End of January League Roundup

With most of the leagues facing into their last three games, it is make-or-break time for the Rathmines teams.

Armstrong Cup League Table:
In the division one, Armstrong Cup, we have two teams. The reigning champions, Rathmines A, are in a solid third place. We badly miss, both emotionally and chess-wise, the presence of Philip Hogarty. Our first game back against Dublin University was a suitably subdued occasion, which also happened to be our first loss of the season. We bounced backed impressively in the very next match with a resounding 8-0 whitewash of Dun Laoghaire. To overhaul Phibsboro A we’d have to do extremely well in our last three games, particularly in the crunch tie against Kilkenny.

The Rathmines B team have made their situation reasonably secure recently. The points deducted by the league for fielding Abul Kalam on second board (and breaking the 150-point rule) have been returned. This decision was most welcome. Now, their crunch game is against Phibsboro B on Tuesday, 5th February. Phibsboro B are in the relegation zone, on 23 points, while our B team are on 26 points. Clearly, a win would almost certainly mean we were safe from relegation, while a loss would be a huge threat.

Heidenfeld Trophy League Table:

In the Heidenfeld, Rathmines are sitting snuggly in mid-table, on 30 points.

Ennis Shield League Table:

In the Ennis, we sit rock bottom and 4 points from safety. The main glimmer of light here is that, first, we narrowly lost to the Tallaght team in our last outing (not counted yet in the official statistics) and we face the two teams we are most likely to overhaul – Bray/Greystones and Dublin. To have any chance of survival, we’d have to win both those matches comfortably. While not impossible, this looks difficult.

O’Hanlon Cup League Table:
In the O’Hanlon the situation is terminal. Rathmines sit rooted to the bottom of the table on 7.5 points from 6 matches.

Ennis Shield, vs. Tallaght

Ennis Shield on Wednesday 23rd January.

Tallaght vs. Rathmines

Tom O’ Flynn 1737 0 / 1 Atanas Kouhtev 1443
Terry Fayne 1681 1 / 0 Dave O’Connell 1394
Jim Prendiville 1587 1 / 0 Paul Mogerley 1340
Pat McGowan 1504 ½ / ½ Kannika Koomvilai 1160
Philip Clarke 1368 0 / 1 Una O’Boyle 1207
Connor Pender UG 1 / 0 Ed Cunningham 991
3½ / 2½  to Tallaght

A first rate result against very strong opposition.

Darren’s win in the Armstrong

Rathmines vs. Dun Laoghaire, Jan 24th 2008

McCabe,Darren (1955) – Cassidy,Paul (1903) [C45]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 The Scotch.

3…Nxd4?! Not the best move here. 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.Qxd4 Qf6

After 5…Qf6
Black starts actively looking to swap queens off. He obviously feels his endgame strength will show through. But his loss of the game can almost be traced back to this idea! Better is simple development with Ne7, followed by Nc6, gaining a tempo on white’s queen. [5...Ne7 6.Nc3 Nc6 7.Qd2 Bb4 8.a3 Ba5 9.b4 Bb6 10.Nd5 ]

6.e5! Qb6 7.Qf4 [7.Be3 Qxd4 8.Bxd4 ]

7…Qb4+ 8.Nc3 Qxf4 9.Bxf4

After 9. Bxf4
Black got what he wished for: the queens are off the board. But white has managed a smooth development and has a cramping pawn on e5. White is much better as a consequence.

9…Bb4 10.Bc4 Ne7 11.0-0 Bxc3 12.bxc3 b6 13.Rad1 Bb7 14.Rd2 [I suggested the following after the game but it doesn't quite work: 14.Bxf7+ Kxf7 15.Rxd7 Bc6 16.Rxc7 Rhc8 17.e6+! Kf6 (17...Kxe6? 18.Re1+ Kf5 19.Rcxe7 Kxf4+/= ) 18.Bg5+ Kxg5 19.Rxe7 Kf6 20.Rf7+ Kxe6 21.Rxg7 Worth trying, but probably favours black. ]

14…Bc6 15.Rfd1 g5?

