New League Season – Round 1 Results

Div. 1 Armstrong, Round 1, 20-Sep-12

Bd.	Rathmines B	Rating	Result	Rathmines A	Rating
1	James Burke	1721	0 – 1	Killian Delaney	2012
2	Jack Killane	1789	0.5 – 0.5	Manuel Gardenes	2110
3	David Goggins	1737	0.5 – 0.5	Tomasz Skrzypnik	1901
4	Philip Doyle	1633	1 – 0	Abul Kalam	1891
5	Pat McEvoy	1614	1 – 0	John Aherne	1819
6	Paul Higgins	1620	0.5 – 0.5	Michael Kennedy	1773
7	Dee Mowlds (sub)	710	0 – 1	Shahram Nikrow (sub)	1446
8			W – 1	John Maher (sub)	1367
			3.5 – 4.5

Div.2 Heidenfeld, Round 1, 22-Sep-12

Bd.	Drogheda	Rating	Result	Rathmines	Rating
1	Kieran Rogers	1703	0.5 – 0.5	Orial O’Cathail	1540
2	Rick Goetzee	1702	1 – 0	Pat Freer	1368
3	Donal O’Boyle	1619	0.5 – 0.5	John Maher (sub)	1367
4	Pat Coleman	1573	0 – 1	Shahram Nikrow	1446
5	Alan Dee	1570	1 – 0	Tom Butler (sub)	983
6	Joe Reid	1488	1 – 0	Sotirios Papadopoulos (sub)	818
7	Brendan Corrigan	1472	1 – 0	Dee Mowlds (sub)	710
8	Michael Pentony	1468	1 – 0	Ciaran Byrne (sub)	1225
			6 – 2

Leagues Review

Happily, Rathmines A sit atop the Armstrong table, after 3 rounds. With quite a weakened team, we are doing better than expected perhaps. We are doing particularly well on the bottom boards. Leon and Ken are on 3/3. With Mindaugas and Killian both on 2.5/3 we are also holding our own across the team. Obviously, it will be hard to maintain this top spot for too long, with very strong teams such as Kilkenny, Gonzaga, and Phibsboro lurking just behind.

Unfortunately, the Rathmines B team are struggling after three 1.5-6.5 losses in a row. But it is way too early to talk about relegation!

Armstrong Table after 3 games

In the Heidenfeld and O’Hanlon, both teams are sitting in the lower half of the tables. Peter Bishop remains unbeaten, on 2/3, in the Heidenfeld, while John Gaffney is on 2/2 in the O’Hanlon.

Heidenfeld Table after 3 Games

O

Phibsboro A crush Rathmines B to win title

Rathmines B vs. Phibsboro A

1 Peter Cafolla 1976 0 – 1 Stephen Brady 2335
2 David Goggins 1834 0 – 1 Stephen Jessel 2246
3 John Aherne 1803 0 – 1 Paul Dempsey 2121
4 Lukasz Goralski 1752 0 – 1 Richard O’Donovan 2073
5 John Burns 1763 0 – 1 Kevin Butler 1967
6 Jack Killane 1747 0.5 – 0.5 John Nolan 1955
7 Michael Kennedy 1777 0 – 1 Dave Salter 1861
8 Ken Moore 1701 0 – 1 Xavier Xerxes Busig 1871
 Score:  0.5 – 7.5
 
REPORT FROM MICHAEL KENNEDY, Captain of Rathmines B Armstrong Team

Yesterday, Sunday 9-Mar-08, in the final round of the league, Phibsboro A mercilessly crushed Rathmines B 7.5 – 0.5 on their way to a first Armstrong title in three years.  What follows is a brief board-by-board account of how things went.

Final Round Armstrong report

Armstrong Cup: Round 11, 9th March 2008 
St Benildus vs. Rathmines A 
1 Gerry O’Connell 2120 0-1 Daire McMahon 2160
2 Pavel Madynski 2178 0.5-0.5 John Hurley 2033
3 Tim McCarthy 1868 0-1 Darren McCabe 1857
4 Brendan Lyons 1876 0.5-0.5 Killian Delaney 1999
5 John Gibson 1785 0.5-0.5 Derek Smith 2007
6 Oisin Benson 1824 0-1 Leon Fagan 1731
7 Ciaran Mahon 1742 0-1 Tony Scannell 1786
8 David Willow 1737 1-0 Trevor Rufli 1737
Match Result   5.5-2.5 for Rathmines  

For full report, click here

Report Card: Armstrong A team vs. Kilkenny

Played March 1st 2008

Home Team: Rathmines A, Away Team: Kilkenny
1 Daire McMahon 2160 0-1 Alexander Baburin 2554
2 Mel O’Cinneide 2205 0-1 Mark Heidenfeld 2386
3 John Hurley 2033 0.5-0.5 Mark Quinn 2364
4 Derek Smith 2007 1-0 Ryan Rhys Griffiths 2054
5 Killian Delaney 1999 0.5-0.5 Eamon Keogh 1993
6 Darren McCabe 1857 0-1 Darko Polimac 1938
7 Tony Scannell 1786 0.5-0.5 Fergal O’Dwyer 1875
8 Leon Fagan 1731 1-0 Sean Bradley 1694
Match Result   3.5-4.5  

