Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Irish Championships 2021

  • 24-02-2021 11:12am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭


    With the latest predictions about vaccine rollouts the possibility of the Irish Championships being held this year is very real. It will be great to get back to playing live over the board real chess with proper time limits again.


«13456

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 883 ✭✭✭DmanDmythDledge


    Very difficult to predict but it seems like a good chance things will be better this August than last August


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    Very tentative but here’s hoping; dates and venue:
    https://www.icu.ie/events/1409

    Will post a note later tonight or tomorrow on the site with our summer/Irish plan.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10 FairCityFanboy


    If this can't go ahead will it be online?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭sodacat11


    If this can't go ahead will it be online?

    NO, it would be ridiculous to hold it online. It is too easy to cheat online.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,117 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Yeah, online is fairly meaningless really.

    I presume the thinking at the moment is that there won't be able to be any events before the end of July? (Which I could well understand)

    Nice to have something to look forward to - even for those of who are ineligible :) Hopefully with the vaccine rolling out (and seemingly working), we're into the beginning of the end of all this now.

    Edit - in fact, my question is answered on the ICU site. Efficient! And a very thorough answer.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    Initial details here with some initial entries: https://www.icu.ie/events/1409

    Plan as mentioned above is here; https://www.icu.ie/articles/938


  • Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭RooksPawn


    Any plans for a Senior Championship?

    With priority vaccination for 70+ well advanced now, maybe something would be possible in June or July to warm us up before the Championships proper?


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    RooksPawn wrote: »
    Any plans for a Senior Championship?

    With priority vaccination for 70+ well advanced now, maybe something would be possible in June or July to warm us up before the Championships proper?

    That’s one of the events we’d try to get in over summer if possible.


  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭Eugene Donohoe


    That’s one of the events we’d try to get in over summer if possible.

    That would be sweet :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭Eugene Donohoe


    Initial details here with some initial entries: https://www.icu.ie/events/1409

    Plan as mentioned above is here; https://www.icu.ie/articles/938

    That's really great. Thanks for your work in these uncertain times.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    A reminder that terms and conditions for the Irish Championships be found here: https://www.icu.ie/articles/670

    I'm proposing two amendments for this year (from last year) and am open to player feedback on these, or if there are any other changes that players would like to see.

    a. In 2020, we had the attached note: (However, for 2020, this will be simplified to 135 minutes + 35 second increment for all moves). We believe this is unnecessary for 2021 and so would revert to the standard time control.

    b. We are amending the following from: "Players rated above 1900 on either of the two lists above are permitted entry. All others must apply for wildcards to the event if they wish to play unless they won a qualifying event or are a past champion. See appendix 1 below."

    to

    "Players rated 1900 or above at any stage since January 2020 on either of the two lists above are permitted entry. All others must apply for wildcards to the event if they wish to play unless they won a qualifying event or are a past champion. See appendix 1 below."


    After 3 days, we have 15 Confirmed Entrants (by ICU rating; FIDE will be used for pairings):

    2343 IM David Fitzsimons

    2311 FM Conor O'Donnell

    2307 IM Mark Quinn

    2296 FM Tarun Kanyamarala

    2280 FM Stephen Brady

    2261 FM Colm Daly

    2178 WIM Trisha Kanyamarala

    2158 FM John Delaney

    2148 CM Shane Melaugh

    2131 FM Daire McMahon

    2035 Peter Carroll

    2032 Kavin Venkatesan

    2009 John McMorrow

    1914 Peter Cafolla

    1880 WFM Diana Mirza


  • Registered Users Posts: 15 dave grant


    We here in Ballyroan Community Chess Club would like to thank the ICU for giving the club the opportunity to host this years Irish Championship. We are working to make the competition as safe as possible for the competitors and to also reassure each player the venue itself will be maintained at the highest standard of cleanliness with full Covid protocols in place. We would appreciate any feed back from last years players/visitors to our venue to aide us make this years competition even better. We would like you to be honest and frank as we are confident we can fulfill the needs of the players.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭sodacat11


    dave grant wrote: »
    We here in Ballyroan Community Chess Club would like to thank the ICU for giving the club the opportunity to host this years Irish Championship. We are working to make the competition as safe as possible for the competitors and to also reassure each player the venue itself will be maintained at the highest standard of cleanliness with full Covid protocols in place. We would appreciate any feed back from last years players/visitors to our venue to aide us make this years competition even better. We would like you to be honest and frank as we are confident we can fulfill the needs of the players.

