Oirsh Chess Championships

I recently played in an international tournament in my home town of Dublin and it felt a bit like an “Alice In Wonderland” experience, so weird was it on many levels. Of course I had plenty of plans for the tournament in terms of developing a structured routine around the event, as one would do normally when playing in a serious international tournament. I even had every intention of doing something really radical like being on time for my games.

Such is the fantasy and self delusion that sometimes comes with good intentions. In truth when I was honest with myself I had to admit that I was not particularly impressed or motivated by this event and in many respects was simply playing because I could!If that does not make much sense then let me explain.

Basically I am more or less retired as a serious chess player and have been for many years really. I rarely have the time or opportunity to either study chess or play it much. That’s not a complaint, but just a fact of modern life were we try to juggle so many things at once. Anyway, as much as I like playing in international events in which I can test myself and immerse myself in the game. In Ireland, such opportunities basically don’t exist, and so with the exception of the annual Irish championships, one simply has to go abroad to play tournaments that have "fide rated games" and good international standards of opposition. This essentially means having to combine a holiday with chess or choose one or the other.

Well, when I was younger the choice was simple enough I opted for chess nearly every time. Problem was, then my resources didn’t allow me to be in a position to make such choices very often. Therefore such opportunities were loaded down with the weight of all sorts of baggage and self imposed pressure and expectations – Oh if only I had been rich! Nowadays and in more recent years this is not a problem but the thought of sacrificing a holiday for chess can at the best of times seem just a little crazy.

So when it turned out that there was going to be an international open in my home town it seemed like an obvious idea really, what was there to think about really? No travel or accommodation costs and as I told myself, little by way of disruption to any work I might be doing [self delusion]? Hey why wouldn’t I play in such an event?

Previously I had done this most years when the Irish championships was being held every July, if it was in Dublin. Well that had very poor results too generally, so one would perhaps think you might learn from such mistakes? Not me I’m afraid! Last year I only entered the tournament the day before the event hours after I had just returned form a holiday in Thailand. Again the enticing logic being that as I don’t have many chances to play international chess/fide rated games and as I was the defending champion it seemed maybe worthwhile? Especially when you figured there were again no travel or accommodation expenses on account of it being in my home town.

Of course it was a disaster and I scored very badly indeed. The irony of which, for me, was that it underlined so much part of the reason why I had done so well in 2005 when I had won the event so comfortably and convincingly. Then there had been all sort of other things [chess politics] going on behind the scenes and some really outlandish and disgraceful efforts to impede me. Such shenanigans were not merely futile but hilariously counter productive and galvanizing on various levels. The net result of which, in any case, just saw me being extremely motivated, and for the most part, greatly helped/nudged me to be very focused and diligent.

2006 by contrast was such a nothing event that it was virtually impossible for me to take it seriously and after the high of having just been on a great holiday on the other side of the world, I don’t mind admitting that I felt like one sad fool to be playing in such a depressing and embarrassing event as was last years Irish. The journey alone from Clontarf to the very heart of the south side of Dublin city giving me a new and greater appreciation for the traffic hell that can be commuting in Dublin.

Back to 2007, and a new tournament entirely, well ever the optimist, I failed to do the sensible thing, which was to either not play [almost certainly the case for me next year] or just take time off and put everything else on hold and give the tournament the sort of attention it deserves. Which of course means treating the event like you might when playing abroad?

Well as it turns out, it too was another disaster and my play was pretty awful for most, if not all, of the tournament. My score of 5.5 points masking a truly shameful performance. Worse still I had a nagging discomfort at the whole event generally? It was to say the least odd and somewhat surreal to be participating in an event which for my own selfish reasons suited me greatly yet I also deplored what it represented.

It used to be that there was the Irish Championships and then there was the Irish Open, two clearly defined and identifiable events. Now the former has been discarded and its chief asset of the title of Irish champion “incorporated” within the latter. The result of which is the clear downgrading [and that’s putting t nicely!] of a title and tournament that had a tradition and essentially unblemished authenticity and history going back to the early part of the last century. All just thrown out, and on the whims of a few, perhaps well intentioned people, discarded on the alter of political or economic expediency.

Basically nobody wanted to uphold the obligations of the Irish Chess Unions constitution and instead dumped/subcontracted out the Irish championships to the “private sector/interests” with a license to do with the event whatever was so desired.

