Club Championships Round 3 Results & Round 4 Draw

Round 4 Draw – to be played Thursday 3rd May 2012

Group A (1500+)
No	Name	Result	Name
1	Aherne, J (6)	:	Delaney, K (1)
2	Kalam, A (2)	:	Bermingham, T (9)
3	Kennedy, M (4)	:	Burke, J (11)
4	Lynch, P (13)	:	Killane, J (7)
5	Fagan, L (3)	:	McEvoy, P (12)
6	Burns, J (5)	:	Maher, J (14)
7	Goggins, D (8)	:	Doyle, P (10)
Group B (1200 – 1599)
No	Name	Result	Name
1	Stsupak, M (8)	:	Nikrow, S (7)
2	O’Connell, J (4)	:	Kouhtev, A (2)
3	Byrne, C (5)	:	Freer, P (3)
4	Flood, J (6)	:	Osborne, J (1)
Group C (0 – 1199)
No	Name	Result	Name
1	O’Brien, P (2)	:	McGrath, A (1)
2	Mowlds, D (4)	:	Balkanay, A (5)
3	Kennedy, S (6)	:	Butler, T (3)

Round 3 Results – played Thursday 26-Apr-12

Group A (1500+)
No	Name	Result	Name
1	Burke, J (11)	0 – 1	Aherne, J (6)
2	Delaney, K (1)	1 – 0	Fagan, L (3)
3	Kalam, A (2)	1 – 0	Killane, J (7)
4	Kennedy, M (4)	1 – 0	Goggins, D (8)
5	Bermingham, T (9)	1 – 0	Burns, J (5)
6	Maher, J (14)	0.5 – 0.5	Lynch, P (13)
7	Doyle, P (10)	0 – 1	McEvoy, P (12)
Group B (1200 – 1599)
No	Name	Result	Name
1	Nikrow, S (7)	P – P	O’Connell, J (4)
2	Byrne, C (5)	0 – 1	Stsupak, M (8)
3	Freer, P (3)	P – P	Flood, J (6)
4	Kouhtev, A (2)	0.5 – 0.5	Osborne, J (1)
Group C (0 – 1199)
No	Name	Result	Name
1	Mowlds, D (4)	0.5 – 0.5	McGrath, A (1)
2	Butler, T (3)	0 – 1	O’Brien, P (2)
3	Balkanay, A (5)	1 – 0	Kennedy, S

Shane Hall Obituary (9/11/59 – 14/3/12)

Shane was the oldest of the 5 children of John & Mary Hall, 2 boys, 3 girls, all born in Dublin. From about the age of 11 Shane began playing chess and continued to do so throughout the rest of his life. He was a serious and studious boy with a sharp sense of humour along with a kind hearted nature. He supported Chelsea F.C but due to serious asthma he did not participate in sports activities much, he loved to read, build Airfix models and watch Dr.Who during his youth.

His family moved to Galway, on the West coast of Ireland, where Shane completed his secondary school education. He joined the FCA (Irish equivalent of the TA) for 5 years, during which time he specialised in Communications at which he excelled.

Having always been a talented artist, when he left school he pursued this gift by studying Graphic Design at Galway Regional Technical College. It was at this time that Shane’s eyesight began to noticeably deteriorate – it had always been poor, as a boy he was both colour blind and had night blindness, but at this point, following an examination by an ophthalmologist, Shane was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. This led to the end of his college course and a change in his career plans while he tried to find an alternative profession that would be minimally affected by his deteriorating vision.

Following some periods where he was employed as a stock controller and other roles in commerce, he went to Sligo where he was trained as a switchboard operator/telephonist. Shane never felt particularly fulfilled by his work as a switchboard operator but his salary allowed him to enrol in further education, to travel, to play chess and pursue his other interests. Each year Shane travelled to chess tournaments all over Ireland as well as, once or twice a year, travelling to the U.K to tournaments in Solihull and Windermere.

Shane lived independently in various parts of Dublin throughout his life, in the last 10 years settling in the centre of Dublin City in the Iveagh Trust flats, where, by coincidence, his grandparents had lived when we were children. He was very happy there, surrounded by wonderful caring neighbours who always kept an eye on him and considered him to be a gentleman in every respect.

Shane was a member of the walking club branch of the Irish Blind Sports Association and also participated in their 10-pin bowling tournaments, winning several medals and trophies for his skill with a bowling ball.

