Delancey UK Schools' Chess Challenge - 2018 Gigafinals

On 14th/15th July 7 players from Ulster travelled to Manchester to compete in the Northern Gigafinal and test themselves against some of the top junior players in the United Kingdom. Each player had previously taken part in a local qualifier to reach this stage. Over 40,000 children took part in this years Chess Challenge across the UK and only the top 5% reached the Gigafinal.

It was an excellent event run by Sarah Longson. There was an incredible atmosphere in the playing hall and around the venue as all the children battled over the chess board, played during the breaks, made new friends, and ultimately became much better players because of the experience. For players, parents and coaches alike it was an experience to be remembered for the rest of their lives. 

Our local players all acquitted themselves very well in this incredibly tough tournament.

Blake Harris  - U7 Boys

Points Total - 3/6

Ali Shahzad - U10 Boys

Points Total - 2/6

Taufik Kamal - U10 Boys

Points Total - 3.5/6

Dexter Harris - U10 Boys

Points Total - 4/6

Maxim Dobrynin - U12 Boys

Points Total - 3/6

Minaahil Shahzad - U14 Girls

Points Total - 3/6

James Wong - U15-18 Boys

Points Total - 2.5/6

By scoring 4 points Dexter Harris progressed to the Challenger stage of the competition to be held in Liverpool in September. Well done all the players on an excellent weekend of chess!!

Daniil Zelenchuk stars at the Glorney Cup 2018!!

One of Ulster's brightest young talents, 15 year old Daniil Zelenchuk, was representing Ireland recently in the Glorney Cup. Daniil scored an incredible 5 points out of 5 games including wins against 3 much higher rated players - Natahn Weisman (2003), Ben Volland (1887) and Derk Kouwenhoven (1994). This performance saw him win a medal for best Irish player in the Glorney Cup.

Daniil has had a meteoric rise in Ulster Chess, gaining 750 rating points in 2 years. His recent results suggest it won't be too long before he breaks through the 2000 barrier!

Irish Junior Champs 2018 Report

6 players from Ulster traveled down to Shannon to compete in the recent Irish Junior Chess Championships and all acquitted themselves very well in this prestigious event.






Eoin and Conor Boyle traveled down from Donegal with Eoin scoring 3/6 in the U12's and Conor scoring 3/6 in the U14's. The two brothers have made considerable progress over the last year and it's great to see their energy and enthusiasm at these tournaments.













Adam Fitzsimons continued his fine run of form by scoring 4/6 in the U10 section. This meant he finished 9th overall and was the highest scoring player from Ulster! Dexter Harris, also playing in the U10's, scored 3/6 and managed to beat the highest rated player in the section!




Louie McConkey managed to score a very credible 2/6 in a very tough U14 section. Daniil Zelenchuk scored 3/6 in the U19 event and finished 9th overall.

Many thanks to John Cassidy and everyone involved for organising this thoroughly enjoyable tournament.

Irish Junior Chess Championships

The 2018 Irish Junior Chess Championships are being held in Treacy's Oakwood Hotel in Shannon on 6th - 8th April. This is a great opportunity for all aspiring local chess players to test themselves against the best in Ireland. Details of the event can be found on the Irish Chess Union website.

February UCU Children's Chess Event

Saturday saw another fantastic Ulster Chess Union Children's Chess Event run by Mark Newman. As usual the competition was fierce and the standard of play excellent. An excellent report and a list of the winners can be found on the UCU website.

Ulster School's Championships 2017

Congratulations to all the winners at the Ulster School's Championships at the weekend.

Samuel Todd - U19 Champion

 

Hannah Patterson - Girl's Champion



















Conor Boyle - U14 Champion
















Jasper Grady - U12 Champion


















Dexter Harris - U10 Champion


















Aaditya Singh - U8 Champion

Chess for Peace

On Wednesday 15th November two of our promising young players, Dexter Harris and Adam Fitzsimons, traveled across to Wales as Youth Ambassadors for the Ulster Chess Union, as part of the Chess for Peace initiative by FIDE. They met up with other young players from around the United Kingdom and spent time with some of the most senior figures within FIDE, including President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Secretary of Chess in Schools Commission Sainbayar Tserendorj, and FIDE representative from Russia Berik Balgabaev.

It was a fantastic day that was excellently organised by Malola Prasath Thittanimuttam. It included a tour of the Welsh Assembly, a peace walk that took us to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a trip to Cardiff Chess Club, and a special meeting with the FIDE delegates that focused on how we can promote and develop chess locally.

This was a fantastic experience for the children who received an incredibly warm reception from their local hosts. Many thanks to everyone who made this such a memorable experience for all involved.

UCU Children's Chess Event

Saturday saw another children's chess event run by Mark Newman of the Ulster Chess Union. As usual it was a fun filled day of chess puzzles and games. Adam Rushe was the winner of the Secondary School section, whilst Dexter Harris won the Primary School section. Full results will appear on the Ulster Chess Union website.

Funday Sunday at St Andrews

A rapidplay tournament has been organised for Sunday 1st October in St Andrew's College, Dublin. It's a 6 round tournament with entry open to players of all ages and abilities. Further details can be found on the Irish Chess Union website. It's a great opportunity for all our youngsters to test their skills against some new players!

Saint Petersburg - we lost the match but won some friends!

A number of our local players traveled to Russia on 18th August for a challenge match against Saint Petersburg. During the week long visit we saw some wonderful sights including -

The Winter Palace / Hermitage

Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

Zenit Saint Petersburg football match

 

Museum of Music in the Sheremetev Palace

River cruise through Saint Petersburg

Korchnoi Memorial Tournament

Kalininsky Chess School

Roshchino Village Summer Chess Camp

Our hosts, the Kalininsky Chess School, were fantastic in every way, providing excellent accommodation, bus transfers in and out of the city, and amazing venues for us to play in. We received an incredibly warm reception from organisers and players alike. Their warmth, hard work and organisation turned the trip into an experience of a lifetime that none of those attending will ever forget. Special mention must all be made to Mikhail Pavlov and Brendan Jamison from the Ulster Chess Union for organising the trip on our side. They worked tirelessly before and during the event to ensure our stay was as enjoyable and fulfilling as possible.

The chess was of an incredibly high standard and proved an exciting challenge for all the players. The schedule included 4 classical games, a simultaneous exhibition against WGM Dina Belenkaya, a rapidplay tournament, and a blitz tournament. We had some notable successes on the trip -

1) Daniil Zelenchuk scored 4/4 in the classical matches

2) Ross Harris and Dmitry Zelenchuk scored 2.5/4 in the classical matches

3) Daniil Zelenchuk and Barney McGahan won in the simultaneous exhibition

4) Dexter Harris and Brendan Jamison drew in the simultaneous exhibition

5) Daniil Zelenchuk came 2nd in the blitz tournament scoring 7.5/9

6) Brendan Jamison and Daniil Zelenchuk came joint 2nd in the rapidplay tournament

Our youngest players Dexter Harris (8) and Adam Fitzsimons (8) performed incredibly well against much higher rated players. Both scored 2/5 in the rapidplay and 3/9 in the blitz.

Saint Petersburg is a beautiful, friendly city that everyone should take the opportunity to explore! Many thanks to our hosts for a wonderful experience and to Mikhail and Brendan for all their hard work!

Kalininsky Chess School have produced this wonderful video of our trip.

Robinson Cup Win

Daniil Zelenchuk continued his fine recent form by scoring 4/5 in the recent Robinson Cup. This fantastic effort helped the Irish team win the competition.