Rathmines Chess Club

Phibsboro vs Rathmines B
Monday, 29th September, 2008
The Armstrong B team was heavily out-rated by the reigning Leinster champions, Phibsboro. Despite this, we gained a few credible draws. Michael drew his game against Kevin Butler (2030), Graeme drew against the much-higher rated Dave Salter (1882), while Pat also managed a draw against Mohammad Parourare (1619). But the other games went heavily against us, for a 6.5-1.5 loss. This is the second such loss in a row for the B team and they are already struggling…

1 Stephen Brady 90 2359 1 – 0 Abul Kalam 16042 2059
2 Ivan Lanca 10296 2102 1 – 0 David Goggins 497 1876
3 Richard O’Donovan 1263 2061 1 – 0 Lukasz Goralski 10298 1769
4 Kevin Butler 141 2030 0.5 – 0.5 Michael Kennedy 3955 1796
5 John Nolan 1182 1935 1 – 0 John Aherne 9 1693
6 Dave Salter 1529 1882 0.5 – 0.5 Graeme Walsh 4984 1610
7 Xavier Busig 12049 1848 1 – 0 Peter Lynch 813 1535
8 Mohammad Parouare 12124 1619 0.5 – 0.5 Pat McEvoy 10307 1535

6.5 – 1.5 to Phibsboro

Reminder: The BEA team play Naomh Barróg at home on Tuesday night, 30th Sept.

The Armstrong A team play Dun Laoghaire at home, on Thursday night, 2nd October.

This game best exemplifies how to be tactically alert even in apparently quiet positions. Killian first wins a pawn on an open board, then transforms down to a won endgame, both with simple tactics.
White: Killian Delaney – Black: David Goggins

Replay the whole game by clicking here.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Be7 5. c3

After 5.c3
More common is: 5. O-O O-O 6. Re1 d6 7. a4
5…O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nbd2 Again, Killian chooses a rare move. More common is 7. Bb3 Na5 8. Bc2

7… Na5 8. Bb3

Alternatively: 8. Bb5 a6 9. Ba4 b5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Re1 transposes into a Ruy Lopez Chigorin-type game, but without h3

8… Nxb3 Normally, white’s white-squared bishop is his best piece in these kind of positions. So black has got a small advantage here.
9. Qxb3 c5 10. d4 cxd4 11. cxd4 Qc7 12. Re1 Be6 13. d5 Bd7 14. Nf1 Nh5 15. Bd2 Rab8 16. Qa3 f5?

After 16…f5?

A mistake because he allows the following simple combination.
17. Nxe5! fxe4 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. Rxe4 Nf6 20. Re6 (Or 20. Re2 Nxd5 21. Qb3)

20… Kh8?

After Kh8?

Better might be 20…Nxd5 21. Rae1 Rf5 (21… Bf6 22. Rxd6 Qf7 23. Qf3 Nc7 24. b3) 22. Qd3 Re5 23. R1xe5 dxe5 24. Rxe7 Qxe7 25. Qxd5+)

21. Rae1 Rbe8 22. Qd3 Ng4 23. Qg3 Ne5 24. Bc3 Bf6 25. f4 Ng6 26. Bxf6 gxf6 27. Rxe8 (27. R6e3) 27… Rxe8 28. Rxe8+ Qxe8 29. Qc3 Qd8 30. Qd4 Kg7 31. g3 a6 32. Ne3 Ne7 (32… Qd7 33. Qe4 Ne7 34. g4 h6) 33. Qe4 Qd7?

After 33 …Qd7

Allows another simple combination. Killian misses it at first! But sees it one move later…
34. g4 h6 35. Qxe7+! Simplifies into a very-easily won endgame. 35… Qxe7 36. Nf5+ Kf7 37. Nxe7 Kxe7 38. Kf2 1-0

Unfortunately, we had some problems arranging a full team for the first outing of the BEA Cup team. What should have been a five game match ended up as a three game match. We seem to have been hit, generally, with late withdrawals and shifting team sheets, across all our teams. We expect it to settle down by the next round.
John Maher is the non-playing team captain.

