this line being that Black cannot easily gain security for his King.
15...Bg4?!
Doing nothing, but more importantly missing 15...Ng4!? which may well have won on the spot.
(1) 15...Qxh2 16.Qd4 Be7 17.Be3 Bh3 18. 0-0-0 Qg2 (Elburg)
(2) 15...Nxg4 16.Qe2 Qxe2+ 17.Kxe2 Nxh2 18.Bg5+ Be7 19. Bxe7+ Kxe7 20.Rxf4 g5 (Elburg)
16.Rg3 Kd7 17.Qd4 Re8+ 18.Ne3 Qxh2 19.Rxg4 Nxg4 20.Qxg4+ Kd8 21.Ne2 Be7
21...Qh1 22.Qg1 Qxg1+ 23.Nxg1 Be7 24.Nf3 Bf6 25.Kf2 h5 (Elburg).
22.Nf5 g6
22...Qh1+ 23.Kf2 Rhf8 24.Neg3 Qh2+ 25.Ke3 h5 26.Qg6 h4 27.Ne4 Qh3+ 28.Kf4 Qf1+ 29.Kg4 Qg2 (Elburg) was much better.
23.Nfg3 Bh4
Black's play is shamefully lazy, forcing exchanges and playing to the absence of White's time on the clock.
24.Bg5+ Bxg5 25.Qxg5+ Kc8 26.0-0-0 Qf2 27.Rd3 Re5 28.Qg4+ Kb8 29.Rc3 Rhe8 30.Rf3 Qe1+ 31.Kc2 Rxe2+ 32.Nxe2 Qxe2+ 33.Kc3 Qe1+ 0-1 (time)
At last White's flag had fallen under the cynical influence of gravity.

1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 d5 4.Bxf6 exf6 5.e3 Bb4 6.Bd3 c6 7.Nge2 a5?!
The first (blatant) mistake in the game, played to gain space but a developing move should have been preferred.
8.a3 Bd6 9.Ng3 g6 10.Qf3 Qe7 11.Nce2 Be6 12.h4! h5 13.Nf4 Kf7 14.Nxg6!?
It would be easy to claim that Steve's major reason for playing this was that against an opponent rated 400 points below him, these kinds of complications usually favour the stronger player. However he thought for quite some time about this move, and clearly saw a strong potential in it. To be fair to him it might well have been a winning move. However it was my opinion that I was positionally inferior already, and I was thus genuinely surprised that Steve took this sharper course of action.
14...Kxg6 15.Nxh5 Rxh5 16.g4 Rh6 17.gxf5+ Kf7 18.fxe6+ Ke8 19.Rg1 Kd8 20.Rg8+ Kc7 21.Qg4 Kb6
To be honest I contemplated resigning instead of playing 21...Kb6. Both Steve and myself agreed that White looks as if he must be winning after 21.Qg4. Blacks' Knight seems to be out of the game and his other pieces cannot seem to attack anything. However I decided that White still had a bit to do to win the game, so I may as well continue for now.
22.Bf5 Ka7 23.Rc1?!
The first slip, probably 23.Kd2 (linking the Rooks) was better, as it will be ten moves yet before c4 is played. White is already coming to grips with the problem of how to convert his temporary bearhug into a win.
23...Na6 24.Rg7 Rxh4!
One thing leads to another and now Steve has allowed my only tactic to come into play.
25.Rxe7 Rxg4 26.Rd7 Rg5 27.Bd3 Bh2
Probably Steve missed this surprisingly annoying move. He also plays routinely with regard to it. It was my opinion that this Bishop needed to be pressured, not ignored.
28.Ke2 Bg1 29.Kf3?! Re8
f3 is not a secure place for white's King. In time trouble White's play deteriorated.
30.e7 Nb8 31.Rd6 Rxe7 32.Rxf6 Reg7 33.c4 Rg2 34.Ke2 Nd7 35.Rf5 Nb6 36.cxd5 Nxd5 37.Rc5 Kb6 38.Rf8 R7g3
I had to know if I was winning or not. A few moves ago Steve had turned down a draw, but now I sensed there must be something in the position for me. If I waited I felt I would only be outplayed in a technical endgame, so there was now no time for contrition.
39.Kf1?!
Now in real time trouble Steve missed the uncompromising defence of 39.Be4. Had he played this I felt he would have still had a real chance in the game.
39...Nxe3+! 40.fxe3 Bxe3 41.Rcf5 Rxb2 42.d5 Rg1# 0-1
Such was his shortage of time that Steve took 5 seconds to notice it was checkmate.

The Ulster Chess Union and the Ulster Schools Chess Council started a series of chess competitions for schoolchildren at both Primary and Secondary level. Originally these were intended to be for children from Primary 6 to Year 9, but such was their popularity that children in Primary 3, 4 and 5 also were allowed to compete.

This is now the fourth year running that Adrian Skelton and David Houston have organised competitions at the prestigious Waterfront Hall site. For the first of this year's two competitions there were 18 teams of 4 players. The 72 boys and girls came from 5 Primary schools - Cairnshill, Edmund Rice, Inchmarlo, St. Bernard's and St. Colums (Portstewart). In fact, more children turned up than expected, which necessitated sending out for more sets! This meant in the early rounds there were some consultation games, but the children seemed to enjoy these even more than the one-on-one combat.

The top 4 teams qualified for the next Waterfront Hall competition where they faced teams from Secondary Schools.

The second of the two team events featured 16 teams - the four Primary School qualifiers from the first event plus 12 teams of pupils from Forms 1 to 3 from 6 Secondary schools (Ballyclare High, Larne Grammar, Methodist College, R.B.A.I., St. Malachy's and Sullivan Upper).

The MCB Monarchs team was in the lead from the beginning and was 2 points ahead of its nearest challengers, Sullivan Black Knights, going into the final round. The two leading teams were drawn against each other in the final round and with a 3-1 victory Sullivan drew level with their rivals. The players from both teams received winners' medals and the two schools will each hold the trophy for 6 months.

The final of the KO Cup, as the Ulster Team Championship is generally known, was between RVH and Fisherwick. The teams were tied at 5 points apiece after their double round match, with Fisherwick winning a record-breaking 6th title on board count. The Plate competition, for first round losers, was won by Civil Service for the second time in three years.

The RVH Chess Club held 3 handicap quick-play tournaments, open to all-comers, last summer. They proved so popular (these events are part social occasion and part serious competition) that the club is starting earlier this year, in what they hope will be a regular monthly series. The tournaments are to be held on the last Tuesday of each month from April to September. Players are handicapped on a time basis with games being of 20 minutes duration. Damien Lavery directs proceedings with calm efficiency - not easy to do when you have to fit 6 Rounds into an evening's play.

In the first of the new series top seed Michael Holmes (RVH) took first prize with a 100% score. In second place was Stephen Morgan (North Belfast), making his first competitive start in several months. Five players finished on 4.0 points. On tie-break Paul McLoughlin (RVH) won third prize, Tom Alcorn (Fisherwick) fourth and Nicholas Pilkiewicz fifth. Calum Leitch (QUB) and Chris Black (RVH) won the grading prizes.

The second competition saw three players all finish on 5 points. On tie-break Tom Clarke of the host club RVH won first prize, John Bradley (Bombardier) second prize and Ciaran Marron, also RVH third prize. Of the four players who finished equal fourth on 4 points, it was Steve Scannell (North Belfast) who won fourth prize on tie-break. Grading prizes went to Damien Cunningham (RVH) and Tim Roope (unattached).