LCU Chess Cogitations

Just a reminder that the annual City of Dublin takes place in the city Centre beginning on Sept 3rd.

GM Nicholas Pert(2551) who finished second in the recent British Chess Championships is confirmed for the
Masters section.

All the details can be found on the website City Of Dublin  Read more... (54 words, estimated 13 secs reading time)

Hi all,
This is just a general advert letting you know that the Dublin University chess club is looking for new members. As is normal for a a college club, we gain and lose members each year due to people starting college, finishing degrees, etc, so we need a few replacements.
If you’ve got a 2000+ rating, you’ll be board 1 or 2, 1600 rating could see you as high as board 5. I’m sure that’s alot higher than those rating will get you on most other Armstrong teams, so if you’re looking for some challenging games this may interest you.
We play our home games in Trinity College, club nights are Tuesdays, there are NO FEES to join our club, and I think that’s all the info I need to give.
If you’re interested please email me as soon as possible at duchesssoc@gmail.com.  Read more... (180 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)

Congrads to Irish Champ Alex Lopez on his 2nd IM norm at the DLF. Great chance now of being Irelands next IM after the Olympiad…. Unconfirmed rumours circulating that Alex Lopez will be playing on board 2!

The other thread is too full .

It is obvious that people need a platforn to express opinions regarding the forthcoming AGM.
I would like to point out that at no point did I make any personal attacks against members of the ICU and I strongly resent such insinuations. I may be one of the harshest critics of certain members of the ICU and as far as I am concerned they are all more than welcome to participate in the discussions here and put their cases across (as I have said before). They are after all working (voluntarily) for us. I find it a bit strange that some of the exec say I have critisised them unfairly especially when they are passing their comments indirectly through others. This is a blog after all and all we want is answers. Awkward questions will not go away and no doubt some of us members will be seeking answers at the AGM. I hope that there will be a good turnout.

Just after Sam scored his second GM norm in Norway, I sent him a list of questions to answer, and here are his answers:

1. What was your best game at Tromso?

Probably against Ivanisevic. I lost control of the position, but it was a great result to beat such a strong player in an unclear struggle.  Read more... (1263 words, estimated 5:03 mins reading time)

Anyone of a nervous disposition can still post in The Heavenly Thread although there is no guarantee anyone will actually read it.
My forecast for “A” section Baburin and Hebden joint 1st, no norms achieved by Irish players. Group “B” 1Cech 2 Lopez,norm for Lopez

Una O’Boyle is launching her chess book, Ficheall, at the Dun Laoghaire tournament on Friday 20 August. I believe this is the first chess book written in Irish, and we should support her, by buying lots of copies and giving them to our gaelgeoir friends. I’ll be buying loads for my kids gaelscoil.  Read more... (57 words, estimated 14 secs reading time)

Well, yours truly is off for a week on hols, and I’m thoroughly looking forward to reading Yasser Seirawan’s book “Chess Duels: My Games with the World Champions”. I’ve had a little dip into it already, and it is a joy to read. His anecdotes are priceless, and his analysis is easy on the head after wading through the masses of variations in Kasparov’s recent books.  Read more... (80 words, estimated 19 secs reading time)

I had an email from Pat Reynolds the other day, who pointed out that the eligibility requirements changed from 24 games over 2 years to 12 games in 2 years. I also was talking to Gerry Graham a couple of weeks ago, and he mentioned to me that the number of games had been reduced. When exactly this was decided, I haven’t gone and looked up, but it strikes me that the rules on the web site need to be brought up to date. I envisage a document containing the current criteria, with footnotes explaining any changes that were made from the original criteria, and when the change came about.  Read more... (199 words, estimated 48 secs reading time)