    I thought that everything last year was perfect, I couldn't fault anything. Ample free parking, easy to access from M50, lovely venue, canteen facilities, players well apart in a well lit quiet comfortable room. Everything as safe as could be regarding Covid. I love it as a venue.


  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭Eugene Donohoe


    I was there to do photos for the ICU and thought all of your covid precautions were perfect plus very friendly and welcoming. Excellent all round!


  • Registered Users Posts: 265 ✭✭zeitnot


    I was there to do photos for the ICU and thought all of your covid precautions were perfect plus very friendly and welcoming. Excellent all round!

    The photos for the last several years have been outstanding as well.


  • Registered Users Posts: 70 ✭✭Eugene Donohoe


    zeitnot wrote: »
    The photos for the last several years have been outstanding as well.

    Thanks for that.


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    Several former Irish Champions in the 100th Irish field already. The clubhouse leader in terms of earliest winners entered is Anthony Doyle who’ll be playing 47 years after his win. 18 entries currently.

    2419 FM Conor E. Murphy

    2343 IM David Fitzsimons

    2311 FM Conor O'Donnell

    2307 IM Mark Quinn

    2296 FM Tarun Kanyamarala

    2280 FM Stephen Brady

    2261 FM Colm Daly

    2178 WIM Trisha Kanyamarala

    2158 FM John Delaney

    2148 CM Shane Melaugh

    2131 FM Daire McMahon

    2046 Anthony Doyle

    2035 Peter Carroll

    2032 Kavin Venkatesan

    2009 John McMorrow

    1966 Adam Collins

    1914 Peter Cafolla

    1880 WFM Diana Mirza


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    Two more former champions entered (and a new top seed), and three other takes us to 23 in total.

    From conversations with a few dozen eligible players, I would categorize the likely entries in 4 tiers:
    21 current entries (may lose 1-2 if restrictions don't allow for travel)
    14 likely entrants (lose 5 if restrictions don't allow for travel)
    24 haven't heard back from but have played an Irish in last 5 years. (lose 1 if restrictions don't allow for travel)
    12 who are about 10-20% likely to play. (lose 1-2 if restrictions don't allow for travel)

    So an eligible playing pool of 71 with travel, maybe 61 without travel. Hard to predict of course but I'd be surprised if we'd a turnout under 40.

    2439 IM Sam E. Collins

    2419 FM Conor E. Murphy

    2343 IM David Fitzsimons

    2311 FM Conor O'Donnell

    2307 IM Mark Quinn

    2296 FM Tarun Kanyamarala

    2280 FM Stephen Brady

    2261 FM Colm Daly

    2178 WIM Trisha Kanyamarala

    2158 FM John Delaney

    2148 CM Shane Melaugh

    2131 FM Daire McMahon

    2046 Anthony Doyle

    2035 Peter Carroll

    2032 Kavin Venkatesan

    2009 John McMorrow

    1966 Adam Collins

    1960 Jonathon Peoples

    1938 CM Gerard MacElligott

    1914 Peter Cafolla

    1880 WFM Diana Mirza

    1858 NM Eamon Keogh

    1763 John P. Aherne


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭sodacat11


    Was there some kind of survey sent out? if so then I didn't get it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    sodacat11 wrote: »
    Was there some kind of survey sent out? if so then I didn't get it.

    No survey this year - just details of the event and venue. Some people write back with their likelihood of playing or suggestions etc. I'll send on just so you don't feel left out but nothing you don't already know (but you and a couple of others were already entered by the time I was emailing out for an idea of numbers).


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 382 ✭✭macelligott


    There were 32 entrants permitted to play last year. I wonder will the ICU be able to accept more entries this year? Perhaps there is another room that could be used? Positive virus results are currently very high 😕 I hope that this doesn’t derail the event. There is no clear plan yet indicating when indoor gatherings will be allowed - and, indeed, how many will be allowed to gather indoors. My advice to those thinking of playing: don’t wait too long to enter or you might not make the final cut.


