John Sloane provides this tribute to his former Ford club-mate Sam Cree.
My old friend Sam Cree died on the 5th May 2003 after a prolonged illness. Sam was well known in chess circles especially among our older players. Sam founded the Ford Chess Club back in the early 1970s and although he never became a strong player he certainly enjoyed his chess - win, lose or draw. Sam's biggest achievements were in chess promotions, particularly, the Ulster Senior Chess Championship, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, which he brought to the Woodlands Hotel, Lisburn. Also he was successful in bringing to the Ford Plant at Belfast none other that Nigel Short and Dr John Nunn for simultaneous exhibitions. All in all a wonderful friend to Ulster chess and he will be lovingly remembered.
John Nunn's simultaneous exhibition at Ford Motor Plant 23rd March 1985
Tom Alcorn
died in August 2003 after a short illness. After an absence of about 40 years Tom had returned to Ulster chess at the Target Recruitment Open in 2001. Since then he had been a regular player in both tournaments and for his club Fisherwick. He won the 2002 Belfast Summerfest Challengers and the 2002-3 Fisherwick Tournament. He was a member of the Fisherwick side that won the 2002 Ulster Team Championship and he took the prize for the best performance on Board 1 in Division 2 of the 2002-3 Belfast & District Leagues. Perhaps less well-known to current players are his victories as a young player in the 1950s - the 1956 Ulster Schools Championship, the 1956 and 1957 Ulster Junior Championships, the 1957 Ulster Intermediate Championship and the 1959 Williamson Shield.Eddie Webb died on the 20th September 2003 after a lengthy illness. He was one of the founder members of Bangor Chess Club in the 1970s, and in its early years played on Board No.1 for its team in the Belfast & District Leagues. Ironically, he died the same day as the Bangor Chess Club Congress, where there was a new cup, named in his honour, for the winner of the Senior section.
The Bangor Congress returned after a year's absence, with sponsorship from Webb's Chemists.
The event was a six-round Swiss Rapidplay (30 minutes each player) divided into 2 sections. In the Senior the two top-rated players Tom Clarke and Steve Scannell drew their fourth-round encounter but otherwise they won all their games. Clarke won the new Eddie Webb Trophy on tie-break. In the Junior Chris Black won his first 5 games before losing to Michael Kane in the last round. However, Black still won the trophy (incidentally a very attractive one with a Knight motif) on tie-break from Kane, whose only defeat was in his game against Bangor CC President Richard Proctor.
An innovation at the Congress was the use of projection equipment to show the round pairings and scores on a large screen. The screen was also used to show one of the games in progress from each round.
Senior:
1st equal Tom Clarke and Stephen Scannell 5.5/6. The Grading Prize went to Paul McLoughlin, who finished in third position with 4.0. 14 competed.Junior: 1st equal
Chris Black and Michael Kane 5.0/6; 3rd Philip Todd 4.5. Grading Prize David Grzymek. 20 competed.Desmond Moreland - Tom Clarke Bangor Congress Senior (Round 6)
The traditional summer "go as you please" summer tournament returned to its usual venue at the Civil Service Chess Club. The improvements made to the McElhinney Room in the Maynard Sinclair Pavilion have produced a really excellent playing room. There were 49 contestants, almost certainly a record and a tribute to all the hard work put in over the years by Tournament Director Alex Beckett, who announced at the prize-giving that this would be his last year organising the event.
Prizes were determined on the basis of percentage scores and to be eligible for a prize a player had to play at least 10 games. The prize-giving was held on the 24th September, when Stephen Scannell received the Hammel Cup as overall winner.
Winner
Stephen Scannell 13.5/14 (96.4%)As well as the prize-giving, the final night also featured a handicap rapidplay tournament in which 22 competed with Scannell again emerging victorious.