To my mind it seemed a bit like giving away the family jewels without much thought or consideration for the implications and general good further down the line. Though of course some might think that it was worth getting rid of the family jewels if there was a buck or two to be made, and they may well be right?. Especially if nobody was willing to give the jewels a good cleaning and invest the time and energy on a badly needed good refurbishment project.

The upshot of the event saw two deserving GMs Mark Hebden and Nick Pert win the 2007 Irish Open and become joint Irish Open champions, though nobody seemed to afford them that recognition? I mean, if you win a tournament it should make you champion of something?

Instead there was subsequently the hilarious specter of the official ICU/Mark Orr website not merely spinning things but then contorting to try glibly convince people that not only was the Irish Open really the same thing as the Irish Championships proper, but that it was credible to suggest that comparing previous Irish champions with the Irish champion/s of 2007 was anyway valid?

As it happens, I think I am on pretty safe grounds in thinking that in the case of the two players declared joint 2007 Irish champions, by virtue of finishing with the highest amount of points of any other Irish players, Brian Kelly genuinely couldn't care less about the title and in fact, most likely has little regard for it now and perhaps ever? The added irony being that Brian played a mere three Irish players in the entire event compared with Stephen playing eight, and worse still, Brians rating performance being about 2550 while Stephens being about 2380. Clearly it is as if the two players were playing in two different tournaments, such are the possible anomalies when a tried and trusted format is messed with and rendered absurd.


The polar opposite in attitude to the title of Irish champion being Stephen Brady who could justly take pride in winning his fifth title in 2006 but may well be somewhat embarrassed by the absurd suggestion that somehow it is now credible to afford the artificial and arbitrary title from 2007 with having anything like the same worth or legitimacy as previous titles.

Accordingly, fanciful assertions like those one has come to expect from Mark Orr on his ICU website can only make you laugh and wonder how such a bright guy can contort and twist information to such a misleading and farcical extent. As was said to me recently "its bloody obvious that you cant compare this years event with anything that went before" which is surely obvious? Apparently not to some?

Essentially a committee decided who would be Irish champion for 2007, as opposed to the usual method. The concept of being a champion usually means winning something. You win a tournament then your the champion, you don't, and your not.

Personally I don't mind admitting that I regard Mark Hebden and or Nick Pert as the 2007 Irish champions and sure why not? Logically they played in the "Irish Championships" [The 2007 Irish Open really] and they won it. So whats not logical about that? Well its all pretty silly really, but then that was the main feature of this whole event. The reality now, for good or ill, is that there is no Irish champion title and what is passing off as one is so devalued as to be now truly virtually worthless.

I even recall thinking how farcical it was that both Stephen and Brian got a mere 400 Euros, not for becoming "Irish champions" but for coming joint 3rd to 6th in a tough event held over nine days, while for example I got 500 euros for the considerably weaker Malahide weekender held over three days. This means that either the title of Irish champion is now worth nothing [there was no prize for winning that title?] or at best, it was worth a mere 400 euros, compared to last year when it was about 750 I think? Its all just a mess to my mind.

Just try explaining to a non chess player the situation as pertains to this years event and they just cant believe it. My own efforts to document and articulate my views have been published elsewhere and can now be seen at Tournament Conclusions As I mention there, I don't understand why there can't be an open international event called the Irish Open and a normal national championships called the Irish chess championships?

Personally it really doesn't effect me so much, in the sense that I would at this stage be far more interested in getting my rating up or making more IM norms than winning the title of Irish champion again.

What is such a loss and frankly an annoyance is that younger players and players rising fast have now been denied the chance to become the "Irish Champion" because nobody is going to take seriously someone trying t explain something like the following: Oh well I came 4th [9th - whatever it might be in years to come with the current format] and seen as I had more points than any of the other Irish players playing...

Well you can just see most people politely nodding and saying, yes that is very good while thinking to themselves something like "jasus thats weird - thats complicated" Perhaps it does indeed signify the end of the nation state! Either way, it all seems so very OIRSH to me. At the end of the day you have to have a sense of humor about these things and get a laugh out of it all. as for having a bad tournament? Well sure it can get you down if you let it, but I tend to think that a good blast of Black Diamond Bay sorts out the chess blues and your smiling about it all in no time.