  • Registered Users Posts: 883 ✭✭✭DmanDmythDledge


    Case numbers are up but that’s likely down to increased testing from the walk-in centres - positivity rate is gradually decreasing again. Once no setbacks with vaccine supplies, I think we can be reasonably optimistic for end of summer time.

    I wonder could numbers be extended if conditions re having the vaccine or, if not, have evidence of a test in the days before the tournament begins. Problem with the latter would be continuous testing would be required throughout the tournament due to the length of it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭RooksPawn


    Everything should be much clearer by the end of June - either much better or (in the case of new variants resistant to vaccines) much worse.

    Personally, the thought of having to wear a mask throughout a potentially 5-hour session fills me with horror. Maybe the fully vaccinated might not have to wear masks?


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,117 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Wearing masks isn't all about protecting you though


  • Registered Users Posts: 382 ✭✭macelligott


    Entries so far including FIDE ratings:
    Sam E. Collins IM 2456
    Conor E. Murphy FM 2394
    Mark Quinn IM 2370
    Tarun Kanyamarala FM 2369
    Conor O'Donnell FM 2331
    David Fitzsimons IM 2324
    Stephen Brady FM 2292
    Colm Daly FM 2285
    Joe Ryan FM 2271
    Anthony Doyle 2206
    John Delaney FM 2191
    Trisha Kanyamarala WIM 2180
    Shane Melaugh CM 2161
    Daire McMahon FM 2115
    Peter Carroll CM 2059
    Kavin Venkatesan 2011
    John McMorrow 1997
    Gerard MacElligott CM 1966
    Peter Cafolla 1958
    Jonathon Peoples 1953
    Eamon Keogh NM 1944
    Diana Mirza WFM 1933
    John P. Aherne 1903
    Adam Collins 1887


  • Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭HaraldSchmidt


    RooksPawn wrote: »
    Everything should be much clearer by the end of June - either much better or (in the case of new variants resistant to vaccines) much worse.

    Personally, the thought of having to wear a mask throughout a potentially 5-hour session fills me with horror. Maybe the fully vaccinated might not have to wear masks?

    But, how would you prove that you have been vaccinated? I think until the number of people vaccinated is high and the number of new daily infections is low, everybody should wear a mask.


  • Registered Users Posts: 382 ✭✭macelligott


    Additional entries have been slow to materialize, but we now have 27 entries.
    32 was the maximum allowed last year. Though I believe the ICU hopes to be able to accommodate more entries this year.
    It's good to see, also, there will be a <1300 tournament in the same venue the weekend before the championship.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,297 ✭✭✭sodacat11


    But, how would you prove that you have been vaccinated? I think until the number of people vaccinated is high and the number of new daily infections is low, everybody should wear a mask.
    We had this debate last year with some people saying that wearing masks was uncomfortable, gave you asthma, stopped you breathing, made your ears fall off, trapped germs etc etc but as far as I know none of the competitors in last year's championship suffered any long term health problems as a result of wearing a mask. Wearing a mask is not ideal but it is a very small price to pay for being able to participate in a real live over the board tournament again.


  • Registered Users Posts: 624 ✭✭✭Retd.LoyolaCpt


    Additional entries have been slow to materialize, but we now have 27 entries.
    32 was the maximum allowed last year. Though I believe the ICU hopes to be able to accommodate more entries this year.

    This time two years ago we had 17 entries so we're in good shape. One entry per week between now and the event and we're at 42 so I wouldn't really expect any flurries of entries except maybe around the times that entry rates are due to rise.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 259 ✭✭RooksPawn


    But, how would you prove that you have been vaccinated? I think until the number of people vaccinated is high and the number of new daily infections is low, everybody should wear a mask.

    Proof of being vaccinated is not a problem. Everybody vaccinated in Ireland receives a card showing exactly what they got (including batch number) and when. By the time of the Irish Championships a phone app or some other kind of electronic certificate will probably be in place.


Advertisement