Place Name Rtg Club Score
1 SCANNELL, STEPHEN P. 2122 R.V.H. 5.5
2 SRINIVASAN, ANANDAGOPAL 1000 Methodist College 5
3 MOORE, SAMUEL 1706 CIVIL SERVICE 4.5
4-7 WILSON, PETER 1052 RANDALSTOWN 4
BECKETT, ALEXANDER 1444 FISHERWICK 4
O' FEE, JAMES 1727 BANGOR 4
TODD, PHILIP 1071 BANGOR 4
8-9 BRADLEY, JOHN K. 1897 SHORTS 3.5
LAVERY, DAMIEN 1665 R.V.H. 3.5
10-13 FAIRLEY, JAMES 1050 C.I.Y.M.S. 3
WOODFIELD, IAN 1709 FISHERWICK 3
Mc LOUGHLIN, PAUL 1703 R.V.H. 3
GOULD, RICHARD 1594 RANDALSTOWN 3
14-16 WALLS, EAMONN 1477 NORTH BELFAST 2.5
MALLAGHAN, DANNY 1743 R.V.H. 2.5
GRZYMEK, DAVID 1345 Sullivan Upper 2.5
17-18 HINDLEY, GEOFF 1107 CIVIL SERVICE 2
WILSON, OWEN 1050 BANGOR 2
19-21 BECKETT, TONY 1583 BANGOR 1.5
JOHNSTON, GARY 1356 BANGOR 1.5
PROCTOR, RICHARD 1490 BANGOR 1.5
22 KELLY, CRAIG 900 BANGOR 1
Main points from the AGM
From left to right, Michael Holmes, Tom Clarke and Stephen Scannell
of the RVH Chess Club after receiving the Trophy and their individual
medals for winning the 2003 Ulster Team Championship
From left to right, Richard Proctor, Mike McKimm and Martin Rogers of the
Bangor Groomsport team after receiving the Trophy and their individual medals
for winning Division 2 of the 2002-2003 UCU Belfast & District Leagues
Prizewinners
Open 1st
Full results in all 3 sections
Download 27 games from the event
RVH beat defending champions Fisherwick by 7.5 to 2.5 points to win the Ulster Team Championship for the second time.
Place Name Rtg Score
1 EUGENE O'HARE 1895 9
2 JOHN LYNCH 1518 7
3 AURELIO JAVIER 1758 6.5
4 G CASEY 5.5
5 RONALD SIMPSON 1701 5
6-7 ROBERT IRVINE 1357 3
FRANK HARKIN 1456 3
8 C COYLE 2
9 JOHN McGURK 1407 0
Place Name Rtg Score
1 RORY O'HARE 1879 5
2 JOHN LYNCH 1518 4
3-4 EUGENE O'HARE 1895 3.5
AURELIO JAVIER 1768 3.5
5-10 ROBERT IRVINE 1357 3
F GALLAUGHER 3
CONCHOBHAR KERR 3
R MCCARRON 3
DANIEL QUIGLEY 3
LIAM KELLY 3
11-16 M FARRELL 2
EIMEAR KERR 2
J LOUGHEY 2
STEPHEN CHARLESWORTH 2
M LITTLE 2
CIARAN KEAVENY 1078 2
17-19 REBECCA ORR 1
N FARRELL 1
MEGAN LOGUE 1
20 RONALD SIMPSON 1701 0.5
21-24 S MCCARRON 0
RACHEL MCDERMOTT 0
CIARAN DOHERTY 0
FRANK HARKIN 1456 0
Place Name Rtg Score
1 RORY O'HARE 1879 7
2-3 AURELIO JAVIER 1768 4.5
RONALD SIMPSON 1701 4.5
4 STEPHEN DUNNE 4
5 EUGENE O' HARE 1895 3.5
6 JOHN LYNCH 1518 3
7 ROBERT IRVINE 1357 1
8 FRANK HARKIN 1456 0.5
Place Name Rtg Score
1 RONALD SIMPSON 1701 8.5
2-3 AURELIO JAVIER 1768 6.5
JOHN LYNCH 1518 6.5
4 EUGENE O'HARE 1895 5.5
5 LIAM KELLY 2
6 ROBERT IRVINE 1357 1