After 15. …g5?
Now black miscalculates. He lashes out with g5, hoping for counterplay against g2, which is also attacked by his bishop. This sort of move is tempting when you’re facing a bind, as white has here.

16.Bxg5 Rg8 17.f4! Protecting g2 from the side. This may be what black did not see when he played g5.

17…Nf5 18.Re1 h6 19.Bf6 Ne7 20.Re3 Rg4 21.Bxe7 [21.g3 Rg8 22.Kf2 ]

21…Kxe7 22.g3 Rag8 23.Kf2 h5?

After 23…h5?
Losing another pawn. He is clearly hoping to push the pawn to h4 and undermine g3. But white has a simple reply.

24.Be2 R4g7 25.Bxh5 Rh7 26.g4 Rxh5 Desperation

27.gxh5 Rg2+ 28.Ke1 Rg1+ 29.Ke2 Rg2+ 30.Kd3 Bb5+ 31.c4 Bxc4+ 32.Kc3

After Kc3
Cool. Obviously, Kxc4 loses the rook. Now, black must swap off the rooks and faces an impossible endgame. The pawn on h5, for a start, is close to queening, while he dominates across the board. White finishes off the game with accuracy.

32…Rxd2 33.Kxd2 f5 34.h6 Kf8 35.Rg3 Bg8 36.Rg7 Bf7 37.Rg5 Bg8 38.Rxf5+ Ke7 39.Rg5 1-0

Armstrong B vs. Elm Mount report

Armstrong: Rathmines B score narrow 4.5 – 3.5 win over Elm Mount B  (Click link to see score).

Report from Michael Kennedy, Captain of the Rathmines Armstrong B team

Monday 21-Jan-08 was the most depressing day of the year according to a Cardiff University study.  This certainly would have been true for the Rathmines B team had we not pulled off a series of vital saves at the death last night.  In the end, we managed to edge out Elm Mount B by 4.5 – 3.5.

Rathmines B had the unaccustomed tag of favourites for the first time this season against the team at the foot of the table.  However, shorn of 3 of our top 4 boards (Cafolla, Kalam and Aherne), it was always going to be a big ask to score the convincing victory we needed to lift ourselves out of the relegation dogfight.  Thankfully, we managed to get some good subs, such as Lukasz, who marked a welcome return to League chess with a quick, impressive victory from a quiet Exchange Caro-Kann.  It looked as effortless and logical as any Capablanca game.

Ken’s game didn’t last too long either.  He was doing ok with Black against Behan’s d4&e5 isolated pawn couplet, until he overlooked a Qh7 mate in 1.  Oops!  These things happen after a tiring day in work.

Soon afterwards, David accepted his opponent’s draw offer in what looked like a closed Spanish.  It appeared that David relieved the central tension early, with the pawn captures …c5xd4 and …e5xd4, leaving him with an isolated pawn on d6.

Next, after Armstrong’s 1.b3 opening, Jack picked up a number of pawns in the 2R+Q ending and never looked back.  This fine win extended his unbeaten streak to 8 games.

I had white for the first time this season against John Loughran’s unusual Baltic defence: 

Kennedy v. Loughran
1. d4 d5 2. c4 Bf5 3. cd Bxb1 4. Qa4+ c6 5. Rxb1 Qxd5 6. f3 e5 7. de Qxe5 8. Bf4 Qf5 9. Rd1 Nd7 (9… Na6 10. Nh3 Nc5 11. Qd4 Nf6 12. e4 Qg6 13. Be3 Ne6 14. Qc3 ½ – ½, Butze[2420] – Rauze [2565], corr. 1994) 10. Nh3 Ngf6 11. e4 Qc5 

Unfortunately, I lost whatever edge I may have had when he forced a Q-trade after 12. Qb3 Qb4+.  I surrendered a couple of tempi trying to hang on to the B-pair.  I considered this my only chance of playing for a win, although it doesn’t seem fair that Black can get away with moving his Q 5 times in the first 12 moves!  It soon petered out into a draw.