St. Benildus vs. Rathmines, Wednesday 17th September, 2008
1. Paddy Power 884 0-1 Ed Cunnigham 966
2. Daniel Hurley 1158 1-0 Dee Mowlds 700
3. Thomas Hurley 700 1-0 Marion O’Raw 700
4. Ger Healy 1163 w/o
5. Adam Blunden 784 w/o

The declared team for the BEA Cup is now:
1. Ed Cunningham 966 10474
2. Shane Hall 728 3312
3. Dee Mowlds 700 6904
4. Johannah Lowry-O’Reilly 700 5535
5. Marion O’Raw 700 12113

Wicklow (Home) vs. Rathmines (Away)
Played Saturday 20th September, report by Peter Bishop.
As befits the first match of the season, when the fixture is on a Saturday, it was bright sunshine. When I should be cutting the grass at home, I am off playing chess down the country. Wicklow were promoted to the Heidenfeld this season, having been promoted finishing runners up in the Ennis. They proved a very resilent opposition. The only win – by myself – was not by some brilliant chess play, but by the old fashioned technique of making my opponent run out of time due to his much slower rate of play (we didn’t make 36 moves in the two hours).

Phibsboro have withdrawn one of their two Heidenfeld teams so Rathmines only have ten matches in the division. The dropped match for us is an away match (fortunately).

1 Seamus Duffy 1924              1 / 0      Peter J. Lynch 1535
2 Sean Cullen 1445                 ½ / ½     Pat McEvoy 1533
3 Eddie Humphrey 1401           ½ / ½     John O’Connell 1494
4 Fergus O’Conchobhair 1413   ½ / ½     David O’Connell 1438
5 Jack McHugh 1342               1 / 0      Patrick Freer 1431
6 Jim McNamara 1199              0 / 1     Peter Bishop 1400
7 Philip Maguire 1170               ½ / ½     John Maher 1415
8             —–                     ½ / ½              —–
Score 4½ / 3½

Result from Tuesday’s games: 6.5-1.5 for the A team.
(The B team were playing at home, so B-team names first.)

Tuesday 16th Sept 2008, Armstrong Cup,

Rathmines B vs. Rathmines A

1. David Goggins 0 – 1 Killian Delaney
2. John P. Aherne 0 – 1 Mindaugas Janusaitis
3. Michael Kennedy 0.5 – 0.5 Darren McCabe
4. Philip Doyle 1 – 0 Jack Killane
5. Graham Walsh 0 – 1 Ken Moore
6. Pat McEvoy 0 – 1 Tony Scannell
7. John Maher 0 – 1 Leon Fagan
8. Nicky Pierce 0 – 1 Atanas Kouhtev

The Irish Chess Union have published an updated list of ratings, based on some adjustments relating to foreign players and a couple of wrong results involving Rathmines players in the Branagan Cup. Most of the changes are tiny, amounting to a single point or so, but Michael Kennedy rises 20 points to 1796, while John Burns, unfortunately, drops 24 to 1774, due to the wrong results being posted for their games against Elm Mount C.

I happen to know that these changes are all part of Jack Killane’s increasingly desperate attempts to overtake Tony Scannell in the ratings list. But they have failed yet again – he remains one point behind on 1809, after a rise of one point.

The Leinster Chess League fixtures have been posted (for a while, actually). Here are the important dates for Rathmines:

Next Tuesday, 16th September sees A vs. B in the Armstrong: http://www.chessleague.net/lcu/lcu0809/div1/fixtures.htm

The Heidenfeld team start away to Wicklow on Saturday 20th Sept.: http://www.chessleague.net/lcu/lcu0809/div2/fixtures.htm

The O’Hanlon team are away to St. Benildus on Wednesday 24th Sept.: http://www.chessleague.net/lcu/lcu0809/div4/fixtures.htm

The BEA Cup team are also away to St. Benildus, this time on Wed. 17th Sept.: http://www.chessleague.net/lcu/lcu0809/div5/fixtures.htm

TEAM NEWS TO FOLLOW WHEN I GET IT

Stephan visited the club last week, after playing in a recent tournament. He now lives in his native Belgium and plays chess for a local club. His rating has increased to 1822 since we last saw him. Clearly, the belgian chess scene is doing wonders for his chess!

Here is a greeting from Stephan: Hi guys, it was good to see you all again : here is the website of my club : http://www.gambiet.net/ 
Good luck in the new season !

The Irish Chess Union have published the latest ratings. I have reproduced them below, ordered by rating and by surname. For the live list, go to:

http://www.icu.ie/ratings/list.php?filter=&list=200809&club_id=29&sort=rating

Rathmines Chess Club Ratings

Ordered By ratings:

Ordered By Name: