Leinster Championships 2010
April 16th, 2010 | 
Author: The 2010 Leinster Championships is taking place this weekend in the Academy Plaza Hotel. The list of participants, results and draws will be available on the new Leinster Championships Page.
The Round times are:
Masters:
Round 1 – 7pm Friday 16th April
Round 2 – 10am Saturday 17th April
Round 3 – 3pm Saturday 17th April
Round 4 – 10am Sunday 18th April
Round 5 – 3pm Sunday 18th April
The Round times are:
Masters:
Round 1 – 7pm Friday 16th April
Round 2 – 10am Saturday 17th April
Round 3 – 3pm Saturday 17th April
Round 4 – 10am Sunday 18th April
Round 5 – 3pm Sunday 18th April
Majors & Challengers
Round 1 – 7pm Friday 16th April
Round 2 – 10am Saturday 17th April
Round 3 – 2.30pm Saturday 17th April
Round 4 – 7pm Saturday 17th April
Round 5 – 10am Sunday 18th April
Round 6 – 2.30pm Sunday 18th April
There will be a prizegiving following the end of the last round.
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Does anyone know where I can find the results for round 1?
They’re up now.
The Leinster Championship is “supposed” to be for players rated over 2000 yet to be eligible for a grading prize one had to be under 2000 ???? There were 12 entrants and if the rating band for the grading prize had been set at 2050 seven of the competitors would have been eligible but no the organisers in their infinite wisdom decided to lower the bar to 2000 so only three of the field were involved [...removed by Jonathan O'Connor, per instructions from Peter in a later comment]
Peter
Re your remarks “… by a freakish coincidence a friend of the controller won the money”
I think that both Pat Fitzsimons and Rory Delaney are people of the highest integrity. Our Leinster chess world knows that. We are all grateful that they volunteer and provide such well run tournaments and are so committed to what they do. They do it for free. They deserve our thanks, not your abuse.
Why would they, or indeed anyone, volunteer when faced with such casually nasty slurs against their integrity that you peddle, presumably with no thought as to what impact such false words can have on how people feel?
We like and admire these guys. They are friends to us all.
I am ashamed to see such remarks from a fellow Rathmines club member.
John Delaney
Rathmines
I am not insinuating any wrong doing by either Pat or Rory, both of whom I agree are of the highest integrity, and apologize if anyone took that meaning from what I wrote but the whole situation regarding the grading prizes was clearly farcical. Saying the competition is for OVER 2000 players and then awarding grading prizes only to players UNDER 2000 is akin to putting up “No Dogs Allowed” signs at Krufts.
I agree John that my remark was unfair and ill thought out so I have asked Rory to delete the offending piece. It was “casual” as you said and not intentionally malicious but I can see now how it could be interpreted. Again, Im sorry for any offence caused and will think a bit longer in future before publishing any flippant comments.
Take even longer to think Cafolla and dont post any comment on any topic.
You will be doing everyone a favour then…
Too late for apologies!The damage is already done! I dont know how your post could not be interpreted as anything but malicious and disrespectful towards the organisers.Rory and Pat are two of the nicest guys in Irish Chess and for you to hurl abuse at them is unforgivable. The only reason why you apologised is because of John Delaney’s comment. How dare you insinuate that my friendship with Rory had anything got to do with me winning the grading prize.You should be ashamed of yourself.
I like both Pat and Rory and honestly did not wish to cause offence. My remark was ill considered and stupid and I am ashamed of it hence my apology.I agree that once something is said it is hard to retract it but I did ask for the offending article to be removed (thanks Jonathan) as soon as I realised it’s effect and I have apologised here and in two emails to Rory. I don’t think Pat was the controller of the Senior so I’m not quite sure how his name has been brought into this, possibly by John, but if he has taken any offence then I apologize unreservedly to him too.
My silly aside at the end of my original letter has diverted attention from the main point I was trying to make i.e how silly it is to have the grading prize for people rated under 2000 in what was suppose to be an over 2000 event.
Why are people getting in FLAP over comments Peter has posted, which he has since apologised for. He has a valid gripe, i.e the rating bands were not made known before the tournament started and players under 2000 were allowed entry into a tournament which was an over 2000 event. Clearly this is wrong….so Peter keep posting….if you have not FLAGELLATED yourself to death…
Peter, I do enjoy reading some of your posts in a what-are-you-gonna-say-next kind of way, but I have to laugh at your ongoing gripe about tournament controllers not enforcing rating bands strictly. You took advantage of the very thing you decry on a number of occasions: you were admitted to 2000+ masters tournaments when your ICU rating was below 2000. Here´s a selection from the ICU website:
Kilkenny 2005 ICU rating Sep05 = 1892
Bunratty 2006 ICU rating Jan06 = 1908
Kilkenny 2008 ICU rating Sep08 = 1927
Bunratty 2007 ICU rating Jan07 = 1980
Kilkenny 2007 ICU rating Sep07 = 1989
Although your FIDE rating was indeed over 2000 in all cases, that doesn´t have any relevance as none of the tournaments were FIDE rated. Should they have let you in?
Kilkenny and Bunratty both allow entry based on FIDE ratings so yes they should have let me in. Kudos though for going to all that trouble in researching your facts!
People have said to me that they agree with what I say about enforcing the advertised rating bands but they haven’t bothered to say it in writing. If a player is good enough then they will eventually have the rating to play in the higher tournaments, if they aren’t good enough then better that they stay with their peers.If someone organised a tournament for under 2100s I’d love to play in it, it’s much more fun, and better for my chess, to be in contention for the top prizes than trying to win an occasional grading prize in tournaments packed with players rated hundreds of points above me.
While I don’t know or understand the personalities involved or exactly what the real issue is here I must say that I am impressed that Peter has apologized so profusely and comprehensively. I think he does deserve at least some credit for that?
I have good reason to find him/his posts objectionable, as he has described me as a rat on another thread, but while I think this is quite childish I don’t take it too personal.
I also get the impression that the comment by John Delaney were just a little bit over the top [mellow dramatic] but still essentially more or less correct. Personally I am just wary of people writing for themselves who then use WE – OUR and US as if they were not only speaking for themselves.
You made very good points John, and as it happens I agree with the broad thrust of what you wrote, but I think it better to stay with specifics and not stray in the general too much. I think it should go without saying that people do tend to be grateful to people who do stuff on behalf of us all collectively.
Just because people do things for free- or because nobody else seems to be willing to do certain things is still not a reason for such people to be beyond criticism or query. Just so long as it is constructive and respectful. This was not the case with Peter and you are right to take him up on this.
Just a minor quibble on my part but I think having to have regard for people’s feelings might be taking things a little bit too far? After all nobody is forcing people to do certain things and it only follows that it comes with the territory for people to sometimes be ungrateful, thoughtless or in the case of Peter sometimes a bit of a moan.
But getting back to the point of this thread [The Leinster Championships], I noticed that the current Irish champion failed in his efforts to become the Leinster Champion. I see he was beaten by young player David Fitzsimons in the last round. Does anybody know what happened there ? Who had what colors and what was the opening? Will the game/s be made available? Will there be a report on this event?
Perhaps the odds for the Irish also need to be also adjusted? Is Daly past his sell by date-on the way out, and now a bad bet at 9/2? I notice his website has also been dead for ages now. Pity really it used to be a source of some interesting info and games at times.
Maybe David Fitzsimons should be given, what Martin Crichton refers to on the other thread about international selection, as the “automatic” place on the next men’s Olympiad? Where does it say that there is such an automatic place?
What about the idea of having the team comprised of The Munster Champion, The Leinster Champion, The Ulster Champion, and The Connacht Champion plus the Irish Champion and the highest rated player making it six places. Is this really as mad as it seems?
Thank you Pat for your balanced comments, I do appreciate them. I don’t think I actually directly call you a rat by the way and anyway I seem to remember you calling me clueless and some other derogatory term which I’ve forgotten. I know we have our spats but I enjoy the banter and don’t mean any offence. Apparently there are moves afoot to have me removed from this site so perhaps you will have the stage all to yourself shortly. No doubt the sly and sneaky contributors like “onlooker” who don’t have the moral fortitude to use their real names will be delighted if this comes to pass but then I guess it doesn’t take much to please such sad creatures.
Peter, while it´s relatively well known that these tournaments allow players who are 2000 FIDE, the point is that this back door isn´t part of the advertised criteria. Just check the entry form from Kilkenny last year. It says the tournament is ICU rated and gives all the rating bands down to <1199. FIDE ratings (which don´t even go that low) are never mentionned. So in the context of these tournaments your FIDE rating has no more meaning than your credit card number. It follows that you didn´t meet the advertised minimum rating criterion in the instances I cited. In effect, there´s little difference between the back door you jimmied to enter these tournaments and the one you´ve been railing about.
I’ve always been told that FIDE ratings were acceptable in Kilkenny and Bunratty and that is what all the foreign players enter under. Do you think that foreign players should be allowed use their FIDE ratings yet Irish players should not?
Secondly, I won the intermediate tournament in Kilkenny over 30 years ago and apart from a few blips here and there have been over 2000 ever since. I’ve no problem playing in lower tournaments when my rating warrants it, I enjoy tournaments where I can compete for the top prizes.
I never take these blog things too seriously and yes I enjoy the banter too. So I do hope you will not be leaving us anytime soon. It would be a very dull and boring place if we were all to be always squeaky clean with all our comments. As someone already said somewhere on this blog, it is a bit of a hit and miss sort of thing.