When I finished we were +1 in the match, but we were in trouble in all three remaining games.  Fitzsimons’ KID was working a treat against John Crowley, as he managed to infiltrate down the e-file with his big pieces and put them to good work behind White’s front line.  Running short of time, he offered a draw.  Of course, John nearly tore his arm off!

The Six Queens Game

New recruit Mindaugas began with a balanced game against Bajcar.  He tried to expand and attack using his isolated pawn couplet as a base; meanwhile, Bajcar tried to blocade and looked for exchanges.  I doubt this was planned as homage to the man who wrote the book on this and associated structures, who was sitting just opposite playing in another match at the time.  It exploded into life in a tricky R+Ps endgame.  Early in this endgame (i.e. in the lead up to the diagram position), I thought White’s Ps on e6 and a6 were a little too exposed to hold much chance of a result.  Mindaugas fought hard to prove me wrong and reached this position:  

1. Kd5 b2 (if 1… Rxd6+ 2. Rxd6 b2 3. Rb6! ab [not fast enough is 3… b1Q 4. Rxb1 Kxb1 5. Kc6 h5 6. Kb7 h4 7. Kxa7 h3 8. Kb8 h2 9. a7 h1Q 10. a8Q ] 4. a7 b1Q 5. a8Q may be a better choice) 2. Rh1 b1Q Queen number 3… 3. Rxb1 Kxb1 4. Ke6 Rg7 5. d7 Rg8 6. Ke7 h5

7. f4 h4 8. f5 h3 9.f6 h2 10. f7 Rh8 11. d8Q Queen number 4 11…Rxd8 12. Kxd8 h1Q And now the fifth 13. f8Q And the sixth! and although White has two extra pawns, he couldn’t convert and a draw was the result. There were 6 Qs(!!) in this game: pure entertainment!

As usual, John Burns was last to finish.  After a fianchetto KID/Benoni opening, John got into difficulty on the Q-side and in the centre when he was forced to part with an a-pawn and got an awful position (see annotated game).  All season, John has shown strong nerves and an ability to make the right decision at critical moments.  In keeping with this, he looked for complications as he broke through in the centre and sacrificed more material to create threats against the Black K.  Of course, all of this ate into his opponent’s clock.  John timed his draw offer to perfection – his opponent accepted with only two minutes left.  An exciting tactical duel.  Long live allegro finishes!

In summary, this 4.5 – 3.5 win was a below par result.  Even fielding a weakened team, our expected score would have been about 5 – 3.  We now face into a potential relegation playoff against Phibsboro B at home on Tuesday, 5-Feb-08.  It’s essential that we field the strongest possible team for this, the most important game of our season.

Burns vs. McDonagh

Burns, J – McDonagh, Alan [E66]
Armstrong – Rathmines B v Elm Mount B
Annotated by John Burns.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.g3 0–0 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.d5 Na5 8.Qd3 d6 9.0–0 b6 10.b3N

Position after 10. b3

Played after a lot of thought and not very good. Lots of moves have been tried here, including e4, Bd2, a3 etc [RR 10.Bd2 Ne8 11.e4 e5 12.dxe6 Bxe6 13.b3 h6 14.Rad1 Nc6 15.Be3 Bg4 16.Rc1 Ne5 17.Nxe5 dxe5 18.Qc2 Qc7 19.h3 Be6 20.Nb5 Qe7 21.Rcd1 Nc7 22.Nc3 Na6 23.Qc1 Kh7 24.Nd5 Qb7 Ailama,K-Munukka,T/Finland 2004/EXT 2006/½–½ (47); 
10...Bf5 11.Qe3 [11.e4 isn't possible now 11...Nxe4 12.Nxe4 Bxa1 13.Bh6 Bg7] 11…a6 [11...Ng4 12.Qd2] 12.Nh4 Bd7 13.Bb2 b5!³ 14.cxb5 axb5 15.Qd2 b4 16.Ne4 Bb5 17.Rfe1

