LCU Chess Cogitations

The ICU website and the LCU League site both offer excellent records of recent leagues and tournaments but I was wondering if anyone has more ancient records going back to the very start of the leagues? It would be interesting to be able to see online how the Irish team has done in all Olympiads and European Championships, what teams have won the Armstrong and how often, who has won Leinster Senior titles, who has won Branagan Cups etc etc. There have also been some important tournaments in Ireland over the years like two (I think) Zonals, and a fantastic all play all designed to give Irish players FIDE ratings I once witnessed in the old Collegians (above Kielys) club which I think was won by Bernard Kernan in the late 1970s. Does anyone have access to all these records and would anyone be prepared to put them all online? It seems a shame to lose our chess history.

After many of the comments and posts here, and thinking about the situation with the ICU, I have decided to put my name forward for the post of chairperson of the ICU.  Read more... (927 words, estimated 3:42 mins reading time)

Noel Lynch requested a new thread as an alternative to flogging dead horses (if someone had told me that that’s what picked the teams I never would have been so critical) so here goes: The Leinster Senior Championship hasn’t been a particularly well attended event in recent years despite very generous prize money at times and the tournament being held at different times of the year, christmas/ spring. How would people feel about it being held over the Easter, fri-mon and being a 7 or 8 round FIDE rated event? I’m sure with publicity it would attract quite a few foreign players at that time of the year.

Curragh beat Elm Mount 3.5 – 2.5 in the final of the William Brennan.

.5 to 2.5 down going into the last 3 games Curragh needed 3 out of 3 to win!!

Score sheet available on the Curragh website.
Curragh Chess Club Website

This is to continue the debate from the Irish Ch /Olympiad update thread as I have an idea we are going to need some space for comments.

Other threads are pretty full so here’s a new one for chess items. To start it off I’m trying to find a book I read once; I can’t remember who wrote it or what it’s called but there is a section about analysing ones own games and in the book it is reccommended that you spend roughly 10 hours on this task. It then goes on to tell you what to do and how to do it. Anyone know what the book is? Also, how much do you all analyse your own games and do you think it helps? I’m always reading that it’s the best way to improve but I’ve always felt I got more from analysing better quality games like those of GMs.

Confirmation this morning of the complete farce / facade in the supposedly transparent selection of the team captains for the forthcoming olympiad.

Dear Martin

Thankyou for applying for the post of Captain for the Irish men’s Olympiad team. Unfortunately you have been unsuccessful in your application. The Irish Chess Union Executive have appointed Gerry Graham as Men’s Captain.  Read more... (163 words, estimated 39 secs reading time)

New thread to discuss the Irish Chess Championships.
Results and pairings at http://www.icu.ie/articles/display.php?id=262

Anybody got any results/comments on the weekend tournaments?

The Irish Senior championships kicks off tomorrow and we are in the amazing position where the participants do not know weather the winner and runner up will get a place on this years Olympiad team or the winner of this years championship plus the winner of last years championships will get a place on the team.
Hopefully Jonathan or someone else reading this can contact the ICU and obtain some urgent feedback?
Previously we were informed very kindly by Jonathan that the matter was being looked into.
Dated June 6th from Jonathan O’ Connor (spokesman for the ICU)
“This evening, I spoke to Nicola Benson, the current secretary of the ICU, and she tells me she is going through the records, looking at the minutes kept by previous secretaries. She is hoping to make these available on the ICU website for further perusal by the membership. At that stage, we will know what the official records of the ICU say in this matter.
Whatever the outcome of these investigations is, it is clear that Mark Quinn will only have a place on the team if he wins the Irish this year, or one of the other players above him in the WAR list wins. Alex Lopez will have a place, (Gerry Graham wrote to me to say that Alex paid his membership on 24 May, but that the website has not been updated with this information), unless 2 places are reserved on the team for either the top 2 players in the 2010 championship or Colm Daly, who won in 2009, and the winner of 2010.”  Read more... (347 words, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

Electronic chess boards allow for moves to be transmitted from a board of play to a computer, and from that to remote location or to the Internet.

These types of boards are expensive, retailing at around €600 each. Clearly a bulk purchase would reduce the price significantly.  Read more... (74 words, estimated 18 secs reading time)