He loved to sing and took singing lessons for several years with a classical music voice coach in the hopes of improving his voice and extending his repertoire beyond his 3 favourite songs – Santa Lucia, Molly Malone and Patricia the Stripper. Any of you who ever attended an event that included an entertainment evening may recall Shane’s enthusiastic offers to provide a song or 3 to his fellow chess tournament attendees.

Shane had been studying Computer Technology for several years as a part-time student in DCU and had always hoped that he would gain this qualification so that he could change his career to something that he both enjoyed and was stimulated by. What is a daunting subject for anyone, was made even more challenging for Shane as he had to learn  it using Braille (even for the most complex of mathematical sections) and having to use new computer technology for learning, constantly changing as the years of his course went on – at the same time as the university was struggling to provide sufficient assistance to its part-time disabled students. These challenges never put Shane off and, just before he died, Shane had submitted one of his last assignments for his course.

Shane’s great love throughout his life was chess. He loved, not just the game, but also the society of fellow chess players. Always good naturedly competitive, Shane went so far as to join rival chess clubs so that he could play more and improve his abilities. Michael Crow was his chess coach for many years and his cherished friend, who encouraged Shane to always strive to improve, to innovate, to learn, to win and to do his best.

This year, at Lake Windermere, Shane participated in an exhibition match where a GM played all the tournament chess players simultaneously. In recent years no-one had beaten the GM or gained a draw but this year, Shane emerged victorious. Although he was quite modest about this at the time, upon his return from the U.K, he was clearly ecstatic – all his hard work over the years had paid off.

I like to think that this was a great high point at which to exit this life. His college assignment deadline met and to have beaten the GM at Windermere, looking forward to another trip to the UK and getting closer to his goal of completing his college course.

Although he had several serious health problems in recent years, he never allowed them to interfere with the pursuit of his passions or dreams. Unless he was in hospital, Shane never missed a chess match or event, never missed a RP Society meeting or fund-raising commitment he had made. Shane passed away peacefully in his sleep at home on March 14th, nearly 2 months after his U.K trip.

He is sadly missed by his family, his friends, his colleagues and his many chess mates. He will always be a beloved inspiration to us all for demonstrating how to live life with courage, enthusiasm, generosity, friendliness and love.

No doubt he is playing chess with the Grandest Master of them all and entertaining heaven with his musical talents. May he rest in peace after a life well lived.

Karen Hall, Shane’s sister

Junior Success

A Report from Maura and James Osborne
Last Saturday, Rathmines Juniors returned to the Teachers Club in Parnell Square to fight to retain the Mick Germaine Cup. It turned out to be a very exciting, round robin tournament against teams from Shankhill, Malahide, Bray Greystones, Elm Mount and Blanchardstown. Rathmines entered two teams, the Kings and the Rooks. Playing for the Kings we had Scott Mulligan, Fiachra Scallan, Michael Higgins and Oscar Twomey. The Rooks were made up of six players who took turns on the day. Liam Coman, Peter Carton, Matthew Gallagher, Cian O’Mahoney, Alex Mulligan and Stephen Higgins.

Both teams played their part in keeping Rathmines Kings in the lead all the way through. The Kings went into the last round against Malahide needing 3.5pts from 4 to beat our nearest rivals, Shankhill. Final result: Rathmines Kings 1st, Shankhill Juniors 2nd, Malahide 3rd and Rathmines Rooks joint 4th.

The juniors have had a great year, since winning the Mick Germaine Cup in 2011. They came first and second in the Dublin Junior Chess League Senior section and first in the intermediate section. Many of them played in the Irish junior championships also, winning 1st and 3rd place under 10, 2nd place under 12 and u14. They performed very well in the Bodley league, finishing 4th and winning two board prizes.

We would all like to thank the Rathmines Senior club for your support and fundraising.
Maura, James.

Cup Competition Round 1 Results

Branagan Cup – Curragh vs Rathmines, 21-Apr-12

Bd. Player             Rating      Result    Player                     Rating

1 Richard Arundell  1942    0 – 1   Killian Delaney       2050

2 Noel Lynch          1615   1 – 0   Darren McCabe       2004

3 Mark McLoughlin  1601   0 – 1   Tony Bermingham  1721

4 Harijs Valters       1535   1 – 0   Jack Killane           1756

5 Martin Brehhov     1472   1 – 0   Michael Kennedy    1793

6 Franco Rivera       1417   0 – 1   Pat McEvoy           1580

Result: 3 – 3

William Brennan, Elm Mount A vs. Rathmines, 16-Apr-12

1.A.Peters      1395   draw     A.Kouhtev   1446

2.R.J.Murphy  1284  draw      P.Freer       1421

3.G.coyle        1228   1-0       J.Gaffney    1401

4.V.Murray      1210   0-1       N.Scallan    1108

5.S.Davoren    1113   0-1       T.Butler        999

6.K.Murray      1059   draw     A.Balkanay  u.g.

Result:  2.5 – 3.5

Killane, Rathmines vs Elm Mount, 19-Apr-12

Result: 1 – 5 (further details to follow)

Club Championships Round 2 Results & Round 3 Draw

Round 2 results – played Thursday 19th April 2012

Group A

No Name               Result      Name

1 Burns, J (5)          0 – 1         Burke, J (11)
2 Killane, J (7)         0 – 1        Delaney, K (1)
3 Lynch, P (13)        P – P       Kalam, A (2)
4 Fagan, L (3)        0.5 – 0.5     Kennedy, M (4)
5 Goggins, D (8)      P – P        Bermingham, T (9)
6 McEvoy, P (12)     0 – 1         Aherne, J (6)
7 Doyle, P (10)      0.5 – 0.5      Maher, J (14)

Group B

No Name            Result    Name

1 O’Connell, J (4)    P – P      Byrne, C (5)
2 Stsupak, M (8)     0 – 1      Flood, J (6)
3 Kouhtev, A (2)      0 – 1      Freer, P (3)
4 Osborne, J (1)      0 – 1      Nikrow, S (7)

Group C

No Name              Result     Name
1 O’Brien, P (2)       P : P         Mowlds, D (4)
2 Butler, T (3)          P :  P         Balkanay, A (5)
3 McGrath, A (1)    BYE

Round 3 draw – to be played Thursday 26th April 2012

Group A

No Name              Result    Name
1 Burke, J (11)           :       Aherne, J (6)
2 Delaney, K (1)         :       Fagan, L (3)
3 Kalam, A (2)           :        Killane, J (7)
4 Kennedy, M (4)       :       Goggins, D (8)
5 Bermingham, T (9)   :       Burns, J (5)
6 Maher, J (14)           :       Lynch, P (13)
7 Doyle, P (10)           :       McEvoy, P (12)

Group B

No Name            Result   Name
1 Nikrow, S (7)       P – P     O’Connell, J (4)
2 Byrne, C (5)         :      Stsupak, M (8)
3 Freer, P (3)          :      Flood, J (6)
4 Kouhtev, A (2)      :      Osborne, J (1)

Group C

No Name             Result       Name
1 Mowlds, D (4)        :           McGrath, A (1)
2 Butler, T (3)           :           O’Brien, P (2)
3 Balkanay, A (5) 1:0 BYE

Club Championships 2012 underway…

Round 1 results – played Thursday 12th April 2012

Group A

No Name                      Result  Name

1 Kalam, A (2)              .5:.5    Goggins, D (8)
2 Bermingham, T (9) .5:.5    Fagan, L (3)
3 Burke, J (11)               1:0     Doyle, P (10)
4 McEvoy, P (12)         0:1     Burns, J (5)
5 Aherne, J (6)            .5:.5   Lynch, P (13)
6 Maher, J (14)            0:1     Killane, J (7)
7 Delaney, K (1)          BYE
8 Kennedy, M (4)       BYE

Group B

No Name             Result Name

1 Osborne, J (1)   0:1      O’Connell, J (4)
2 Nikrow, S (7)   .5:.5     Kouhtev, A (2)
3 Freer, P (3)        0:1      Stsupak, M (8)
4 Flood, J (6)       0:1       Byrne, C (5)

Group C

No Name                     Result    Name
1 McGrath, A (1)      .5:.5        Butler, T (3)
2 Balkanay, A (5)     .5:.5       O’Brien, P (2)
3 Mowlds, D (4)         BYE

Round 2 fixtures – to be played Thursday 19th April 2012

Group A

No Name               Result      Name

1 Burns, J (5)               :       Burke, J (11)
2 Killane, J (7)            :      Delaney, K (1)
3 Lynch, P (13)           :      Kalam, A (2)
4 Fagan, L (3)              :      Kennedy, M (4)
5 Goggins, D (8)         :      Bermingham, T (9)
6 McEvoy, P (12)      :      Aherne, J (6)
7 Doyle, P (10)          :      Maher, J (14)