Rathmines A vs. Kilkenny in the Armstrong

Rathmines played Kilkenny over various dates between Tuesday 26th February and Saturday 1st March. The match began with a win by Baburin over Daire McMahon and a draw between Killian and Eamonn Keogh on the Tuesday. John Hurley, on Thursday 28th, obtained a fine draw against IM Quinn, but Mel succumbed to another IM, Heidenfeld. With their titled players providing a 3-1 lead, it was for the remaining boards to slug it out yesterday, Saturday 1st March.

Heidenfeld result vs Bray/Greystones

Bray/Greystones vs. Rathmines, Heidenfeld round 10, 27th February 2008.

 

1 Pat Reynolds 1919 0.5 – 0.5 Mindaugas Janusaitis 1932
2 Eric Bennett 1851 0.5 – 0.5 Philip Doyle 1709
3 Brian Beckett 1841 1 – 0 John Crowley 1682
4 John Phelan 1765 1 – 0 Pat Mcevoy 1566
5 Colin Byford 1722 1 – 0 John O’Connell 1468
6 Tom Conlon 1615  1 – 0 Niall Whelan 1449
7 Barry O’Brien U/G 0.5 – 0.5 Pat Freer 1393
8 Declan Kelly U/G 0.5 – 0.5 Peter Bishop 1392
Result: 6-2 to Bray/Greystones

Report on Rathmines B vs. Elm Mount

Report from Michael Kennedy, Captain of the Rathmines B team

Last night, (i.e. Tuesday 25th Feb – ed) we were badly beaten 2 – 6 by a much stronger Elm Mount A team. Realistically, we were never going to win it, but this was still our worst result of the season.

Elm Mount A vs. Rathmines B in the Armstrong

Armstrong Round 10 match,

Elm Mount A vs. Rathmines B,

25-Feb-08
1 David Fitzsimons 2115 0.5 – 0.5 Mindaugas Janusaitis 1932
2 Zygimantas Jakubauskas 2025 1 – 0 David Goggins 1834
3 Gerry MacElligott 1960 1 – 0 John Aherne 1803
4 Adam Spirek 2035 1 – 0 Lukasz Goralski 1752
5 Ciaran Quinn 1875 1 – 0 John Burns 1763
6 Bernard Boyle 1794 0.5 – 0.5 Jack Killane 1747
7 Oliver Dunne 1793 0.5 – 0.5 Michael Kennedy 1777
8 Marian Hotak UG 0.5 – 0.5 Ken Moore 1701
 
 Score
 6 – 2 to Elm Mount A
 

Armstrong A vs. Gonzaga

The Rathmines A team played Gonzaga last night (Thursday 7th February 2008), looking for a big win to give us a chance of moving up on the leaders, Kilkenny and Phibsboro A. Gonzaga have been having difficulty fielding a full team all year, so have conceded lots of easy points. However, despite their lowly status in the table, they are a formidable team, with players like Eoghan Casey (1871), Andrew Cooper (2148), Ray Byrne (1947), Gordon Freeman (2074), and David Murray (2019). Last night, they supplemented their team with Eoin Spring, who it appears was once an under-age Irish international player, although he hasn’t played for a while.

We registered three wins, with Derek continuing his fine form, Leon winning on board 8 against a young opponent, and John also winning. Tony eventually drew a tense and often uncomfortable game against Eoin Spring, while Mel also drew.

Despite having many winning opportunities, both Killian and Darren succumbed in the end to losses. These were the crucial results.

The end result was a disappointing 4 -4 draw. With a bit of luck for Killian and Darren, we might have pulled off a 6 – 2 win, but as it is, probably a fair enough reflection of the relative teams’ strengths on the night. Full result card to follow when I get it.

Heidenfeld Result

Round:  9.   Date: 07 Feb 2008, Rathmines vs Malahide B

1 Philip Doyle 1709 1 – 0 Anthony Whalley 1574
2 John Crowley 1682 0.5 – 0.5 Cormac Roche 1449 
3 Pat McEvoy 1566 1 – 0 Diarmuid O’Congaile 1458
4 John O’Connell 1468 1 – 0 Carsten Muessig 375
5 Nicky Pierce 1456 0 – 1 Seamus Martin 1277
6 Niall Whelan 1449 0 – 1 John Shearan 1372
7 John Maher 1443 0 – 1 Shay Scott 1313
8 Pat Freer 1393 1 – 0 Tobias Moldt u/g
                 
Result: 4.5 – 3.5 for Rathmines 

Armstrong B Report

Report from Michael Kennedy, Captain of the Armstrong B team

(Results from the match are here: http://rathmineschessclub.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/rathmines-b-post-important-win/)

Nerves were high for this relegation playoff between Rathmines B and Phibsboro B (5-Feb-08). Although we were 3 points clear of Phibsboro B at the start of the day, we expected them to bridge the gap, thanks to an easier run-in. We needed to put more daylight between us with a win of any margin. Thankfully, the players did the necessary with some stirring performances on the way to a 6.5 – 1.5 victory.