I don’t think you actually set out to abuse anybody so people need to perhaps not take everything too seriously. I appreciate you qualifying the whole rat comment thing which BTW I found hilarious anyway. I am not a rat but you are right about me having not only big ears but huge ears!
In any case is there any chance you could do a report of some kind for the Leinster Championships? Maybe throw up a game or two. It would be nice to see some annotated games.
You will be glad to hear Pat that although I have been reprimanded I have not been expelled. Due to another thread I posted before reading the reprimand though there could already be a large horde of irate tiddlywink players down Kerry direction baying for my head on a plate. Although your obviously good sense of humour and thick skin has raised you somewhat in my estimation I am now saddled with a somewhat unfortunate image of you looking something like Mickey Mouse. I will do my best to dispel that picture as I read your future comments.
The field for the Leinster is up on this site.I haven’t prepared a report so this is just from memory but here goes. Rd 1 produced a slight upset with Costa Rican player Rivera somehow managing to save a very dodgy looking position v reigning Leinster Champ David Fitzsimons. Number 1 seed Daly took a bye in rd 1 and beat me embarrasingly easily in rd 2.Fitzsimons beat Mc Cabe. Paul Dempsey, who more or less only plays league chess these days, beat Griffiths in a very interesting and double edged affair where Dempsey appeared a lot worse out of the opening.I didn’t see any of rd 3 because I agreed a 10 move draw so I could rush home to see my beloved Chelsea get hammered by Spurs but Dempsey drew with Fitzsimons and Daly easily beat Fox.In round 4 I played one of my favourite opponents David Murray, there is little between us and our games are usually hard fought and exciting (if somewhat error strewn) We continued an ongoing debate weve been having in the Grunfeld and after a very long and interesting struggle he ground me down on move 58.(I may put up the game if I get time)During this game a sudden burst of gospel singing and a long loud sermon from a Nigerian preacher broke out in the room next door but although this coincided with my losing move I couldn’t honestly claim it distracted me too much. On the top boards Daly again won without too much exertion, this time against Dempsey and the two young pretenders of Irish Chess Griffiths and Fitzsimons clashed in a much anticipated showdown. Ryan knows his openings inside out but David always seems to prepare very well for his opponents and this game was no exception. I dont know the first thing about the Najdorf Sicilian but David’s early Na4 manouvre looked like something he had prepared beforehand and judging by the time Ryan was using it caught him on the hop. The next time I saw the game David had a Queen for something like Rook and Bishop and showed good technique in converting the win. I’m sure those two will have many more epic battles against each other in the years to come. In the final round I again left early but from what I hear Daly was in a completely lost position when he lost on time to Fitzsimons. This is David’s second win in a row of the Leinster Senior. All in all it wasn’t a tournament I particularly enjoyed,the field wasn’t great, I was way off form, I don’t much like the claustrophobic premises, parking in Dublin city centre is a drag, the gospel singing was way too loud, and I preferred when the tournament was held over the Xmas period and was 6 rounds instead of 5. Moan, moan ,moan.
Thanks for the mini report Peter. Interesting all the same.That game between the two upcoming players looks like it would be well worth a look. Daly losing on time in a lost position sounds like sure sign of decline. I recall seeing the same thing happen to Karpov who seemed to suffer a similar fate. Still be good to see the games and get an idea of the chess being played. I read somewhere that the younger players are all booked up like crazy so I wonder how do the older top Irish players cope with this? Sam Collins seems to be the only top Irish player who knows the opening well these days?
A good moan is a great thing and often a lot more interesting than a banal and politically correct pile of platitudes.
So I say.
Power to the PETER!
Thanks for the support fellow moaner but I have to disagree on a couple of points. Firstly, Daly is showing no signs of decline and ,to be fair to him, despite his relative lack of activity last year he won the Irish Championship in a bit of a canter. I think you (or someone) said somewhere that it was only “pot luck” that Atlas didn’t win but this wasn’t the case at all.
Secondly, yes all the young players are theory monsters but so are most players these days. Chessbase and internet access have made keeping up with theory much easier than ever before. It beats me how they remember all that stuff, I’ve often prepared a particular line in the morning only to forget what happens next when I reach the same position the very same afternoon. The only people I can think of in the above 2000 bracket who play 1d4 1c4 1e4 1 f4 are Daly (he even plays 1a3!) and me but probably I am omitting a few others, I think maybe Mark Quinn plays a number of different openings. Most players play exactly the same openings that they’ve learned inside out week after week and year after year. Personally I’d find that boring, it’s much more exciting to experience all types of chess positions and to be able to play whatever suits one’s mood on a particular day even if it undoubtedly does cost a few rating points along the way.