Group B

No Name            Result    Name

1 O’Connell, J (4)    :      Byrne, C (5)
2 Stsupak, M (8)     :      Flood, J (6)
3 Kouhtev, A (2)    :      Freer, P (3)
4 Osborne, J (1)      :      Nikrow, S (7)

Group C

No Name              Result     Name
1 O’Brien, P (2)       P : P         Mowlds, D (4)
2 Butler, T (3)          P :  P         Balkanay, A (5)
3 McGrath, A (1)    BYE

Note: P:P = games postponed due to players involved in a Killane shield match on the same date

Leagues Round-up

The final league tables are now available.  A successful season all round, with the major achievement of course being the Division 1 title.  The club will retain 2 Armstrong teams for next season.  One of our Division 2 teams was relegated, while the other one just about managed to stay afloat in the Heidenfeld.  In Division 5, our A team was competitive and finished 5^th while our B team managed to stave off relegation.

Leon’s miniature

John Healy (St. Benildus) vs. Leon Fagan (Rathmines A)
Round 11, Armstrong Cup.

Albin Counter Gambit
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e5?!
Already raises the tension, a good decision when seeking a quick win.
3. dxe5 d4
4. e3?

Already a wrong move.

4…       Bb4+
5. Bd2? dxe3!!

Giving away the piece but generating an over-whelming attack.

6. Bxb4?

He must play fxe3, but would still be lost after Qh4+, g3 and Qe4.

6…   exf2+
7. Ke2   fxg1N+!!

This is like one of those puzzle questions, where the solver must put a black knight on g1 in 7 moves…
8. Rxg1 Bg4+
0-1

Easter opening arrangements

The club will be closed on Thursday 5th April 2012 and Monday 9th April 2012, but will re-open on Thursday 12th April for the start of the Club Championships.

Rathmines A win Armstrong

Rathmines A show off their trophies after winning the Armstrong Cup 2011-2012

Yesterday, Sunday 1st April 2012, Rathmines won Leinster’s top league, the Armstrong, by beating St. Benildus 7-1 in the final round. This was a comprehensive and truely convincing win, with only two draws conceded and six wins. (I will be posting a couple of pictures later today and showing you all the 8 move minature from Leon!). When the dust settled, we won the league by 3 clear points. Despite almost throwing away our lead over the final couple of matches, we pulled out our second-strongest result of the entire season just as it mattered most.

Congratulations to the entire team and substitutes. We managed to maintain a fairly consistent line-out all year which was part of the success of the team. Credit goes to Leon, captain, for organising the board orders to maximise our chances in every match.

Mel played board one most of the year and held his own with 7/11. Darren won a board prize in stunning fashion, winning 9.5/10.

Darren with Karl McPhilips and their board prizes. Karl topped the table with 10 points, with Darren a half point behind.

Manuel won two crucial games, against Sam Collins and David Fitzsimons, which both boosted the team and allowed us to win those matches. Aside from that, Manuel was a really positive influence on the team, always reminding us of what’s important and providing calming advice throughout. Killian, aside from a little stumble near the end, finished very strongly on 8/11. No one would have been surprised if he had won a board prize. Leon only lost a single game all year and finished on 8/11 too. Sam didn’t lose a single game all year, including a last round draw against Gerard O’Connell on board one. He can rue a few missed opportunities. Thomas finished very strongly and ended on 7/10. His win in Phibsboro kept us in the league lead just as the team had its worst day. Tony couldn’t play the last two games because of the birth of his beautiful daughter Amelia on 11th March, but had accumulated 5.5/9. The subs Daire, Peter Lynch, Paul and John Delaney all played their part in helping the team over the line.

The Rathmines B team managed to survive in the league, comfortably enough in the end, due to a very strong end to the season. Well done to everyone concerned. In particular, Ian Maloney provided one of the highlights of the year for the team, beating Yuri Firstov in the last game to finish yesterday. I have only one word to describe the finish – GUBU. Ian held his nerve to record a brilliant win.

As for the other teams and their performances – I don’t have that news. I apologise to everyone involved for the apparent snub! If anyone can update me on how they did, do email me and I’ll happily post it.