On top board, Peter opted for a KID / Dragon setup versus Knudsen’s aggressive treatment of the English (Ps on c4, e4 and f4). At a glance, it appeared to be an interesting encounter with a number of imbalances and chances for both sides. After the game, Peter considered himself lucky to have won what looked like a level position.

David had white in a French Tarrasch against Tony Mooney. A clash of ideas was apparent in the ensuing IQP position. David seemed to be doing most of the attacking in an otherwise close game. In the end, he took advantage of Black’s exposed K to win it.

Mindaugas had a good win over Jurkiewicz in another complicated game. He’s proving to be a great acquisition for the club.

Lukasz maintained his 100% record with a thoroughly deserved victory over Coldrick. It was a lesson on how to play against the Budapest with 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. de Ng5 4. Bf4 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Bxc3+ 6. bc Nc6 7. Nf3, etc. He was able to hold on to his extra pawn and use the two Bs and half-open files to attack the black K, which was hiding on the Q-side.

John Burns took his favourite French for a spin against Tecklenborg, who bravely went in for a typical Bxh7+ sacrifice which John calmly refuted with a sequence of only-moves. A lesser mortal might have cracked under the pressure, but no one on the team has shown stronger nerves than John in game after game this season.

Jack lost a P somewhere in the middlegame, (it was right at the start – he played 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cd 3. c3 as far as I know – Tony) but escaped to the sanctuary of a R+Ps ending. Pretty much every chess player knows Tarrasch’s quote “all rook endings are drawn”. This proved an exception, as Jack went down to his first defeat of the season.

I couldn’t buy an imbalance in my game, which made it difficult to play for a win. It was a dull QP opening against Michael Delaney. I was surprised by his choice of opening, as he usually goes in for swashbuckling stuff. We were both guilty of relieving central tension too early, leaving a pawnless centre and a slight initiative for white, which I was able to nullify through exchanges. The resultant K+Ps ending was soon agreed drawn. With my sixth draw from 9 games, I’m gaining a reputation as a drawmaster.

I was delighted to see Ken getting back to winning ways in fine style. His London System racked up a quick win over his opponent’s Slav setup.

We’re now 8 points clear of the relegation zone, and all but home and dry thanks to this great team result. Now that the future of the team in the Division has been settled, we can switch the focus to the individuals. Most of our players are having a good season. With 4.5/7, Peter will be soaring back up over 2000 thanks to a near-2200 performance. On 5/9, David and John Burns will gain over 40 rating points each. On the same score, Jack will gain over 30. After only 2 games, Lukasz will gain ballpark 20-30 points. I reckon I’m gaining 10-12.

Can we maintain this level of individual performance in the last two rounds? On the road to this, can we do our A-team a favour by indulging in a spot of giant killing against Phibsboro A? Or can we finish ahead of Gonzaga and / or Dun Laoghaire? It’s clear that we’ll move towards answering some of these questions in our next match away to Elm Mount A, on Monday 25-Feb-08.

Ennis Result vs. Aer Lingus

Played Tuesday 5th Feb, 2008

Rathmines vs. Aer Lingus

1 Atanas Kouhtev 1443 0 – 1 Gearoidin Ui Laighleis 1592
2 Dave O’Connell 1394 1/2 – 1/2 John Quigley 1532
3 Paul Mogerley 1340 1/2 – 1/2 Mick Keogh 1510
4 Kannika Koomvilai 1160 0 – 1 Ben Quigley 1396
5 Una O’Boyle 1207 0 – 1 A McSwiney 1295
6 Ed Cunningham 991 1/2 – 1/2 Jim Kenny 1257

Result: 1.5 – 4.5

Rathmines B post important win

In the Armstrong Cup last night – Tuesday, February 5th – the Rathmines B team claimed a hugely important victory over Phibsboro B. Only three points separated the two teams going into the third-last match of the year and both were threatened with relegation. The teams were evenly balanced in terms of strength, with a slight edge for Rathmines.

Leagues – Final Round

A notice from Peter Scott, controller of the Leinster leagues:

The final round matches in this seasons Leinster leagues will be played on Sunday 9th March 2008 in St Michael’s Community Centre, Emmet Road , Inchicore, Dublin 8. (Home of Inchicore Chess Club).

Timetable:
10 AM Division 2 Heidenfeld, Division 4 O’Hanlon, Division 5 BEA
3 PM Division 1 Armstrong, Division 3 Ennis

Teams must provide their own boards sets and clocks. The rate of play will be the same as in the regular season. For divisions 3,4 and 5 each player will have 1 3/4 hours to play all their moves. For divisions 1 and 2 each player will have 2 hours to play all their moves.