Position after 17. Rfe1

[17.Nxf6+ safer but drawish 17...Bxf6 18.Bxf6 exf6 19.Rfe1 Re8]
17…Ra7 18.Ng5 h6 19.Ngf3

Position after 19. Ngf3

[19.Nxg6!? fxg6 20.Ne6 Qe8 21.Nxf8 Qxf8] 19…Ne4 20.Qc2 Bxb2 21.Qxb2 Nc3 22.e4

Position after 22. e4

[22.Qc2 Nxe2+ 23.Kh1 Nb7 24.Nxg6] 22…Qa8 23.Qd2?! [23.a3 deals with the weak a-pawn 23...Nb7 24.axb4 cxb4 25.Nd4] 23…Kh7 [23...Nxb3? 24.Qxh6 e5 (24...Nxe4 25.Nxg6 fxg6 26.Qxg6+ Kh8 27.Rxe4) 25.Ng5 f6 26.axb3 Ne2+ 27.Kh1 fxg5 28.Qxg6+ Kh8 29.Qh6+ Kg8 30.Ng6 Rxf2 31.Qh8+ Kf7 32.Rxa7+ Qxa7 33.Qh7+ Kf6 34.Qxa7] 24.Rac1 Nb7 25.Rc2? [25.a4 Na5 26.Qc2] 25…Nxa2 [25...Rxa2 26.Rxa2 Qxa2 27.Qxa2 Nxa2 28.Ra1 Ra8–+] 26.e5

Position after 26. e5

Only chance but Black is winning all ends up 26…Nc3 27.exd6 Nxd6 28.Ne5 g5 [28...Ra3 29.Ng4 g5 30.Rxc3 bxc3 31.Qc2+ f5 32.Rxe7+ Rf7 33.Rxf7+ Nxf7 34.Qxf5+] 29.Nhf3 f6 [29...Nde4] 30.Rxc3 [30.Nc6 Ra1 31.Rxc3 bxc3 32.Qxc3 Rxe1+ 33.Qxe1 e5] 30…bxc3 31.Qc2+ f5 32.Qxc3

After Qxc3

-2.56 here, says Fritz 32…Ne4 33.Qe3 Ra1? [33...Qxd5 34.b4 Ra2 35.bxc5 Rc8 36.Nd4 Qxe5 37.Nxf5 Bd7] 34.Nxg5+ not a bad practical try, but White is now -3.2 [34.h4 Rxe1+ 35.Qxe1 gxh4 36.Nxh4 Qxd5 37.Neg6 Rd8 38.Nxf5 Qd1 39.Qxd1 Rxd1+ 40.Kh2 Nxg3 41.Ne3 Re1 42.Nf8+ Kg7 43.Ne6+ Kf6 44.Nxc5 Nf5] 34…hxg5? [34...Nxg5 35.h4 Rxe1+ 36.Qxe1 Nf7 37.Nc6 Bxc6 38.dxc6 e5] 35.Bxe4 Rxe1+ 36.Qxe1 Qc8 ?

Position after 36. Qc8

Throwing away the win. fxe4 was not to be feared [36...fxe4 37.Qxe4+ although with time running out it's perhaps understandable Black didn't risk it
37...Kh8(37...Kg7 38.Qg6+ Kh8 39.Qh5+ Kg8 40.Qxg5+ Kh8 41.Ng6+ Kh7 42.Nxf8+ Qxf8 is at least equal) 38.Ng6+ Kg7 39.Qb1 (39.Nxf8 loses 39...Qa1+ 40.Kg2 Bf1+ 41.Kf3 Qd1+ 42.Ke3 Qe2#) 39...Rf7 40.Ne5 Rf5 41.Nc6 Rxd5 42.Nxe7 Rd3–+] 37.Bg2 Qc7 38.f4 g4 39.h3 gxh3 40.Bxh3 Qd6 41.Qd1 Qh6 42.Bg2 Kg7 43.Qc1 draw agreed, and indeed Fritz reckons this is even ½–½

Armstrong whitewash

Rathmines A vs. Dun Laoghaire
Played January 24th 2008.
1 O’Cinneide, Mel 2205 1 – 0 Lane, John 1951
2 Smith, Derek 1977 1 – 0 Palmer, Bernard 1937
3 Hurley, John 2033 1 – 0 Dennehy, Tony 1872
4 McCabe, Darren 1955 1 – 0 Cassidy, Paul 1903
5 Delaney, Killian 2001 1 – 0 Hearns, Liam T. 1859
6 Scannell, Tony 1782 1 – 0 Jackson, Peter D. 1725
7 Rufli, Trevor 1737 1 – 0 Mitchell, David 1588
8 Fagan, Leon 1731 1 – 0 Johnson, G. Christopher 1519
Score: 8 -0

The result last night was superb. Every member of the Rathmines A team was in top form and the results just kept going our way. From early on, surveying all the games, I got the sense that we’d win very well, perhaps even 6.5-1.5 or 7-1. To notch up a full 8-0 was tremendous.

Because my own game was the second-last to finish, I didn’t get the chance to look at too many of the games or study the critical positions. My rough impressions were as follows: Mel was down a pawn at one stage, but with a huge initiative. He eventually won an exhange and the game. John crashed through Tony Dennehy’s defences in the middle against his stranded king.

Darren played a neat game (to be annotated shortly) where Paul was too eager to swap off queens very early on, in a Scotch, and struggled to get his pieces developed. Killian’s instinct for a winning endgame payed dividends as he swapped off into a Kn + R + Ps endgame, where he totally dominated.

My game (Tony) was a white-side of a Caro-Kann, where I always had a strong bind, which eventually translated into an endgame two pawns up and a fairly straight-forward win, although Peter got some counter-play and fought back right till the end. He eventually had to resign because of time, but was an exchange down and in huge trouble.

Trevor relied on some clever tactics against David Mitchell’s c-file and h8-a1 diagonal that included a knight sacrifice at one point. He displayed a lot of composure to finish the game off. Leon played what seemed a wild variation against Chris (unfortunately I didn’t catch the start of the game at all) and eventually got into a hugely superior endgame.

Sorry at the paucity of details – but as I said, I was very concentrated on my own game for almost the entire time. One point stands out though – each and every game was a solid, deserved win for the Rathmines player. Rarely have I seen the whole team play so well. I will annotate Darren’s super win against Paul Cassidy soon.

Heidenfeld Result

Round:  7.   Date: 23rd Jan 2007     
Bray\Greystones B vs. Rathmines

1 Brian Gaines 1629 0 – 1 John Crowley 1682
2 Stephen Stokes1537 0.5 - 0.5 Peter Lynch 1630
3 Liam Byrne 1584 0 - 1 Pat McEvoy 1566
4 Tom Malone 1475 0 - 1 John O’Connell  1468
5 Gareth Cahill 1474 1 - 0 Nicky Pierce 1456
6 Rory Murphy 1442 0.5 - 0.5 John Maher 1443
7 Eugene Rellis 1382 0.5 - 0.5 Pat Freer 1393
8 Jamie Dowling 1327 1 - 0 James Osborne 1355
                
Res 3.5 – 4.5

Blitz Results after Round 1

Standings

Place Name Feder Rtg Loc Score
1-2 DELANEY, KILLIAN 2001 8
JANUSAITIS, MINDAUGAS 1932 8
3 SCANNELL, TONY 1782 6
4-7 O’CONNELL, DAVID 1390 5.5
  CROWLEY, JOHN 1682 5.5
  MAHER, JOHN 1443 5.5
  KILLANE, JACK 1747 5.5
 8-9 CUNNINGHAM, ED 1000 5
  BYRNE, CIARAN J 1257 5
10-11 WALSH, ALASTAIR 1069 4.5
  KENNEDY, MICHAEL 1777 4.5
12 OSBORNE, JAMES 1390 3
13-14 McEVOY, PAT 1580 2.5
ELICEGUI, YOSEBA 1300 2.5
15 WALSH, KEVIN 1211 1
16 MALONEY, MICHAEL 990 0 

Cross Table

1. DELANEY, KILLIAN 6:W 2:L 12:W 15:W 8:W 9:W 3:W 7:W 4:W
2. JANUSAITIS, MINDAUGAS 7:W 1:W 13:W 9:D 14:W 3:D 12:W 8:W 6:W
3. SCANNELL, TONY 8:D 11:W 5:W 14:W 9:W 2:D 1:L 6:L 15:W
4. KENNEDY, MICHAEL 9:L 5:L 10:D 11:W 15:W 13:W 6:L 16:W 1:L
5. KILLANE, JACK 11:D 4:W 3:L 6:L 10:W 15:L 16:W 14:W 9:W
6. CROWLEY, JOHN 1:L 7:W 14:D 5:W 12:L 11:W 4:W 3:W 2:L
7. McEVOY, PAT 2:L 6:L 16:W 8:L 13:W 12:L 10:D 1:L 14:L
8. MAHER, JOHN 3:D 9:L 11:W 7:W 1:L 10:W 14:W 2:L 13:W
9. O’CONNELL, DAVID 4:W 8:W 15:W 2:D 3:L 1:L 11:W 12:W 5:L
10. OSBORNE, JAMES 14:L 12:L 4:D 16:W 5:L 8:L 7:D 15:L 11:W
11. ELICEGUI, YOSEBA 5:D 3:L 8:L 4:L 16:W 6:L 9:L 13:W 10:L
12. BYRNE, CIARAN J 15:L 10:W 1:L 13:W 6:W 7:W 2:L 9:L 16:W
13. WALSH, KEVIN 16:W 14:L 2:L 12:L 7:L 4:L 15:L 11:L 8:L
14. WALSH, ALASTAIR 10:W 13:W 6:D 3:L 2:L 16:W 8:L 5:L 7:W
15. CUNNINGHAM, ED 12:W 16:W 9:L 1:L 4:L 5:W 13:W 10:W 3:L
16. MALONEY, MICHAEL 13:L 15:L 7:L 10:L 11:L 14:L 5:L 4:L 12:L

Ratings

No Name Feder Loc Id Loc Score Exp. Chg*K Rav Rprfm
1. DELANEY, KILLIAN 2001 8.0/9 8.55 -6 1538 1889
2. JANUSAITIS, MINDAUGAS 1932 8.0/9 8.46 -5 1491 1842
3. SCANNELL, TONY 1782 6.0/9 7.47 -15 1507 1632
4. KENNEDY, MICHAEL 1777 4.5/9 8.10 -36 1412 1412
5. KILLANE, JACK 1747 5.5/9 8.10 -26 1376 1456
6. CROWLEY, JOHN 1682 5.5/9 5.49 0 1605 1685
7. McEVOY, PAT 1580 2.5/9 6.21 -37 1442 1276
8. MAHER, JOHN 1443 5.5/9 3.60 19 1517 1597
9. O’CONNELL, DAVID 1390 5.5/9 2.25 33 1582 1662
10. OSBORNE, JAMES 1390 3.0/9 4.95 -20 1351 1226
11. ELICEGUI, YOSEBA 1300 2.5/9 2.25 3 1490 1324
12. BYRNE, CIARAN J 1257 5.0/9 2.07 29 1464 1507
13. WALSH, KEVIN 1211 1.0/9 2.61 -16 1372 1021
14. WALSH, ALASTAIR 1069 4.5/9 0.45 41 1529 1529
15. CUNNINGHAM, ED 1000 5.0/9 0.36 46 1505 1548
16. MALONEY, MICHAEL 990 0.0/9 0.81 -8 1370 371

Armstrong B team vs. Elm Mount B

This was a very good result for the B team, beating one of their close rivals for the drop, Elm Mount B. We welcomed Mindaugas Janusaitis for the first time, a new recruit who had dropped in for the Christmas Blitz. We also welcomed back Lukasz Goralski, who hasn’t been able to play for us for a while. However, the team were missing their regular top seeds – Abul Kalam and Peter Cafolla – so it was a very good result in the circumstances.  

Division 1 Armstrong Cup, Round – 8 Date: 21/01/2008
Home Team: Elm Mount B. Away Team – Rathmines B 
1 Tomas Bajcar 1737 0.5 – 0.5 Mindaugas Janusaitis 1932
2 Alec Tyrell 1740 0.5 – 0.5 David Goggins 1834
3 Alan McDonagh 1736 0.5 – 0.5 John Burns 1763
4 Karl Vernor 1698 0 – 1 Lukasz Goralski 1752
5 John Loughran 1637 0.5 – 0.5 Michael Kennedy 1777
6 Fred Armstrong 1665 0 – 1 Jack Killane 1747
7 Pat Fitzsimons 1600 0.5 – 0.5 John Crowley 1682
8 Gerry Behan 1669 1 – 0 Ken Moore 1701

Score 3.5 – 4.5    

Blitz! Round 1, Tuesday, January 22nd

Reminder: The first round starts Tuesday.

Rathmines A vs. Trinity, Armstrong

Rathmines A played Dublin University last night, in the Armstrong, in a delayed match. This was the first match since Philip Hogarty’s tragic accident. The atmosphere was, naturally, subdued, with many friends of Philip playing on the night, including Darren, Rory Delaney, Killian, Karl McPhillips, and others.

Rathmines A vs. Dublin University, Armstrong Cup, 15th January 2008. (Played in Trinity)
Mel Cinneide 2205 0.5 – 0.5 Karl McPhillips 2237
Daire McMahon 2160 0 – 1 John Joyce 2165
John Hurley 2033 0 – 1 Michal Kolesar 2085
Derek Smith 2007 0.5 – 0.5 Tim Harding 2055
Killian Delaney 1999 1 – 0 Colin Menzies 1906 
Darren McCabe 1857 0.5 – 0.5 Peter Hayes 1877
Tony Scannell 1786 1 – 0 Samir Kurjak 1870
Leon Fagan 1731 0 – 1 Rory Delaney 1849

Kannika Koomvilai game

Here is a recent game from Kannika, in the Ennis, which she sent me and I’ve annotated. This is a superb example of energetic defensive play under pressure. After letting white build a large initiative in the opening, Kannika defends with vigour to record a well-deserved win.

Philip Hogarty Tributes

Tom Flynn, Secretary of Tallaght Chess Club, has written a very heartfelt tribute to Philip which has been posted to the Irish Chess Union website. Click Here.

Chessbase have also recently posted a generous tribute from Karl McPhilips, and have included Darren’s tribute too. Click Here.

Jamie Flynn has posted a tribute to Philip on the Limerick Chess Club website.

Rathmines Annual Blitz

The dates for this, now annual, competition are:

1. Tuesday, 22nd January
 
2. Thursday, 14th February (Valentine’s Day – chess players have no romance in their lives!)
 
3.  Tuesday, 18th March

The format has been the same for each year: one field open to all Rathmines members of all grades, nine games per round, a total of 27 games. There will be an overall winner and a prize for top second-tier player too. Past winners include Killian Delaney, Brendan Meghan (joint-winner), and Robert Stuart (twice).   

Heidenfeld result vs Lucan

Heidenfeld, Lucan vs. Rathmines, Thursday 10th January 2008.
                
1 Jim Murray 1758 0.5 – 0.5 John Crowley 1682
2 Brendan Norris 1610 0.5 – 0.5 Peter Lynch 1630
3 Cathal Walsh 1470 1 – 0 Pat McEvoy 1566
4 John McMahon 1519 0 – 1 John O’Connell 1468
5 Patrick Fitzgerald 1386 1 – 0 Nicky Pierce 1456
6 Shane Brennan 1443 1 – 0 John Maher 1443
7 Mark Jeffares 0.5 – 0.5 Pat Freer 1393
8 Anthony Bourachea U/G 1 – 0 Ed Cunningham 991

Result: Lucan 5.5 Rathmines 2.5