ULSTER CHESS UNION AUTUMN CONGRESS, QUB STUDENTS' UNION, 20-21 OCTOBER 2007
There are two tournaments scheduled for this Congress. The Ulster under 21 Open disappointingly only attracted 2 entrants and it was agreed that Chris Millar and Ananda Srinivasan would share the title. Srinivasan then decided to enter the Stars Barred Weekender for players rated under 1600 (or unrated) and came equal first with Joseph Mordeno.
Stars Barred Weekender final standings and crosstable
ULSTER SCHOOLS INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 10 NOVEMBER 2007
The annual Schools Championships, organised by the Ulster Schools Chess Council, were held once again at Belfast Inst. The total of 70 players competing was well up on last year's numbers.
Champions:
Under 19:
Full final standings in all sections
ULSTER RAPIDPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP BELFAST BOAT CLUB 30 DECEMBER 2007
Stephen Scannell retained his Ulster Rapidplay championship with a 100% score.
Leading placings:
[Final crosstable]WILLIAMSON SHIELD MAYNARD SINCLAIR PAVILION 26-27 JANUARY 2008
Stephen Scannell won the Williamson Shield for the seventh time, leaving him only one behind the late Tom Clarke in the all-time winners' list.
Prizewinners:
[Final crosstable and photographs]Photographs below by Pat McKillen
2008 winner Stephen Scannell
Runner-up Wenceslao Torres congratulated
by UCU President David McAlister
RVH clubmates John Monaghan and Pearse O'Brien
shared the under 1100 Grading Prize
Scannell receives the Shield
FISHERWICK PLAYERS' SUCCESSES IN GIBRALTAR
The Gibtelecom Chess Festival is now established as one of the major international opens in world chess. The young American GM Hikaru Nakamura won this year's event held in late January. Also competing was Fisherwick board one and 2006 Ulster champion Michael Waters. He finished with 5 points from his ten games and included amongst these was a win against the 2448 rated Bulgarian IM Pavel Dimitrov.
Also competing in Gibraltar from the Fisherwick club was Sam Flanagan, playing in one of the subsidiary events, the Week 1 Amateur Tournament for players rated under 1850. After four straight wins against players all with higher ratings than his own, he faced an awkward game in the final round against a player with an estimated 1000 rating, which clearly did not reflect his true strength. After a cagey encounter, a draw was agreed after a repetition of position, ensuring Flanagan a share of first place.
[Some of the Ulster players' games] [Final standings and crosstable from the Amateur tournament]
EUGENE O'HARE: 1 JANUARY 1918 - 4 FEBRUARY 2008
Eugene O'Hare, six-time Ulster Chess Champion, has passed away at the age of 90. He was one of the outstanding figures in Ulster chess in the second half of the 20th Century.
Eugene won five Ulster individual titles in a row from 1960 to 1964 and a sixth and final one in 1969. He was a member of the winning Ulster teams in the Interprovincial Championship finals of 1958 (winning on board one), 1963 (drawing on board one) and 1968 (winning on board three). Throughout the period from 1961 to 1967 he played top board for the Ulster team.
His peak period as a player was almost certainly in the first half of the 1960s and saw him play for Ireland in the 1960, 1962 and 1964 Olympiads.
He was also a notable organiser. In 1952 he was one of the founder members of the City of Derry Chess Club, which quickly became a real force in Ulster chess.
He was instrumental in bringing the 1962 Irish Championships to Magee College and 25 years later he was still active in bringing the 1987 Irish to his home city, when in a pioneering effort with Chessbase software he also produced the tournament bulletin with Allan Turnbull. He again helped organise the 1990 event in Derry and was also a leading light in bringing the 1976 Championship to Coleraine.
Although he rarely competed outside Derry after the 1970s, he still competed regularly in local events until the very recent past. Almost needless to say, he won countless tournaments in his home city.
He will be greatly missed.